eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. Samhain Publishing, Ltd. 2932 Ross Clark Circle, #384 Dothan, AL 36301 Dark Heat Copyright © 2006 by Arianna Hart Cover by Scott Carpenter ISBN: 1-59998-077-0 www.samhainpublishing.com All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: May 2006
DARK HEAT Arianna Hart
DEDICATION This book is respectfully dedicated to my Grandfather, who died while I was writing it. He was a wonderful man who always had a joke and a kind word. He taught me so much about honesty, integrity, and hard work by example. His contributions to my family were endless, as were his generosity and love. I’ll miss you Grampy.
Dark Heat
CHAPTER ONE Talia hated snow. She hated schlepping through the dirty, sloppy mess just to get to the bus stop, and hated the ice that made walking on the sidewalks to the shop a trial for balance-challenged people such as herself. What the hell she was doing in New York City in the middle of winter was anybody’s guess. Stomping her feet on the “welcome” mat that read “Go Away” she wished she could go away. Preferably someplace warm. As always, the instant she stepped into Strange Days, the occult bookstore where she worked, she felt a wall of peace fall between her and the outside world. It wasn’t just the soothing harp music, or the sandalwood incense that permeated the air; it was the feeling of the store’s psychic shields slipping into place. Once she crossed the threshold the store’s wards surrounded her, barricading her from the whirling maelstrom of emotions that seethed in the city that never sleeps. Being an empath was hard enough in the tiny town in Maine where she grew up, and that only had a population of two thousand. Living in the city surrounded by millions of people broadcasting their emotions far and wide was like trying to read a book at a basketball game. During the Final Four. Her shields were adequate most of the time. It had gotten to where the emotional badgering she withstood living in her apartment building was almost like white noise to her now. She could ignore almost -5-
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everything but the really heavy emotional meltdowns. Like the cry fest that came after her neighbor Patrice broke up with her boyfriend last night. If she was the type, Talia would have gone downstairs with a pint of ice cream and listened while Patrice cried out her angst. She definitely wasn’t the type. Instead, Talia tossed and turned, feeling the guilt and remorse Patrice suffered over ending the relationship. It was bad enough Talia hadn’t had a date in so long she’d forgotten what one was like, now she had to go through the emotional wringer because of someone else’s break up. Sometimes she really hated her “gift”. Gift? Ha. Where was the receipt? She wanted an exchange. Talia had known she was different from the other kids in kindergarten. Her mother had kept her sheltered under wards that were as automatic for her as breathing. Talia didn’t realize feeling someone’s emotions was different until the teacher found her hiding under the desk, bombarded by so much emotional noise she could do nothing more than cry. Her strange reaction had been chalked up to first day of school jitters, but forever afterwards Talia had been labeled different. Growing up in a small town where you graduated with the same kids you watched eat paste in kindergarten didn’t offer a whole lot of room for mingling cliques or exploring personalities. That certainly wasn’t the problem here. There were so many diverse personalities in the Village alone that Talia didn’t even score high on the weirdness scale. If for no other reason than that, it was worth putting up with the crappy weather and insane traffic. The door flung open behind her, carrying her friend Cassidy in with a gust of bone searing wind and cold.
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“Hey, Talia. What’re you doing here on a Saturday? Are the account books that bad you have to come in on the weekend too?” Cassidy, one of the many twenty-something’s who came to the city to find themselves or—in Talia’s case—lose themselves, stomped the snow off her high heeled boots and shook her miles of blonde hair out from under the stocking cap that she wore. “No, but with tax season and year end all piling up, I need to put in some extra hours. Don’t worry, I’ll be in the office so I won’t get in your way.” “You never get in the way, and you’re always in the office. How are you ever going to meet a man with your face glued to a calculator? You should come out to the counter during the lunch hour rush, you’d be sure to meet someone then.” She smoothed down her low-cut, skintight top and automatically checked her appearance in one of the many mirrors around the store. “If I looked like you maybe I wouldn’t have any trouble meeting someone, but I could be buck naked and no one would even notice me. Besides, the way I’m feeling, I don’t want to meet anyone right now.” “Oh no, what now?” “Patrice broke up with her boyfriend last night. I didn’t get a minute of sleep.” “Poor Talia, I’m glad my gifts have to do with attracting people instead of feeling what they feel.” Talia didn’t mention that she thought Cassidy’s “gifts” had more to do with what was in her bra than what was in her head. Talia’d been accepted at Strange Days without a qualm, and she wasn’t about to judge anyone else for real or imagined gifts. Although, why they’d want one was beyond her.
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“Well, we all can’t be so lucky. I’m taking a pot of tea with me. If I don’t surface by closing, call the Coast Guard.” “That’s one way of finding a man,” Cassidy called after her, laughing as she set up the register for the day. What would it be like to be blonde, built and gorgeous? If Talia had been stacked like Cassidy, would it have mattered how “different” she was growing up? Maybe. The “beautiful people” seemed to get away with a lot more than the dumpy ones. Looking at her reflection in the teapot, Talia saw dull brown hair, silver gray eyes and a clear, boring, face. She was so flat-chested she didn’t even wear a bra most days, just a tank top, and her body was as straight as a teenage boy’s. Yeah, maybe having boobs would have helped her survive high school with fewer scars, but when push came to shove, would she want the attention? Having been out with Cassidy before and knowing the lustful thoughts the other woman inspired in the male of the species, Talia wasn’t sure she’d take the trade off. Not that anyone had offered it to her. Heaving a sigh that fluttered the papers piled on her desk, Talia hung up her coat, hat and scarf and waited for the tea to steep. No, she was much better-off hiding in the back office while Cassidy charmed the customers. Tax laws she could handle, flirting confused the hell out of her.
It was midday before Talia had a chance to rest her eyes and leave the office. Year-end figures were already in, and the shop would make it another year. Just barely. Since the bookstore had branched out and started selling candles and aromatherapy oils, and offering classes in
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addition to their monthly book club dinners, business had picked up. Niche stores were a dime a dozen in the East Village. This part of the city was as different from Mid-town as—well as Pinespot, Maine was from Manhattan. Keeping their heads above water and still paying the rent was considered a success. Doing it five years in a row was almost unheard of. Talia liked to think she had a small part to play in the reversal of fortunes of the shop. If nothing else, it made her feel like she was giving something back to Vanessa and Sunny, the owners. Vanessa and Sunny had taken her in and given her a job fresh out of N.Y.U. They took one look into her eyes and never asked for a reference, diploma, or proof of any kind that she knew her way around a tax chart. Talia worried the Wiccan couple would get burned, but at the same time appreciated the instant acceptance they offered with a smile and a hug. There weren’t many people Talia trusted, even fewer she called friends. Vanessa, Sunny and Cassidy were at the top of a very short list. Talia rubbed her temples and reached for her tea. All that was left was the lukewarm dregs at the bottom of the cup. Maybe it was time to get up and move around before her legs cramped. Stretching her arms to the ceiling, Talia worked the kinks out of her back and then went out front to see how Cassidy was doing. The store did a pretty good weekend business, mostly tourists looking for something a little different, people out to get gag gifts for their friends, and the occasional straggler or two. Most of their regulars came in during the week, preferring to avoid being part of the New York City tourist attractions. Cassidy was doing her best to flirt her way to a good commission, brushing the arm of a customer while discussing the attributes of a pewter dragon statue with crystal eyes. The guy didn’t seem to mind the -9-
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attention too much. Talia made her way over to the cash register where a few people were waiting to pay for their goods. Okay, so she didn’t have the personality to sell anything, but she could at least ring it up. Smiling at the middle-aged lady who had an armload of lavender candles and a book on yoga, Talia rang her up and wrapped the purchases in the custom-made rice paper. “Enjoy your candles.” She was supposed to say something, right? Cassidy was personally wrapping Mr. Dragon Statue’s purchases while Talia finished ringing the rest of the customers. There were still a few folks browsing around, but apparently no one who showed any promise to Cassidy once she’d finished with her current conquest. The blonde sashayed her way around the counter and sat on the stool. “Man, what a morning. Who would have thought anyone would want to come out in such a mess?” Cassidy gestured out the window at the blowing snow. “People are probably sick of being inside. After spending the entire winter in the house, there’s only so much you can do before you get cabin fever.” “Not if you’re with the right person.” Cassidy smiled smugly. “Oh? Do you have another victim in your sights?” Cassidy went through men like Talia went through sticky notes—often. “Maybe. There’s a guy who’s been coming in here every weekend for the last few weeks. He never buys anything, but he’s always asking me questions.” “Questions? About the merchandise?” “No, you dweeb, about me. Like are you from around here, where do you hang out, you know, stuff like that. If he comes in today you can get a look at him.”
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“Sure. Do you want a break before I go back into the office? I still have at least three more hours of work to do in there.” “Yuck. Sure, I’ll run down to the deli, for some lunch. You want anything?” “Yeah, get me a bagel with a side of cleavage and maybe I’ll be as lucky with men as you are.” Cassidy just laughed and bundled back up. That she could still look sexy in a winter coat, hat and scarf was just flat out wrong. No one should be able to look attractive and stay warm at the same time. Talia busied herself neatening the stock, organizing the receipts and straightening the counter. All the pens needed be point down in the cup, the penny jar should be straight and the business cards had to have all their little edges lined up. She laughed at herself. She was in a bookstore crammed to the rafters with books on navigating the astral plane, and she was worried the pens weren’t neat. So maybe she did have a few control issues. As she was hauling a box of incense out of the back room to restock the supply, the bells on the front door chimed. Talia left the box on the floor and hustled into the main room. In a store with so many small products it would be easy enough for things to walk off if she didn’t keep a sharp eye out. The guy who walked in was six-feet-two-inches of pure muscle. He had jet-black hair and eyes so dark and so blue she could see them from across the room. This had to be the guy Cassidy was drooling over. Too bad, there would be no way Talia would stand a chance compared to Cassidy. Not that she stood a chance anyway. “Hi, welcome to Strange Days. Is there something in particular you’re looking for?” Like Cassidy?
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“No, actually I’m in here looking for some information. My name is Detective Finn O’Brien.” He held out his hand for her to shake. Talia tried to avoid physical contact because it made the emotional punch she received ten times worse, but she didn’t want to offend the detective either. “Talia Dane,” she said, bracing herself for the contact. His hand was warm, even with the freezing temperatures outside. The shock she received from feeling her palm glide against his had nothing to do with her gift, but a lot to do with her hormones. She felt the reaction down to her toes and back up again. It seemed to be particularly strong between her legs. Speak. She needed to say something instead of staring at his big, beautiful hand holding her own. “Uh, what kind of information are you looking for?” Wonder if it’s true what they say about the size of a man’s hand being in direct proportion to the size of his— Stop that train at the station, girlie. She tried to focus on what he was saying. His blue eyes and chiseled features didn’t make it easy. He wasn’t pretty like many of the actors and models who populated the city. His face was too strong to be classically handsome, it had character, something Talia found a lot more appealing than a straight nose or dimpled chin. “I’m with the NYPD, we’re looking into a missing person’s report. I was in the area and thought I’d check some of the places where she used to hang out and see if anyone had seen her.” His voice was deep and poured over her like warm honey. The earlier shock had melted to a warm glow that made her knees weak and her heart race. She tried to pull herself together as he passed her a picture of a twenty-something girl who could have been Cassidy’s sister. Long, straight blonde hair, sparkling eyes, pretty face. Talia couldn’t tell from -12-
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the picture, but she bet the girl had a killer body too. There were plenty of girls like that in the city, struggling to make it on Broadway or be the next Ford model. “I’m sorry, I don’t know her, what did you say her name was?” Talia fiddled with her necklace, clutching the charm that hung low on it. “I didn’t. Her name is Maria. Maria Sands, her boyfriend says she’s been missing for two weeks.” “I’m sorry I can’t help you. Maybe my associate Cassidy can. I’m usually in the back room so I don’t see as many people as she does. She’ll be back in a minute if you want to talk to her.” Stop babbling. You sound like an idiot. I’m sure he really wants to hear about how you sit in the back room all day. “She just ran down to the deli, she should be back any minute.” You already said that dork. Great, I’m making a fool of myself, and when Cassidy gets in here I can watch you fall at her feet like every other redblooded male in the city. “I’ll wait then. Mind if I browse?” “Nope, go ahead, look all you want.” He looked her up and down, leisurely. His sapphire blue eyes sent her pulse scrambling to keep up with her furiously beating heart. “I’ll do that, thanks.” Talia resisted the urge to fan herself when he turned around. If the eyes weren’t enough to raise the temperature a notch or two, the view of his backside encased in tight, faded jeans was more than enough to do the job. A nice butt got her every time. “I’m back.” Cassidy called, blowing into the shop with two diet sodas and a brown paper bag from the deli. “I got the bagel, but they were all out of sides of cleavage, sorry.”
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Finn watched as the brunette behind the counter turned three shades of red. She was cute, in a delicate sort of way. Her beauty was as understated as the blonde bombshell’s was overblown. He watched as the blonde noticed his presence, and saw her eyes go from laughter, to consideration, to admiration. He was trained to notice every nuance about people, but even a two day rookie could have figured out she liked what she saw. Too bad he wasn’t in the mood for a fling with someone ten years younger than him. “Cassidy, I presume?” He put down the book on transcendental meditation and crossed to the counter where the women were standing. Holding out his hand he introduced himself. “Finn O’Brien, NYPD. I was wondering if you’ve seen this girl around lately.” He took out the picture of the Sands girl again and handed it over. “Yeah, Maria. We hang around some of the same clubs together. We’re not exactly friends, but we’ve run into each other before here and there. I guess you could say we move in the same circles. What circles do you move in, Officer O’Brien?” She flirted blatantly, smiling up at him. Finn was sure that smile had won her any number of conquests. He wasn’t about to be one of them. “He’s a detective, Cassidy,” the brunette interrupted, holding on to the strange crystal on her necklace. “If you don’t need me, I’ll go back to my office now. It was nice meeting you, Detective.” She started to slide out from behind the counter, almost like she was embarrassed to be present. Probably used to men drooling all over themselves once they got a look at blondie here. “I guess that’s all for now. Here’s my card in case you see or hear anything that might be useful.” His hand lingered on her much smaller one as he gave her his business card. He felt again the sensation of heat move from her fingers to his. He thought he’d imagined it the first time. -14-
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His penis twitched in his pants, telling him the feelings were for real. Since when did a handshake become an erotic endeavor? “I-I’ll do that. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help.” She pulled her hand away and held it to her chest as if she too could feel the burn. Her silver eyes widened before she scampered from the room. Nice going, O’Brien, now you’ve scared her off. He watched as she gave one last look in his direction then shut the door. Probably wondering what the hell she’d gotten herself into. “What do you want Maria for? She’s a tease, but I don’t think she’d do anything illegal.” The blonde brushed her rather impressive bosom against his arm. “We’re checking out a missing person’s report. Her boyfriend says she’s been missing for two weeks.” “They probably had a fight and she’s just ignoring him. Once he’s suffered enough she’ll be back. Or maybe she couldn’t take the city life and moved home. That happens you know.” “That could be the case, but we have to follow up anyway. When was the last time you remember seeing her?” “Hmmm, let me think.” She tapped a perfectly manicured finger against her chin as if in deep thought. “I know I saw her at the C-Note, but probably not in a couple of weeks now that you mention it.” “Can you remember when exactly was the last time you saw her?” “It must have been on a Saturday because my friend Billy’s band plays there every Saturday. It probably was two weeks ago because last week I didn’t go. A friend of mine and I went to Atlantic City for the weekend. Ever been there?” “Uh, yes. Tell me, when you saw Maria, did she look upset? Distraught?” Her boyfriend had said they’d had a fight. He gave her a
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little while to cool down, but when he’d gone to her place it looked like she hadn’t been home for weeks. “No, she looked drunk. She was dancing all over the place, hanging all over the band. You know, really partying it up. If she was upset over the fight with her boyfriend, she had a funny way of showing it.” “Thanks for the information. I appreciate the time.” She was the third person who’d last seen Maria on that Saturday night. Finn was not getting a good feeling about this. “We’ll be in touch.” “Soon, I hope.” The blonde smiled suggestively at him. All her overt sexuality didn’t pack half the punch as one little handshake from the brunette. Wonder if that meant he was getting old? Finn shook his head ruefully and walked out the door. It was a sad day indeed when a mousy little thing could make his johnson stand up quicker than a centerfold worthy babe like the blonde. The phone clipped to his belt rang to the theme of Star Wars. Finn pulled it off and flipped up the phone. “Whatcha get? Anything?” Larry asked, the sounds of Motown playing on the radio muted in the background. “Well, that depends. I almost got a book on meditation, and I definitely got an invitation to get to know a hot babe a little better. But if you’re asking about the Sands kid, I just got more of the same.” “Yeah, me too. Last seen at a club on a Saturday night, drunk and looking to score. Think she went back to Ohio, or wherever she’s from?” “Parents haven’t seen her yet, or heard from her since that Saturday either.” “Maybe she’s hanging out with a friend? Or an old boyfriend?” “Maybe. We’ll keep digging. Where are you anyway? I’m freezing my ass off, come pick me up.”
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“Hey, it’s not my fault you didn’t want to drive. I’ll be there in a minute, I have to go around the block.” “Would you want to ride a Harley in this slop? Besides, I wouldn’t be any warmer riding a motorcycle. Now stop gawking at the girls and pick me up.” “I can’t help it, there’s so many fine looking women in this city, it’d be a crime not to appreciate them.” Finn just hoped they could find out what happened to one of those fine looking women before it was too late.
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CHAPTER TWO As she walked out of her apartment, Talia stubbed her toe against the table in the hall and sent the contents of the overfull bowl on the top flying. She hopped around waiting for the pain to subside. Damn, she was such a klutz. If she wasn’t running into something, she was knocking it over or spilling it. She needed to be kept in a plastic bubble for her own safety. Bending over, she picked up the scattered change, keys, matchbooks and assorted cards she collected and threw them in the bowl. The one Detective O’Brien had given her weeks ago caught her eye. A shiver went down her back at the thought of him. In her mind she could clearly see eyes as blue as sapphires and a drop-dead smile that lit up a face filled with creases and worry lines. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought about the complete package of sinfully sexy man. Lord, she needed help. Here she was getting worked up over a piece of paper from a guy who’d probably forgotten all about her. She needed to get a life. Maybe she would take Cassidy up on her constant invitations to join her one night. Of course, that probably wouldn’t help much since when she was with Cassidy no one noticed her anyway. Talia had given up trying to fix her sorry social life and just worked on getting to the bus stop on time. Her track record with relationships wasn’t exactly stellar. She hadn’t even had a boyfriend until she left Maine and went to college. He was as big a geek as she was, but he’d -18-
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been kind at least. They’d lost their virginities together. It should have been a special moment, but it was kind of hard to see stars and lose yourself when the only emotion coming off your partner was anxiety. He didn’t want to screw it up, and she just wanted it over with. The relationship didn’t last long after that. Since college she’d sort of lightly dated, mostly Cassidy’s rejects. Again, it was hard to work up much enthusiasm when your date only wanted to talk about what Cassidy was doing. Perhaps going out with Cassidy wasn’t such a good idea after all. Maybe once the weather warmed up she could join a club or something, to meet people. She didn’t want to be alone for the rest of her life, but she also didn’t want to date someone just so she wasn’t alone. Sapphire blue eyes cut into her memory again, sending licks of flame through her body. Now there was someone worth dating for no other reason than an excuse to look at him over dinner all night. Or even over breakfast. That thought was enough to occupy her mind even while waiting outside in the biting wind for her bus. Hell, it was enough to keep her warm too. Good thing, because it looked like another storm was brewing. Talia could feel the metallic taste on the air that signaled snow, and she could feel the city’s anxiety as the thought of another storm spread. Just another reason to hate winter. Talia hustled into Strange Days looking for some heat and some peace. Winter and summer were the worst months for her as an empath. In the spring and fall there was usually a sense of anticipation in the air, summer and winter seemed to breed anxiety and stress. It was either too hot or too cold and people were worried about paying for vacations or Christmas presents, traveling, or tourists.
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Whatever the reasons, Talia felt the stress as well and couldn’t wait to get away from it. The only places that had strong enough wards to keep the jangle of other people’s emotions at bay were her apartment and the bookstore. Lucky for her that seemed to be where she was all the time. Guess there were benefits to having no life. “Hey, Talia. You look like you could use some tea. There’s a fresh pot of green tea on the back counter.” Sunny said. She manned the cash register while Cassidy tended to other customers in the tiny store. “That sounds wonderful. I could use something warm right about now.” Talia unraveled herself from her outer gear while Sunny finished the sale and poured a cup of tea. The older woman’s graying hair was in a loose bun at the back of her neck. As usual, she wore a homemade sweater and long skirt. She reminded Talia of a cross between a psychic and a mother hen. Kind of like Mrs. Wilder from Little House on the Prairie meets Madame Cleo. “Will this winter ever end?” Talia stretched her arms overhead, working out the kinks from being crammed on the bus. “I know, terrible isn’t it?” Sunny handed her the tea. “And they’re talking about more snow this weekend too.” “I could tell. You can feel it in the air.” “You sure can. Maybe we should be the next weather forecasters. Couldn’t do a much worse job than the ones they have on the news now.” “No kidding. Instead of a weather map we could put up a star chart and an anxiety meter.” “Don’t you roll your eyes at me. My family has been predicting the weather accurately by listening to nature for years and years. We don’t need any fancy equipment to know when the leaves turn over it’s going to rain, and when the birds are searching for food like crazy it’s going to snow.” -20-
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Talia didn’t bother to mention that the birds in the city were always searching for food like crazy and the only leaves in the Village were three blocks away at the park. “I’ll be in the office, let me know if you need anything. Thanks for the tea.” Talia carefully took her cup and headed to her office to lose herself in the safety of columns of numbers. There was a reason she became a CPA and not a nurse like her mother wanted. Numbers didn’t suck you in with their pain and suffering like people did. She gave anyone who worked with sick people a lot of credit. Heck, anyone who worked with people in general deserved all the credit they got and then some. The world needed fewer actors and more teachers, nurses and police officers. Talia took Detective O’Brien’s card out of the pocket where she’d stuffed it. Just a simple little white card and she was carrying it around like it was a love note or something. She was such an idiot. Okay, back to work. Hours later, while Talia was blissfully engrossed in payroll, a surge of evil invaded her mind. She was literally knocked out of her chair onto the floor as a wave of pure hatred attacked her psyche. After the anger came a sick anticipation mixed with a pleasure. The vile combination had Talia on the floor writhing and whimpering in fear. The pleasure didn’t feel good, it felt dirty and creepy, like the brush of a spider web against her face. It reminded her of the tainted joy she’d felt from playground bullies when she was a kid. This was the sick and twisted delight from someone who pulled the wings off butterflies. Minutes felt like hours as wave upon wave of horror battered against the rocks of her shields. Thanks to her mother, Talia had some of the best emotional shields around. Even they weren’t enough to block out the malevolence that had walked through the door. -21-
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When the emotional assault finally ended, Talia could do nothing but cry in relief. She knew she had to find the person who had blindsided her, but she literally shook with reaction. There was no way she could act normal in front of a store full of people. Even normal by New York standards. Closing her eyes, Talia worked on getting her breathing under control. Her diaphragm fluttered from the adrenaline rushing through her system. Once she was able to take deep and steady breaths, she worked on building up her besieged shields. Talia imagined a stone wall, like one that would surround a castle of old. Then she imagined it getting higher and thicker around her. Finally, she smoothed out all the rough spots in her wall and carefully tested it for chinks or weak spots. When her shield was fully up and strong, she pushed herself off the floor. Standing on shaky knees, Talia wasn’t sure if they’d hold her or not. She felt like she’d been hit by a truck. Her head actually ached from the pain of the attack, and she had been fully shielded. How could someone walk around with that much hate and anger inside them and not explode? Talia walked out of the office as scared as if she faced a firing squad. She saw Cassidy locking the door and putting up the “Closed” sign on the front window. There was no one in the store. “Man, Talia. You need to get out more. You’re white as a sheet.” Cassidy crossed the room towards her and pulled her to the counter. “Your hands are freezing too. Come over here by the space heater and sit down. I’m getting you some tea and whisky.” “Wait, Cass, hold up a minute. Where is Sunny?” Sunny would be able to help her find the person who carried so much venom inside them.
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“She left over an hour ago, don’t you remember? She and Van are going upstate for some retreat or something. She left you the keys to her apartment and the shop.” Talia vaguely remembered Sunny saying good-bye to her. She knew she was in charge of the store over the weekend, but hadn’t realized they had left already. Damn. “That’s right, I wasn’t paying attention.” “Had your head stuck in a book and look what it got you. You’re shaking for heaven’s sake.” “I’m fine, really. Please, tell me, who was in the store just now? A few minutes ago?” “A few minutes ago? Well, there were the usual regulars—Oh. And Mr. Yummy.” Her smile would have put the Cheshire Cat to shame. “Who is Mr. Yummy?” “Only the guy I’ve been telling you about for weeks now. You know, the one I’ve been dying to ask me out.” “Have I seen him before?” She would know if she had met this particular emotional terrorist before, she was sure. “No, not that I know of. He usually comes in on Saturdays actually, and you don’t normally work the weekends. Why all the questions? Do you think someone stole something? I’m sure it wasn’t Yummy, he looks rich.” “No, I don’t think anyone stole anything, I just had a weird vibe.” Cassidy would understand weird vibes, or at least pretend she did. She wouldn’t laugh. “Must have been from someone else. You know how sometimes folks come in here thinking we’re a porn shop or something.”
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Talia couldn’t explain to someone else what she was feeling, but it definitely wasn’t sexual perversion. It was bone deep evil and it scared the hell out of her. “Tell me more about Mr. Yummy. Does he have a name? What do you know about him?” Talia didn’t know why, but she had a feeling he was the one who’d sent her reeling. “Not that I know of. He’s kind of shy, you know. I’ve been flirting with him for, like, ever, and he hasn’t asked me out yet. But, he keeps coming back. So today I took matters into my own hands.” Cassidy licked her lips in anticipation. “What do you mean?” Talia grabbed Cassidy’s arm in a panicked grip. “Calm down. I didn’t rape him, all I did was ask him if he wanted to go out some time.” “And what did he say?” Maybe he’d refuse her. Right, only if he was wildly homosexual. “He laughed and said that would be great.” “And? You didn’t give him your address, did you?” “No. I’m not a baby you know. I’ve done this a few times before. We’re going to meet at that new club on Bleeker Street.” “I don’t think you should do it. That guy scares me.” “You never even met him, how can he scare you?” “I just have a feeling, a bad feeling. I don’t think he means to have a relationship with you. I think he means you harm.” How could she explain this to Cassidy who thought because she drew men like flies to honey she had a “gift”? There was no way to explain that Talia knew this guy was evil. “I’m not looking to marry the guy. Relax, Tal, I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”
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“I know you can, with most guys at least.” She had to make sure Cassidy was safe. But how? “Hey, why don’t I meet up with you?” The last thing in the world Talia wanted to do was meet this cesspool of emotional hatred, but she couldn’t let Cassidy go alone. “You’re always bugging me to go out with you. And it’s time I got a little nightlife. Where did you say you were going?” “Not a chance, Mother Hen. I’m not going to meet this guy for the first time and have you hanging over us like a chaperone at a school dance.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll call you in the morning and tell you all about it.” “Please. Just be careful, I have a really bad feeling about this.” “Everything will be fine. I promise.” Talia shivered with fear. What if Cassidy couldn’t keep her promise?
“You going to O’Malley’s, Finn?” Larry tossed a bottled water at him as he stepped out of the captain’s office. “Not tonight.” He had no desire to explain why he was in no mood for drinking himself into a stupor with the guys. The Sands case was getting him down. It had been over a month and still no leads. “C’mon, man. You can’t let work get to you like this. We’ll find the girl. She’s probably holed up somewhere with a new boyfriend.” “For a month? I think there is something really wrong here. And you know what? I’ve got a sick feeling in my gut that says she isn’t the last.” “You’re spooking me out, man. Doesn’t matter though. Nothing you can do sitting in your place brooding about it. Come on out and have a few beers. If you let this get to you, it’ll eat you up inside.”
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“When did you become Dr. Phil?” Finn grabbed his leather jacket off the back of his chair and sat on the corner of his desk. Larry’s desk faced his, neat as a pin, everything in its place. Finn’s desk had files and papers scattered everywhere, there were at least three half-full coffee cups growing penicillin as well. Finn shook his head at their differences. Maybe that was why they worked so well together. Larry was methodical. No stone was left unturned when he was on a case. Every lead was followed until it died of old age. Finn relied on his gut instincts, his feel for the city he loved. He made the leaps in intuition that Larry would back up with cold, hard facts. Yeah, they worked well together. Except in this case they hadn’t come up with shit. “I know from personal experience that if you don’t put it away for a while it’ll take over your life. That’s why so many good cops burn out so fast. They can’t put it away for a few hours and it consumes them.” “Alright, alright. I give up. You’ve pop psyched me into submission. I’ll have a beer or two with you for God’s sake.” “Good, you’re buying the first round. I’ll drive.” “I knew there was another motive for this therapy session, I just knew it.” Finn shrugged his jacket on and followed Larry out into the crystal clear winter night. He stood next to the open door of the car and looked up into the sparkling sky. The air was so cold it almost hurt to breathe. Ah, there was nothing like winter in New York to test your strength. “Hurry up, man. Stop looking at the scenery and get in the car. I’m freezing and you’re letting all the heat out.”
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Or maybe not. “Wimp. This is the best time of the year. The cold keeps the stink down and the snow on the ground covers up the garbage.” “You weren’t saying that when you were hoofing it in the snow.” “Shut up and drive. There’s nothing wrong with taking a minute to appreciate your surroundings.” “You’re right, and I’ll be appreciating them a lot more when I’m surrounded by beautiful women and a cold beer at O’Malley’s.” Finn laughed at Larry’s grumpy expression. Maybe he was right, sometimes you just needed to forget about the job for a while. The brick wall he’d been hitting his head against would still be there on Monday. Why not blow off some steam with the guys for a little while instead of brooding about it? Maybe he’d have a better perspective about the whole thing after some time away. The bartender, Tiger, a mountain of a man with a shiny, bald, black head waved to them as they walked into the bar. Before they even had their coats hung up, two beers were waiting for them at seats in front of the TV. “You know, this is exactly what I needed. A beer and a game on the tube. What more could a guy ask for?” “How about that?” Larry indicated two women sitting at a table in front of a window. “What are they drinking, Ti? Looks like they could use a refill.” “Two chocolate martinis coming right up.” Tiger’s laugh rumbled even louder at Larry’s wince of pain. “Chocolate martinis? When did O’Malley’s start serving trendy drinks?” “When people started paying seven bucks for liquid candy.”
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“C’mon, Finn, use some of that Irish charm of yours. I’ll even let you pick which one you want first.” “You just want me to help pay for the drinks.” “That’s a plus. Come on, you’re not a monk. Let’s go over and show them why we’re New York’s finest.” Finn looked at the two women again. They were pretty, in a trendy sort of way. He really wasn’t in the mood to make light conversation, though. “I’ll pass this time. Make the department proud, buddy.” “Your loss.” Larry took the drinks to the girls himself, and soon had a chair pulled up next to them. “What’s wrong with you? Trying celibacy for a change?” “Not you too, Ti. I’m just not feeling very charming at the moment. I’d rather have a beer and watch the game then try to pick up some—” Finn’s words trailed off as he caught a glimpse of brown hair and an elfin face peeking out from under a striped stocking cap and matching scarf. It was the brunette from the wacko store. Her silver eyes had flashed in his brain more times than he’d like to count since he’d talked to her. What was her name? Tanya? No, Talia, that was it. Unusual, just like her. Turning around, Finn watched as she scanned the bar. She was obviously looking for someone in particular, and just as obviously didn’t see her. Or him? He felt a rush of possessiveness come over him from God only knew where. It wasn’t like he had any right to feel jealous because she was looking for some guy. They’d only spoken that one time, they weren’t dating. Still, when her face turned towards his, he raised his beer mug to her in a silent salute and felt smug when her face flushed in surprise. She may not have found who she was looking for, but he’d given her -28-
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something to think about. He hid his grin as she walked to the bar hesitantly. “What can I get for you?” Tiger asked her, wiping down a spot on the bar next to Finn. “Do you have any green tea? I’m freezing.” “Sure, coming up.” “Tea? You like to live life on the wild side, don’t you?” “I like to live life on the warm side. How are you this evening, Detective O’Brien?” “Just fine.” Now. “Call me Finn. And what brings you to this end of town?” “I’m looking for my friend Cassidy. You remember her, I’m sure.” She took the cup of tea and wrapped her two small hands around it gratefully. “The blonde. Yeah, she tends to stick in one’s mind. Was she supposed to meet you here?” “Not really. She was going out and I just thought I’d join her. She said she was going to a club on Bleeker Street, but I don’t know which one.” “Why don’t you call her and find out where she is?” Finn could smell her fragrance as she took off her bulky winter coat. She smelled like sandalwood. Not an overwhelming scent, but it teased his senses. “Well, because I don’t want her to know I’m meeting her.” She looked into her tea like she could read the leaves swirling in the cup. Hell, she worked in an occult bookstore, maybe she could. “That doesn’t make much sense.” Her creamy skin flushed pink again, but whether it was from the tea or embarrassment he couldn’t tell. “Look, not that it is any of your business, but Cass was going to meet some guy tonight and I had a, ah, bad feeling about it. I didn’t think she -29-
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should meet him alone, but she didn’t want me tagging along, so I’m trying to find her without making a big deal out of it.” “Was she meeting him alone?” That wasn’t very smart of her if she was. With Maria Sands’ disappearance firmly in his mind, Finn’s gut gave a lurch. “No, she was supposed to be meeting him at a club so he wouldn’t know where she lived. She isn’t stupid.” “Okay, but did she have other friends going there too?” “I don’t know. She didn’t want me along, but I don’t know if that’s because I had already told her I got a bad feeling about him or not. She has a lot of friends that she hangs out with on a regular basis. Chances are some of them would be there as well. I’m just being ridiculous, I guess.” “Maybe, maybe not. What made you uneasy about this guy? Was it how he looked? Did he remind you of an ex-boyfriend or something?” “Hardly,” she snorted. “I don’t know what he looks like. I didn’t actually meet him.” “Then what is it about him that bothers you so much you’d be walking around in the freezing cold trying to find your friend?” Her hands started fluttering to her necklace and back down to her lap, where she clutched them together. They stayed still for a few seconds, then flew back up to play with her earrings and necklace again. She was obviously hiding something, but what? “I just had a bad feeling about him. That’s all. It’s no big deal. Haven’t you ever had a bad feeling about someone before?” Now she was playing with her rings and looking down so her hair covered her face. “Sure, I get hunches all the time. I’m not discounting your gut feeling. I’m just asking for specifics. I’m a cop, it’s what I do. I take clues and
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then I put them together. I’m just trying to help, no need to get defensive.” “I’m not defensive. Okay, so maybe I’m a little defensive. When you work in an occult bookstore, people tend to give you grief over the smallest of things.” That seemed like a pretty lame excuse to him, but he couldn’t come out and say it. She was hiding something. The cop in him warred with the man about how much further he should dig to find out what it was. “Far be it for me to cast aspersions on your place of employment.” “Well, Cassidy’s not here. I think I’ll head home. I didn’t figure she’d be in a place that didn’t have thumping bass or gyrating trendsetters, but it was a nice break from all the other clubs I’d seen so far.” She took her purse out to pay for her tea, but Finn beat her to it. “I’ll get that, Tiger.” “I can pay for my own drink. Honest.” Her teeth were clenched and her face was tight. “I know, but I was raised to be a gentleman so I’m honor bound to pay for it. C’mon, I’ll walk you to the subway.” “Let me guess, you’re honor bound to walk me home too?” “No, but since I didn’t drive here, and it looks like my partner over there isn’t going to be leaving any time soon I figured I’d head home too. I need to take the A train, how about you?” “I’m fully capable of getting to the subway all by myself.” “Maybe I’m not. I need a savvy, independent woman like yourself to protect me.” Talia eyed him up and down with a brow raised. “Yeah, right.”
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CHAPTER THREE Somehow the streets didn’t seem quite so cold with the solid bulk of Detective O’Brien beside her. Finn. What a name. He reminded her of some ancient Celtic god. He was good-looking enough to be one. Talia shivered in complete sensual awareness. She could smell him, feel him, and man oh man, did she ever want to taste him. She quivered at the thought of running her tongue across the column of his throat before diving in for a kiss. “Are you cold? You’re shivering.” Ha. Cold? She was burning up. It had been a long, long time since she’d felt this much hunger for a man. “No, it was just the change from the cozy bar to the street, that’s all.” No, I’m not cold, I’m just thinking about attacking you. “Yeah, O’Malley’s is a good place to go for a beer and some companionship. They usually have a band on Friday and Saturday nights.” “I’m glad they didn’t this time. My head is still ringing from the music in the other clubs I went to. I’m surprised Cassidy has any hearing left after going to those places night after night.” “What? You don’t like to be smashed next to hundreds of other people, drinking high-priced, watered-down drinks and screaming above a thumping bass line? Where’s your sense of adventure?”
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Talia felt his laugh right down to her toes. Being with him was better than thermal underwear; she hadn’t been this warm all winter. “It’s tough, but I can usually manage to hold myself back.” Absently, Finn put his hand on her lower back to steer her around a pile of garbage bags on the sidewalk. It was ridiculous, but she could swear she felt the imprint of his fingers through her heavy winter coat, sweater, tee shirt and tank top, straight to the skin underneath. Did he have any idea the havoc he was causing to her dormant libido? Talia bit her tongue as they approached the subway station. How did he feel about her? When she was shielded, she could only feel really strong emotions. The regular play of emotions that went on around her bounced off her mental walls without much notice. Her mother had taught her to keep her shields up at all times. Probing someone’s emotions without permission was like reading someone’s diary. You didn’t do it unless it was absolutely necessary. But would a peek really hurt? She’d just take a quick glimpse before she caught her train. He was going in the opposite direction, and she might never see him again. He wouldn’t know either way. “Here’s where we part ways, Miss Talia. It was a pleasure bumping into you.” “Likewise. Thanks for walking me to the subway. You can shine up your Boy Scout badge now.” Without thinking any more about the rights and wrongs of what she was doing, Talia opened her shields just a crack—and felt nothing. Nothing? She opened them a little bit more. It was like there was a blank spot where Finn was standing. Duh. He’s a cop. Shielding his emotions probably came naturally to him. Lots of people who worked in human services—firefighters, doctors,
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and nurses—had natural shields. They needed the protection to survive the emotional wringer of their jobs day in and day out. Well, that’s what she deserved for trying to sneak a peek anyway. As she replaced her shields, a wave of need and anger hit her. “Look out.” Talia didn’t have time to think, only react. She pushed Finn away just as a knife came arcing towards him. A kid in baggy clothes and a skullcap pulled low over his forehead waved a knife around wildly. Talia tried to stay out of the way and put her shields back up at the same time. Her head hurt from the emotional punch she received, but she knew enough to get the hell out of the way. Finn was much better at handling this type of situation than she ever would be. Finn circled the kid, keeping his distance, and staying light on his feet. His hands were up in front of him, but he didn’t move in to attack or try to disarm the little thug. “C’mon, kid, there’s nothing for you here. Run while you can.” “I can’t, man. I need the money. If I don’t get a fix soon I’ll die.” The kid couldn’t have been more than sixteen years old. Talia could see the signs of hunger all over him. His hair was greasy and hung out from under the cap in clumped strands. The hand holding the knife shook, and he hunched over as if he was in pain. “I can get you some help, but you have to put the knife down. Let me take you to the hospital.” Finn wasn’t backing off, but neither did he attack. “I don’t need a fucking hospital. I need a hit, and you’re gonna be the way I get it.” In more of a stumble than a lunge, the kid jabbed the knife at Finn’s stomach. In a movement so fast and so fluid Talia barely registered it, Finn kicked the knife out of the junkie’s hand, grabbed him and spun. In -34-
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seconds Finn had the kid pressed against the wall with his hand locked up behind his back. “Do you want me to call the police?” Talia wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do now. She’d never been mugged before. “I am the police, remember?” “Oh, yeah. Well, what do we do?” “We call an ambulance and get this guy to a clinic where he can get some help.” “I don’t want help.” The would-be assailant sobbed and his whole body shook. His knees folded, and Finn’s support was the only thing that kept him off the subway floor. Reaching into the pocket of his coat, Finn pulled a set of handcuffs out and snapped them on the kid’s wrists. “Do you always carry handcuffs when you go to a bar on a Friday night?” “Don’t leave home without them.” He shot her a devastating grin. “Actually, I was just getting off work so I still had them on me.” He pulled a tiny phone off his belt and selected a number. “Dispatch, I need an ambulance to the One-Sixty-Eighth Street station.” Talia waited for him to finish telling the dispatcher what the situation was. “What’s going to happen to him? Are you going to press charges?” “He doesn’t need jail time, he needs help. Putting him away would do nothing, but maybe if he gets clean, he might stay that way long enough to get out of the hell he’s in now.” “Chances are he’ll go right back into it though.” “Yeah, but you have to try. Besides, pressing charges requires a ton of paperwork.”
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The charmer was back, and Talia couldn’t help but wonder who the real Finn really was. Was he the sexy flirt or the deadly efficient warrior who’d just disarmed a knife-wielding junkie? Was he the humanitarian who wanted to see this kid get clean, or was he the irreverent cop who laughed off danger? Was he a mix of all those personalities? For the first time in her life, Talia cursed the shields that kept someone’s emotions hidden from her. “I’ll wait here for the ambulance, you go on home and get some sleep.” “Uh, thanks. I will. I’m glad you’re okay.” “It was your sharp eyes that saw him coming. I was too busy checking you out to see a troop of junkies heading my way.” His blue eyes sparkled as he smiled. That damn blush heated her cheeks again. What did she say to a comment like that? From someone like him? Before she could stutter out a reply, the train pulled into the station with a roar. Hot air spilled over her as people exited the train, heading for clubs and restaurants scattered throughout the city. She lost Finn in the crush. People pushed by her to get on the train before it left, and she allowed herself to be carried along in the wake of the crowd. Finding a seat by a window, Talia searched the platform for Finn’s dark head. She thought she caught a glimpse of the blue uniform of a beat cop as the train pulled out of the station, but wasn’t sure. With a sigh of regret, she leaned back and affected the bored stare necessary for commuters. Her mind replayed the scene as she waited for her stop. She could still smell Finn’s scent on her coat and she breathed it in deeply.
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What would it be like to know that every time your lover went to work, he was courting danger? How did the wives, and husbands, of police officers bear it? How could she bear it? Hold on there a minute, girlie. What the hell was she thinking? He hadn’t even asked her out on a date and here she was thinking about whether or not she could stand watching him walk out the door to go to work. Talk about putting the cart before the horse. There was no future in a relationship with Finn. He was a cop; he dealt in cold, hard facts. His world was the here and now, there would be no way he could understand her. If she were lucky, he’d only laugh in her face. If he held true to form like every other male she’d ever gotten close to, he’d think she was a freak and run away as fast as his legs could carry him. No, he might be nice to look at, but unless he was looking for a quick fling, she couldn’t risk seeing him again. Hell, she couldn’t even handle a quick fling without wanting more. Being an empath put her in crystal clear touch with her own feelings, and she knew as surely as if it was spray-painted on the wall that she would fall hard and fast. There weren’t many men she could say that about. Her life hadn’t exactly been filled with romance. How come when she found someone she could admire both physically and intellectually, he had to be a cop? She was born under an unlucky star, she just knew it. Oh well, no use whining about it. She was who she was and there was no changing that. Talia got up and wobbled her way towards the door in preparation for her stop. She hadn’t found Cassidy, but she had seen Finn, and that alone was worth the three-block walk to her apartment. By the time she got home, her hands were numb and her nose ran like a faucet. She fumbled to unlock the door to her apartment. Talia’s -37-
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frozen fingers throbbed as she hit the light switch. She’d wash her face and go to bed. Cassidy would call her in the morning and she’d laugh about how Talia had traipsed all over the city looking for her. Absently, she checked her answering machine as she headed to the bathroom. The signal blinked, alerting her to a waiting message. Who could it be? Pressing the button, she waited for the machine to go through its gyrations before spitting out the message. “Hey, T. Just wanted you to know that I’m having a great time so you don’t have to worry. Don’t wait up for me, looks like I might get lucky tonight.” The pounding music in the background made it hard to hear, but Talia could tell it was Cassidy. It was nice of her to call, but odd too. It sounded like she was drunk, or well on her way. She rewound the machine and played the message again. This time, she listened more for what was going on in the background than what Cassidy said. Wait. What was that? Talia rewound the message. She could hear a man’s voice in the background. What was he saying? Rewinding the machine again, she tried to decipher what the man’s voice through the throbbing music. Damn. She couldn’t make it out. Popping the tape out, she put the tiny cassette in a drawer for safekeeping, just in case. Why was she so worried about this anyway? Cassidy was obviously okay, or she wouldn’t have called. She probably only called because Talia had made such a big deal about her not going out alone. Cassidy was a big girl who’d been around the block enough times to take care of herself. Talia was just being hypersensitive because of the attack on her emotions. Everything would be fine. She was nervous for nothing.
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But even as she washed her face and got into bed, Talia couldn’t stop worrying. And for the first time in years, she began to pray for her friend’s safety.
Finn watched as Talia got lost in the crowd. So much for asking her out to dinner. An invitation over the prone body of a junkie wasn’t exactly romance at its best. At least he knew where she worked. He’d be able to find her address with a few clicks of the keyboard. “Man, talk about a busman’s holiday. You can’t even go home without getting an arrest.” Tony, the cop assigned to this beat, walked over and gave Finn a smack on the back. “Nah, no arrest. Just get him to the hospital until they can find a bed at the clinic. At least he’ll be warm and fed for a change.” “Yeah, and maybe they can give him a bath too. No wonder he didn’t get you, you probably smelled him coming a block off.” Finn just nodded, he hadn’t seen the punk coming at all. He’d been preparing how he would ask Talia out on a date when she pushed him aside. Wonder how she’d seen him? That was odd. Talia hadn’t been facing the attacker either. Maybe her sense of smell was better than his? Or maybe she’d just caught a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. It was a good thing she had seen something though. If Talia hadn’t been on her toes, he’d have a hell of a lot to live down at the station. Getting hurt by a teenage junkie because he was too wrapped up in a chick would not have covered him in glory. “You want to ride with him to St. Luke’s?” Tony asked, writing down Finn’s information in his tiny, spiral notebook.
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“I’ll pass.” Riding in the back of an ambulance on the streets of New York with a rather fragrant patient was not on his list of favorite things. If the swaying of the ambulance as it careened around corners wasn’t enough to make him toss his cookies, the smell coming off the kid would be. “You sure? I wouldn’t want you to miss out on the thrills and excitement of the E.R. on a Friday night.” Tony folded his notebook and shoved it into his back pocket. “It’s tough, but I’ll have to forgo the invitation to the knife and gun club this evening. I’ll see you around. Call me if you need anything else.” “Don’t worry, I will.” Tony followed the paramedics up the stairs. Finn crossed to the opposite platform for his own train. He didn’t have any real need to go home, but neither did he want to go back to the bar and watch Larry try to pick up one—or both—of the girls he was flirting with. Silver eyes that betrayed every emotion popped into his brain. He’d never met a woman who was so inept at hiding her feelings. Her face was like an open book. No wonder she was so skittish, she probably got hurt all the time by jerks who took advantage of her. What was he talking about? It wasn’t like he was so in touch with his feminine side that he knew how to interpret a woman’s mood. He was lucky most times if he didn’t stick his foot firmly in his mouth as soon as he opened it. This case must be getting to him. Time to call it a night, and plan his next casual meeting with Miss Talia Dane.
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CHAPTER FOUR Gut wrenching fear tore Talia out of a deep sleep. She shot from the bed and looked for the cause of the fear, but couldn’t see anything. Her heart pounded and her legs were weak. Tears streamed down her face as wave after wave of fright crashed over her. Shield. Shield you idiot. Talia tried to corral the emotion enough to throw some more power behind her barriers, but the fear gripped her around the throat and wouldn’t let go. The phone. Call 9-1-1. Get help. She stumbled over the comforter and fell into the doorframe on her way to the phone. Tripping over the runner in the hall, Talia crawled her way towards the phone, her arms shook so hard they barely supported her. The fear battered at her, slamming into her over and over like stormtossed waves against a rock. She collapsed completely before she reached the phone. Sobbing in frustration, Talia pulled at the spindly leg of the table until the phone toppled. She dragged the phone towards her, dropping the slippery handset twice before she could push the “on” button. Was it charged? What if it didn’t work? The reassuring whine of the dial tone was the sweetest sound she’d ever heard. She’d hit nine and one with fingers that shook like a ninety year old’s, when suddenly the emotional beating stopped. Completely stopped. No slowing down, no lessening, just stopped dead. -41-
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Talia swallowed back the bile the word dead brought forth. Shutting off the phone, she slumped on the floor in exhaustion. She couldn’t call 9-1-1. What would she say? Hello, police? I’m being attacked by someone’s out of control fear. Not someone’s. Cassidy’s. That was Cassidy’s fear that hit her. Talia’s shields weren’t down, they were just useless against the savage terror that gripped her friend. Cassidy was in trouble and Talia was the only one who could help her. The sixty-four million dollar question was, how? Pulling herself to her feet, Talia put the phone back on the table. Her body ached like she’d been hit with a stick. Her muscles felt as sore from the adrenaline streaming through her system as if she’d run a marathon. Cold sweat trickled down her back and around her face, and she could see in the mirror in the hallway that she was as pale as death. Don’t think death. Okay, get your act together. First, call Cassidy. Maybe this was just a random mugging and Cassidy was safe in her bed, cuddled up next to Mr. Yummy. Talia’s gut tied itself into a knot at the thought of him. She could lie to herself all she wanted, but she knew no one would answer the phone at Cassidy’s apartment. This had to do with that man, whoever he was, she knew it. Turning the phone back on, she dialed Cassidy’s number and clutched her pendant in vain hope for a miracle. “Please pick up, please pick up. Dear God, I promise I’ll go to church again every week if you just make Cassidy okay.” Her heart surged with hope as the ringing stopped, only to crash back down again when the answering machine clicked on. “Hello, you’ve
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reached me. Leave a number and a location and I’ll meet you. Mwah. Big kisses.” “Damn it, Cassidy, I hate that message. Call me back the second you get this.” She dialed Cassidy’s cell phone with similar results. Strike two. It was time to go to the police. Maybe they could put out an APB on her or something. Isn’t that what they did in all those cop shows? Grabbing her purse, she headed towards the front door and caught another look in the mirror. Maybe she should shower and put on some clothes first. It might not be a good idea to show up at the police station in pink flannel pajamas with little peace symbols all over them and her hair flying every which way. They’d probably lock her up instead of listening to her. And what if Finn just happened to be there? Guilt tore threw her. She was supposed to be worried about her friend, not thinking about Finn. It wasn’t time to try to get a date; she needed to help Cassidy. Still, it wouldn’t hurt her to take a few extra minutes to clean up and dress appropriately. The officer would probably be more helpful if he saw a slightly attractive female than one who looked like she’d escaped from an asylum. She needed to stay calm, focused, in control. Yeah, ‘cause that was her, Miss In Control. Lord, she was going to need all the help she could get to pull this off without looking like a lunatic. After an insanely quick shower and some brief swipes through her hair with the brush, she was ready to go. Talia grabbed her coat and purse, and made sure all the locks were done before she headed downstairs into the frigid air. She searched in vain for a taxi, but there
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was little traffic on a Saturday morning. Even the dog walkers weren’t out in their usual numbers. The gray, cold morning colored everything with an even greater sense of foreboding. There was a heavy feeling around her and Talia wasn’t sure it was only her emotional state that made it seem so gloomy. There was a definite menace in the air. She walked faster. Seeing the Ninth Precinct as she turned the corner, Talia checked her shields for any chinks or cracks. She stepped out of the way of the light pedestrian traffic, not wanting to get run down as she concentrated on the world within her mind. The stone wall that was her shield was as high and as strong as she could make it without closing down her own emotions completely. She could do that, but only for a very limited time. Nature had a way of getting even, and for some reason it did not like her cutting herself off from the rest of the world. She’d done it once after a particularly painful episode in high school. For a while it was great, the world was a dull, pain-free place. Her mother had warned her there would be a backlash from her actions, but Talia wouldn’t listen. The insulated bubble she’d put around herself was cozy and safe. Until it burst on her with all the force of a nuclear explosion. She’d ended up in bed for a week, suffering from a rebound headache that taught her a lesson she’d never forget. Emotions were a part of life, and there was no avoiding them. However painful they may be she couldn’t hide from her own feelings. Shaking her head at the folly of a teenager thinking she could control the world around her, Talia pulled her walls in as tightly as she dared. She took a deep breath and clutched her necklace for strength. This was -44-
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as ready as she’d ever be to enter the whirling maelstrom of emotion that was a city police precinct. Talia didn’t know what she’d expected, but the quiet, efficient office area wasn’t it. There was a late-fortyish officer talking on the phone at a desk behind a half wall. He looked up and assessed her quickly when she entered. “Sign in on the clipboard and take a seat, I’ll be with you in a minute.” He turned away and continued talking on the phone. Did that mean she passed inspection or failed it? Talia did as ordered and waited for the desk sergeant to finish his conversation. She looked around for the junkies and prostitutes she’d expected and didn’t see much of anyone. There was an elderly Latino man with a mop and bucket cleaning the floor, two female officers typing away at computers with a speed Talia envied, and a man in a suit fidgeting nervously in a chair along the wall. So much for her visions of NYPD Blue. All that shielding for nothing. The desk sergeant hung up the phone and pushed to his feet, a mountain of a man who seemed to be in darn good shape despite the beer gut hanging out over his belt. He pulled the clipboard around and peered at it over his glasses. “Dawson.” The man in the suit jumped nervously at the bark and scuttled forward. Talia did her best to ignore the conversation, something about a ticket and an accident report for the insurance company. Probably from out of town. No one in their right mind drove their own car in the city unless they had to. The man walked out, looking none too pleased, and Talia tensed in anticipation of her name being called. God, she felt like she was back in grammar school again, waiting to be called into the principal’s office. “Dane.” -45-
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Talia hurried to the officer. Wonder if he’s always this grumpy or if it’s just because it’s early on a Saturday morning? “What can I help you with, Ms. Dane?” He looked at her again in the same assessing way, like she was some sort of bug or something. “I’d like to make a missing person’s report. I think my friend has been kidnapped. Her name is—” “Now hold on a minute there, missy,” he cut her off. “What makes you think she’s been kidnapped?” “Well, I called her apartment this morning and she didn’t answer, and I tried her cell phone, Cassidy always answers her cell and—” “How long has she been missing?” he cut her off again and picked up a pen. Talia took a deep breath. She was babbling. She needed to slow down. Focus and control, focus and control. “She’s been missing since last night. I tried looking for her but there are so many new clubs I didn’t know which one she was going to, and I couldn’t find her.” She shut up before he could stop her this time. So much for control. “Wait a minute you’re telling me you want to file a missing persons report because your friend didn’t answer her phone this morning? When was the last time you heard from her?” “She called me last night.” Damn, this was going from bad to worse. “It isn’t like her not to answer the phone, and the guy she went out with I don’t trust.” The officer heaved a frustrated sigh that ruffled the papers on the clipboard. “Ms. Dane, we can’t file a missing persons report until the person has been missing for at least twenty-four hours. Your friend probably hooked up with the guy and is at his place.”
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“You don’t understand, there was something really strange about this guy. And she sounded funny when she called me.” “Funny how? Like she was being coerced?” “No, like she was really drunk, but Cassidy never gets drunk.” He sighed again. “Why don’t you do this, wait until tomorrow—” “But—” He held up his hand to forestall her interruption. “In the meantime, write down everything you can about this guy she was with, what did he look like, where was he from, where they were going, that type of thing. You might also want to get a few pictures of your friend together and write down where she was last seen. If you still haven’t heard from her by tomorrow, bring it all in and we can start the paperwork.” “I don’t know what the guy looked like. I’ve never met him. All I know is that he was evil.” Talia knew she wasn’t making any sense, but she had to get him to believe her. If they waited until tomorrow to find Cassidy, it could be too late. “If you never met him, how do you know he is such a bad guy?” “I just feel it. He’s going to hurt her, I know it.” “Lady, I don’t care what you feel. The rules state we can’t file a missing persons report unless there is due cause or twenty-four hours have passed. Can you tell me that she went with him unwillingly?” He raised a busy eyebrow at her. “No,” she sighed. As much as it frustrated her, she knew he was right. They couldn’t act on just her word, they needed hard evidence to go on. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any. “Then come back tomorrow and we’ll fill out the forms.” Talia stared at his retreating back as he walked over to the water cooler. She should have known better than to have come to the police. There was only so much they could do. -47-
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But she didn’t need to follow their rules and regulations. She didn’t have to wait for evidence. She could start searching for Cassidy’s kidnapper on her own. Hopefully before it was too late.
Talia rushed home, praying there would be a message from Cassidy telling her what a great time she’d had last night. She knew before she even got to the machine that there were no messages. Her gut hadn’t been wrong yet, and she certainly didn’t imagine the terror that woke her out of a sound sleep that morning. Dropping her keys into the bowl on the table, Talia crossed to the kitchen to make herself some coffee. She had to think. If she called Finn and told him about her feelings, he’d probably treat her just like the desk sergeant did. Cops were notorious for only wanting to know the facts. Measuring the grinds into the filter, she tried to work out a plan. She couldn’t walk around the city with her shields down, hoping to get a fix on Cassidy, or her date. It just didn’t work that way, it wasn’t like emotions left a trail to follow. She could search for Mr. Yummy. More like Mr. Icky. But how? Again, it wasn’t like she had a homing beacon in her head. She’d know him if she ran into him, but how was she going to do that? Talia definitely didn’t travel in the same circles Cassidy did. Wait a minute. What if she did travel in those circles? She could start going to the same clubs Cassidy went to, if she could find them that is. Talia waited anxiously for the coffee to drip out of the machine while she thought about the plan. Okay, she’d need a serious change of wardrobe. That was first on the list. Her conservatively cut shirts and loose pants would never make it in
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that crowd. She should probably buy a padded bra while she was at it. If the guy picked his victims based on boobs, he’d never take her as bait as she was. A shiver slithered its way down her spine at the thought of being bait for someone so evil. Could she really do this? Could she actually put herself out there like a sacrificial lamb? Her hands shook at the thought of encountering such venomous emotions again. She had no choice. The police had rules and regulations they had to follow, they needed evidence and clues to find this guy. All Talia had to do was get in his general vicinity and she could find him. Then it was just a matter of getting Cassidy away safely. Her brain working overtime, Talia grabbed a notepad and started making a list. Her analytical mind needed a concrete plan to get started. First, get clothes like Cassidy’s. Too bad Cassidy’s wouldn’t fit her or she’d just borrow those and not worry about busting open her savings account. Next, figure out the clubs Cassidy hung out in. There were newspapers all over the city that had advertisements for the hottest clubs. In fact, Cassidy might have left one at the store with the places she wanted to go circled. Better add that to the list—get paper. Lastly, she had better figure out what the heck to do about make-up. She never wore it and didn’t even have any for that matter. Crap. There had to be someplace that could help a fashion loser like her get this stuff figured out. Reaching around to the cabinet that held the gargantuan phone books, Talia grabbed the yellow pages and looked up “Beauty”. Man, who knew there were so many spas in New York? How many women actually used these things that there had to be two full pages of them? -49-
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Okay, here we go. There was a shop on the corner of Lafayette and Houston that looked a little less threatening than some of the other places. Who would want to have their body wrapped in seaweed anyway? And a chemical peel? That just couldn’t feel good. Looked like she had her work cut out for her. She had to go from being a shy freak from Pinespot, Maine to a sassy, savvy, sexy chick by next Friday. God, she hoped Cassidy would last that long.
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CHAPTER FIVE Finn grabbed the stack of papers on his desk before the pile could go sliding to the floor. The extremes of weather always brought out the extremes in people. In the summer time, tempers flared and it seemed like you couldn’t get a cup of coffee without having to investigate shots fired. In the winter, folks were cooped up inside miniscule apartments with nothing to do but drink and fight. Domestics were never pretty, but domestic homicide was the pits. At least he didn’t have to deal with the routine calls. No, he just got them when things had gone too far. His latest case was cut and dry, but for once he wished it wasn’t. The victim deserved to get his head bashed in with a frying pan. His rap sheet was a mile long with domestics, petty drug charges and other minors that didn’t hold him in jail long enough for the bruises to heal on his girlfriend’s face. With any luck she’d get a good lawyer and get off on manslaughter or a plea bargain. After looking at the bruises around her throat, there was plenty of evidence for self-defense. That wasn’t his job. Finn shut down the emotions and finished typing up the report. His job was to find the evidence and find the perp, not push them through the judicial system. Why did he want to be a cop again?
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“Hey Finn, hurry up with that report, and look at this. Another chicky went missing.” Larry chugged the last of his coffee. “Another one? What’s the story?” Finn caught the report before it could get lost with the others on his desk. “Similar to the last one. Went out to a club, didn’t come home. Her friend called her the next day and thought something was up since she wasn’t home. Martin was working front desk, told her to come back after she’d been missing twenty-four hours. She came back the next day and filed the report.” “What did the initial investigators find?” “Apartment hadn’t been broken into, nightclub owner said she was with a group of people, was having a great time, left voluntarily. She hasn’t been to work or back to her place in two weeks.” “What’s she look like? Is there a pattern?” This could be their first lead. If there was a pattern, they might be able to figure out where he’d strike next. Of course, he needed a serial killer on the loose like he needed another hole in his head. With the way the media hyped even the smallest of crimes, they’d blow this to hell and back. Next thing you know there’d be copycat crimes out the wazoo. “Take a look. She’s a beauty, just like the Sands kid.” Larry tossed the missing persons report with the picture clipped to it onto the overloaded desk. “Holy shit. I know her.” “Don’t tell me you dated her? She’s like twenty years old.” “I didn’t date her, I met her when I was doing the door-to-door on Maria Sands. They knew each other socially, hung out in the same circles. Her name’s Cassidy, something.” “Yup, Cassidy Donahue. Twenty-five, single, has been in the city for three years. No boyfriend, no family in the area. Works at—” -52-
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“Strange Days. I was there. Who filed the report?” Didn’t Talia say she was worried about Cassidy? Was that the night she went missing? “A Talia Dane filed the report.” “When was it filed?” “Two weeks ago Sunday. Why?” Finn did some quick calculations in his head. Two weeks ago Friday was when he met up with Talia at O’Malley’s. He’d planned on calling her after that, but things got out of control at work and he hadn’t had the chance. Looked like he’d get to talk to her again anyway. “Why don’t I go to the shop and you hit the clubs. Maybe someone remembered something about the guy she was with that night.” Finn kicked back in his chair and tried to look nonchalant. “I’m sure the investigating officers have already covered that ground when they did the prelim.” Larry picked at a box of day old donuts on Finn’s desk. “I know, but maybe something has turned up in the meantime. If we can get a description of the guy Cassidy was with, maybe we can match it up to the guy Maria was with.” “Sure beats standing around here picking our noses and praying for a lead. Come on, I’ll drive.” Larry shoved the donut in his mouth as he led the way to the parking garage. Silver eyes flashed in Finn’s mind on the way to Greenwich Village. It seemed like fate kept throwing Talia in his path. Maybe it was time to do something about that and actually see if she’d go out on a date with him. Not that she’d be interested in dating with her friend missing. Would their timing ever connect? Larry stopped in front of the bookstore. “Call me when you want to get picked up. I’ll hit the nightclubs and call you if I get anything.” “Sounds good. See if they have any surveillance tapes.” -53-
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“No? Really? Gee, I never would have thought to do that.” “Smart ass.” “I know. Watch your back. There is something really weird about that place.” “Whatever.” Finn waited until Larry had pulled back into traffic before he walked into Strange Days. He had to wait for his eyes to adjust to the dim lights of the store. When they did, he blinked a few times to make sure what he was seeing wasn’t the result of his snow-blind vision. Talia was manning the counter, only she didn’t look like the Talia from a few weeks ago. Her straight brown hair had been layered to frame her elfin face, and subtle highlights brightened the shiny mass. There were other changes, too. She’d done something to her face to make her eyes seem more sultry, and her lips pouty. And he was almost sure her breasts hadn’t been as pronounced last time he saw her either. What the hell was going on? Finn walked to the back of the store and waited until Talia had finished with the customers at the cash register. When the store emptied out, he wandered to where she was arranging some books and got a better look at her before she noticed him. She wore tight, hip hugger jeans that showed off a mighty fine ass he’d missed the last time around. Her clingy shirt left a strip of skin bare between it and her pants. Finn had the sudden urge to run his mouth along that tantalizing inch of flesh. He could feel his body harden at the thought. He really didn’t need her to turn and see him staring at her with a major hard-on. Reaching around, he went to grab a book—any book—and put it in front of his pants before she noticed. The sleeve of his leather jacket knocked over the display as he snatched a book from the top of the pyramid. -54-
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Talia jumped and spun around. “Oh. You scared me.” “Sorry, didn’t mean to sneak up on you. I wanted to wait until you were done waiting on your customers before I spoke with you.” “No problem, I just didn’t hear you, that’s all. Do you have any leads on Cassidy?” “None yet, her case just got assigned to me today. Larry, you remember him from O’Malley’s, right?” At her nod he continued, “Larry and I are going to the clubs Cassidy used to hang out at to see if we can get a description of the guy she was with. I know you said you had a bad feeling about him, and I was wondering if you could tell me a little more about him.” “I wish I could. I’ve been over this with the other officers, I never met the guy, and Cassidy just called him Mr. Yummy.” “You have to know something about him, you said you didn’t like him.” Talia’s hands fluttered to her necklace again and she clutched at it like it would provide the answers to his questions. “Look, I told you I get gut feelings about people. This guy was just, bad, evil.” “If you want me to find your friend, Talia, I’m going to need a little more to go on than that. What was it that made you think he was evil?” he pushed. “I felt it inside of him, okay? He walked into the store and the evilness just rolled off him like a tidal wave and knocked me flat.” She looked at him with flashing eyes and her chin tilted up defiantly. “What are you saying? You got evil vibes from him? And you didn’t even see him?” Maybe she really was a wacko? Too bad his body didn’t give a damn. It still wanted to explore that frustratingly sexy strip of skin showing along her midriff.
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“I don’t expect you to understand. Just trust me when I say this guy is pure evil.” “Don’t get defensive, I’m trying to understand. Come on, level with me. Tell me exactly what happened.” She took a deep breath, stretching her shirt even tighter across her chest, and grasped her necklace again. “Two weeks ago, Friday, I was working in the office when out of the blue I got hit by a wave of hatred, evil, whatever you want to call it. It hit me so hard I literally fell out of my chair. By the time I recovered and came out to see what was going on, the store was empty. Cassidy said the only people here were regulars and Mr. Yummy.” “And you think it was this Mr. Yummy who grabbed her.” “I know it was. I told her not to go out with him. She wouldn’t listen, and she wouldn’t tell me where she was going so I could find her later. The next morning I got jolted out of a sound sleep by Cassidy’s terror. I could feel her fright so badly that I was crying like it was my own. That was the day I went to the police and was told I had to wait twenty-four hours before I could file a report.” “So if you can ‘feel’ this guy, do you know where he is now?” “If I did, do you think I’d be standing around waiting for you to find him?” “Hey, I’m trying to figure this out, don’t get testy. Are you a, whatchamacallit, empath, like on Star Trek?” “Yes, I’m an empath, but no, not like on Star Trek. I feel what other people around me feel, when I let my shields down.” At his blank look she racked her brain to think of another way to put explain her talents. “Do you remember in the subway when that guy attacked you?” “The junkie?”
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“Yeah. I’d dropped my shields a bit.” He didn’t need to know that she’d done it to try to read him. “I felt his pain and need lash out at us. The intensity of his emotions was what alerted me to his attack. I could feel him preparing to hurt you before he struck, so I pushed you out of the way.” “I’d wondered about that. I went over it in my head a few times and you weren’t facing the right direction to see him either. I thought I was losing my edge.” “Nope, I just have an extra sense I can use.” “Okay, back to Cassidy. So you’re saying your shields were down when this guy came in the store?” “No, sometimes my shields aren’t enough to protect me. If I’m exposed to really strong emotions, they break through my shields like a battering ram.” “So when this guy came in you could feel him, but only because he was in the same building. You couldn’t feel him if he was across town.” “No.” Too bad she was such a wacko, she really believed she could feel other people’s emotions. If she could do as she said, she’d be running away from him right now. “If you can only feel strong emotions when the person is in the vicinity, how come you could feel Cassidy’s terror?” “Because I am a friend of hers. Best friends. People I’m close to I can feel through my shields, no matter how far away they are.” “So what am I feeling right now?” “You think I’m a psycho and you are wondering if you should run from the room or if you should call the loony bin.” “Not quite.” “I can’t feel you at all, that was just a guess. You keep your emotions under a tight rein, and I can’t get a feel for them. Most cops are like that. -57-
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Doctors and nurses too. You can’t let your emotions get involved, so you lock them down tight.” She could be right. He did shut down emotionally when he was working. What was he thinking? She was a nutcase. He had emotions, he just didn’t let them get in the way. She sighed and moved to pick up the books he’d knocked over. “Let me see if I can explain it this way. If you see a guy get kicked in the balls, you flinch, right?” Finn winced just thinking about it. “Yeah, so? It’s a natural reaction.” “Exactly. You can almost feel the guy’s pain. But if you see a woman get smacked in the chest, you don’t wince. It may bother you, but you can’t feel it, right?” “I guess not. I don’t see where you are going with this.” “To me, unless I shield, I’m like a guy watching another guy get kicked.” “You can feel everyone else’s pain?” “Yes, but more than that. I feel their happiness, their horniness, everything.” Finn shifted a little at the thought she could feel how horny he was feeling right now. Then he remembered he didn’t believe her. “And what about when you’re shielded?” “Then I don’t feel as much. I can block most of it like it was white noise. It’s only when someone is emotionally shouting, or I’m really close to them, that they can get through my shields.” “So the only way you’d be able to find this guy is if he came in contact with you again.” “Exactly. And before you say it, I know that doesn’t do you a lot of good. No jury in the country is going to buy that I know a guy is evil because I feel it. That’s why I went to the police in the first place.” -58-
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“That’s our job. We’ll find Cassidy, don’t worry.” “Have you found Maria Sands yet?” “No, but we will. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Maria and Cassidy looked enough alike to be sisters.” “Neither do I and it scares me.” “It doesn’t make me feel all warm and cozy inside either.” Talia looked down at the book he was holding and smiled for the first time. A dimple flashed in her right cheek, and Finn felt his blood heat all over again. “Ah, are you planning on buying that book? Or were you just browsing?” “Book?” Finn looked down at the book he’d been using for cover. The Kama Sutra? Shit. That was a sex book. “Uh, no. Just flipping through.” He dropped it back on the pile like it burned him. “Too bad.” She winked and walked towards the counter again. He was about to follow her, after giving his body a chance to settle down, when his cell phone rang. “O’Brien.” “Hey, Finn, I think I may have something. Grab a cab and meet me at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Ninth Street.” “I’ll be right there.” Talia was busy with a customer when he walked to the front of the shop and he didn’t have time to wait. If they actually had a lead he had to jump on it. There’d be time enough later to find out more about this weird talent she thought she had. Finn headed into the cold and flagged a cab. She might be a loon, but he couldn’t deny that he was still attracted to her. Greatly attracted to her.
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Climbing into the blessedly warm cab, Finn gave the address of the nightclub where Larry waited and stared out the window. Talia sure had changed in a short time. It bothered him a little bit, actually. He’d liked how she’d looked before her makeover. Her eyes had drawn him to her despite himself. Before her friend had gone missing, he’d planned on asking her out when he got the time. If he admitted the truth to himself, even though she thought she was some psychic mind reader, he still wanted to ask her out. His mind shied away from getting involved with a kook, but his body was whole-heartedly behind the decision to pursue her anyway. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The responsible thing to do was to keep things businesslike, at least until her friend was found. Now that he was assigned to the case he shouldn’t mix business with pleasure. Again, those silver eyes flashed at him, this time with the accompanying dimple in her cheek. His body hardened at the thought of looking at those eyes while touching her, tasting her. Get a hold of yourself, man. He was fantasizing in the back of a cab about a weirdo chick who thought she could feel other people’s emotions. Finn had enough trouble dealing with emotions as it was, the last thing he needed was some wacko telling him what he was feeling. Better to deal with the facts. Nice, uncomplicated facts. The cab screeched to a stop in front of the deserted nightclub. Finn got out, paid the driver and pocketed the receipt. Larry opened the door before he got to it. “What took you so long? We might have something.” “What?” Finn didn’t bother to defend his arrival time, flagging a cab in the city was always hit or miss. “Tell me you got a description, please tell me we know who were looking for.”
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“Well, not quite, but check this out.” Larry led Finn to an upstairs office. Delivery guys brought in kegs of beer and crates of booze as tall as he was. Employees set up and cleaned the bar, glancing at them briefly before getting back to work. Guess having two cops ask for their surveillance tapes was nothing new here. The office was tiny, filled with ashtrays and loose paper. A small monitor was buried in the corner, and Larry crossed to it, turning it on. “I’ve rewound it to the part I want you to look at.” The picture was grainy, black and white. Bodies moved in and out at a distance, looking bizarre dancing in silence. Finn spotted Cassidy right off. She stood at the bar drinking something out of a martini glass, swaying to the music. She must have been talking a mile a minute if her wildly moving hands were anything to go by. “I don’t see anything unusual here. Just her and a bunch of women mostly.” “Wait, here it comes.” Larry’s hand hovered over the control buttons. “There. Did you see that?” Cassidy had put her drink down on the bar to reach up and hug a new arrival to the group. When she leaned forward, Finn caught a glimpse of a hand dropping something into her drink. “Son of a bitch. He’s drugging them. Rewind that, let’s see if we can get a better look at him.” “No dice. I’ve been looking at tapes since I called you. This guy must have scouted the place out because he managed to keep a body between him and a camera no matter where he went.” “Shit. Did you talk to the bartender? The manager?” “No, I sat here and waited for you to tell me how to do my job. Of course I talked to the manager. The bartender won’t be in until seven tonight. The manager said they get over two thousand people in here -61-
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every weekend. Unless the guy caused trouble they wouldn’t remember him. “Maybe we should pay a visit to the bartender and see if he remembers anything.” “Tried that already. I called his place, no answer. The manager said he has a different girl every night, so he might still be with one of them.” “Fine, then we’ll come back tonight before his shift starts and talk to him then. See if he remembers Cassidy or Maria.” “I already cleared it with the manager, the last thing I want to do is wait in line for an hour in this freezing weather.” “Alright then, better get your dancing shoes on Lar, looks like we’re going clubbing tonight.”
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CHAPTER SIX Talia smiled absently at the customer she was waiting on and silently urged him to get the hell out so she could fall to pieces in private. Meetings with Finn seemed to have that effect on her. As soon as the door closed, Talia sat behind the counter in a heap. Oh my God. Did she really just tell Detective Finn O’Brien that she was an empath? Was she out of her mind? No, but he’d think she was. She didn’t have to be a mind reader to know that he thought she was a lunatic. Damn. Couldn’t she have gotten a little more time with him before he found out she was a freak? Well, better he find out before she fell head over heels for him than after. But man, what a waste. Those sapphire eyes had burned into her when she spun around and saw him. She could still feel the heat course through her system. Did he notice the changes in her appearance? Everyone else seemed to. When she’d made the appointment at the beauty shop, she thought she’d go in and get some tips on how to do her hair and make up. She walked out several hours later with a new haircut, highlights, a bag full of make-up and lotions, and quite a bit poorer. The women at the salon must have either been having a slow day or felt sorry for her, because they patiently taught her how to do her hair and make-up, making the most of her features. Plus, they wrote everything down so she could check back if she forgot. -63-
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When Talia despaired about her taste in clothes, one of the girls gave her the name of a store and a salesperson. Turns out her roommate worked at the store and after a quick phone call, Talia had her own fashion consultant. She kind of felt like a school project with everyone having their hand in the makeover, but at the same time it was fun too. Cassidy had been trying to get her to go to a spa for a day with her forever, but Talia had resisted. If Cassidy ever got back, Talia would make the reservations herself. Hell, she’d even have a seaweed body wrap if that’s what it would take to get Cassidy home again. In the two weeks since Cassidy had been missing, Talia had felt her rage, terror, revulsion and even a bit of determination. Those attacks of emotion were the only things keeping Talia’s hopes up. As long as Cassidy was emotionally shouting, she was still alive. Talia had taken over Cassidy’s job, hoping that Mr. Icky would show his face, or at least his emotional signature again, but no such luck. She had been hitting the nightclubs on a regular basis too, but was coming up empty there as well. Well, not completely empty. She’d received more phone numbers in the last two weeks than she had in the five years she’d been in New York. Probably had something to do with the padded bra. For the first time in her life, Talia had cleavage. She’d had to buy it, but it was there. Talia snorted and looked around the empty store. Business was slowing down. Things would pick up again around Valentine’s Day, folks wanting love potions and massage oils as well as candles and books on how to enhance one’s love life. After that the traffic would die off again until the Spring Equinox. God, she hoped Cassidy was back before then. She took out the tattered and worn copy of the newspaper Cassidy had used to pick out the clubs she was going to try. Talia had made a list of the places, and it was getting steadily shorter. -64-
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Who was she kidding? This was like looking for a needle in a haystack. There were hundreds of clubs in the city, and thousands of people in them nightly. She could go to a different club every night and still not find the guy who had Cassidy. This was hopeless. Talia slumped over the counter, looking at the picture of her and Cassidy in their Halloween costumes. Had that only been a few months ago? Cassidy looked so full of life, dressed like a sexy she-devil. Talia had disguised herself as a farmer in overalls and a straw hat. Damn it. She was going to find Cassidy. Talia would go to every club in the tri-borough area if she had too. Somehow, some way, she’d find Mr. Icky and when she did nothing was going to stop her from finding her friend.
“Do you or don’t you recognize this girl?” Finn was starting to lose his patience. The bartender had shown up half an hour late to work and pretty much ignored them. The manager wasn’t being much help because he needed the punk to do his job. “I can’t say for sure. She looks like every other chick that walks into this place. Sure, I might know her, but unless she came home with me, I wouldn’t remember her for longer than it took to get her drink. There’s plenty of women out there, I can’t focus on just one.” Larry pulled Finn away from the bar and into the back room. “Give it up for now. We’ll wait him out and when this place empties out we’ll sit him down in front of the monitor and see if that sparks his memory.” “What is wrong with the world when two women can get snatched from a group of people, and no one notices a thing?”
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“Because they aren’t getting snatched, they’re leaving voluntarily. You’ve heard what all their friends have said, they’re having a good time, maybe a little tipsy, but not feeling threatened in anyway.” “Yeah, and this guy is dropping stuff in their drinks to make sure they’re getting more than drunk. He probably offers to drive them home since they’re in no shape to get there on their own.” “And if what that Talia chick said is true, they’ve seen him a few times before they go out with him, so they trust him.” “Okay, let’s think like this guy.” Finn paced the small confines of the office, trying to think like a kidnapper. “I want a woman, for whatever reasons. We can go into that later. I pick out a possible target, where?” “At a bar or club. Both Cassidy and Maria hung out in the same clubs. Stands to reason this guy is haunting the same area, trolling for victims.” “Okay, I go to clubs, pick out the next target, get to know her. Find out where she works, whether or not she has people in the area, that sort of stuff.” “We don’t know he did that with Maria. All we know is that she went home with someone that wasn’t her boyfriend that night.” “Yeah, but her friends have said they weren’t exclusive. So she could have been meeting this guy on the side, and when she and the boyfriend had a fight, decide to go out on a date with him.” Larry appeared to think that over. “Okay, I think you’re stretching, but I’ll go along with it for now.” “Thanks for the support. So, Mr. X chooses his target, gets to know her a little before he asks her out. But where? The girls went missing from different places.” “He must scout out the club first too, find out where all the cameras are, figure out who’s on when. I mean, the bartender that was on earlier -66-
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had his crap together, chances are either he or the manager would have noticed someone slipping something into a drink.” “Right, and the gigolo who’s out there now wouldn’t notice a set up if it bit him on the ass. We should check out that angle at the other place too. So, he picks the club, the night, and the girl.” “How does he get them home? If he’s using any of the date rape drugs out there, the girls are unconscious before too long. You can’t exactly take the subway with a girl thrown over your shoulder without attracting attention.” “Okay, we check out the cabs and the registrations in the area. Do a sweep and run the plates outside of the clubs.” Larry practically choked on the soda he was drinking. “Do you know how many clubs are out there? And how many cars? We’ll be doing nothing but copying down license plates.” “We’ll get help from the street cops. Quit your complaining, we need to follow—What the hell?” Finn stopped mid sentence when he saw Talia make her way to the bar. “What is she doing here? Dressed like that?” Talia wore skintight black pants with flared legs covering her skyhigh heels. Her shirt was made of some sort of clingy material that wrapped around and showed off her tiny waist and generous bosom. He knew she wasn’t quite that generously endowed last time. What the hell was she doing? “Who?” Larry looked at the monitor, trying to figure out who Finn was losing his mind over. “Talia, Cassidy’s friend. She’s there, by the bar. What the hell is she trying to do, get snatched like her friend?” Shit, that was probably exactly what she was trying to do. “You think she’s trying to be bait?” Larry raised an eyebrow at him.
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“Yes, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let her.” Finn tore out of the office like his pants were on fire. He didn’t even care that Larry laughed at him. There was no way he was going to see Talia get date raped because she was trying to do his job. Finn worked his way through the throngs on the dance floor. The flashing lights and gyrating bodies made finding Talia that much more difficult. Every time he thought he spotted her, someone would step into his path and he’d have to move around them. By the time he finally found her, nodding politely to some guy with long sideburns and a scraggly beard, his patience was all but gone. “What the hell are you doing here?” he shouted over the music, startling the would-be suitor away. “Finn. What are you doing here?” “Working. Your turn.” “Can’t I just want to go out and enjoy a drink?” Finn took a sip of her drink. “You can have seltzer water and lime anywhere. Out with it, why are you at a club like this, dressed like that?” Up close, her shirt was even more enticing than it had appeared on the black and white video screen. The soft blue color made her creamy white skin shine like pearls. And the clingy material made him think about exactly what it clung to. “What’s wrong with the way I’m dressed? It’s no different than anyone else. In fact, it’s slightly less revealing than many of the women here.” “Yeah, but you aren’t any woman here. You don’t dress like that, or at least you didn’t before Cassidy was taken. And you said yourself that you didn’t like places like this. You’re hoping you can attract the guy that snatched Cassidy. Aren’t you?” Talia folded her arms over her chest, pushing it up a little higher in the V of the wrap around top, and sending his blood pressure pounding -68-
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harder than the bass line of the music. “So what if I am? There’s no law against that. You can’t charge me with a crime for coming to a bar.” “No, but I can slap an obstruction of justice charge on you if you interfere in any way. Now come on, get your coat. I’m taking you home.” “Bullshit. I paid ten bucks to get in the door, I’m not leaving after half an hour.” Finn reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty. “Here you go, your refund and an added bonus. Get moving.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her through the crowd, not even trying to move around the people this time. If they didn’t move fast enough, he’d go right over them. Amazingly, they moved rather quickly. Heading to the office, he opened the door without letting go of Talia’s arm. “Larry, give me your keys, I’m taking Miss Dane home and then I’ll be back to grill the bartender.” Talia tried to pull her arm free. “I am not a child, and I do not need to be sent home.” “Whatever. The keys, Lar.” “Don’t scratch the paint. It was nice meeting you, Miss Dane.” Larry laughed as he tossed the keys. Finn had no doubt his partner had watched the whole thing on the surveillance cameras. Refusing to let go of her arm even to put his coat on, he dragged her to the coat check to get hers. “This is so ridiculous. You big Neanderthal. I have as much right to be in that place as everyone else.” Talia dragged her feet as he pulled her to Larry’s car parked out in front. “Yes, you do. That doesn’t mean I’m going to let you get date raped or kidnapped though. Buckle up.” “You are not my father. I haven’t asked, nor will I, for your protection or your help.” -69-
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“Too bad, you’re getting it anyway.” Finn checked his mirrors before pulling out into traffic. Man, he hated driving this boat of Larry’s, but he wasn’t about to put Talia in a cab and trust her to go home on her own. He wouldn’t mind taking her out on his bike when the weather got warmer though. The thought of her soft breasts pressed up against his back and her arms wrapped around him sent even more blood from his brain to between his legs. “I’m not even dating you. You have no right to treat me like this.” She crossed her arms over her chest, and looked like a pouty two-year old. Except for the sinfully sexy fragrance drifting from her. There was nothing childish about that. “You want to talk about rights? Do you think anyone was thinking of Cassidy’s rights when they slipped a drug into her drink and snatched her out from underneath a thousand noses? Is that what you want? You may think you’re hot stuff and that you would know this guy when you ‘felt’ him, but what if you were unconscious? What then?” “I know better than to accept drinks from strangers, and I didn’t put my drink down once. Why do you think I was drinking water? You can’t hide the smell or taste of a drug in water.” “Maybe, maybe not.” She was more street smart than he’d given her credit for. “It isn’t just the kidnapper that could hurt you. Plenty of guys there have no idea how to treat a girl like you.” Finn made an illegal left hand turn towards Talia’s apartment. It had escaped her notice so far that he knew where she lived without asking. He didn’t think his luck would hold out much longer. “And what exactly is ‘a girl like me’ and how do you know where I live?” “You are an innocent, naïve, young lady who doesn’t belong with the sharks that swim in those waters. And I saw your address on the missing -70-
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persons report.” Which was true, it was on there. What he didn’t say was that he’d already looked it up on the computer after he met her in O’Malley’s. “Lord, you act like I’m a virgin or something. Give me a break. I know what those guys are after, and I’m not stupid enough to fall for it. I can handle myself with the opposite sex.” “Then handle this.” Finn couldn’t take it any longer. The smell of her seeped into his brain, her voice, her very presence stole any rational thought right out of his head. He had to touch her, to see if that shirt was as soft as it looked, to see if the skin beneath it was even softer. He had to know what she tasted like, and if she really was as experienced as she claimed. He slammed the car into park and pulled her across the seat into his lap. She was so tiny, so light, he had no trouble lifting her any way he pleased. And he could think of many ways that would please him. Grabbing the back of her head, he pulled her face to his and tasted her for the first time. By God, it wouldn’t be the last. She was stunned into immobility by his actions, but when his tongue plundered her mouth, she quickly came back to life. Her mouth moved on his with the same hunger he felt. Her hands, which had lain still in her lap, began running through his hair, pulling him closer to her. She tasted as fresh as sunshine and as sweet as honey. He pulled her lower lip into his mouth and sucked on it, delighting in her soft cries of pleasure. Running his hands up under her coat, Finn felt for the tie of her wrap around shirt, desperate for the feel of her skin. As the tie came loose, and the creamy expanse of her breasts shone in the dim light of the car, Finn thought his heart would stop at the sheer beauty displayed. She wore a black bra that pushed her breasts -71-
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up, and they just begged for his touch. He leaned down to bury his face in their silky smoothness when his phone started ringing. “Shit.” “You said it.” Talia scrambled off his lap and started pulling her clothes together as he answered the phone. He grabbed her wrist in case she had any ideas about running away while he was otherwise occupied. “What?” he barked into the phone. “Hey, come pick me up. Vice just shut down the place and grabbed our witness. Seems he’s been selling pharmaceuticals as well as cosmos. This night has been a waste.” Speak for yourself. “Okay, let me just get Miss Dane to her door safely and I’ll swing back around.” He shut off the phone and stuffed it in the pocket of his coat. Talk about a buzz kill. “I can get to my door safely all by myself, thanks anyway, Detective.” “Talia. Don’t get like that. Don’t you see?” “What I see is that you were trying to prove a point, which you did. Now may I have my hand back?” “The only point that got proven was that I have no control around you. You do something to me, and I’m not sure that I like it.” He knew his body liked it, but his mind wasn’t so sure. “Why, because I’m a freak?” She tried to pull away from him. He didn’t let her. “I know you think you are, but I don’t. Hell, I don’t know anything right now except if Larry hadn’t called I would have peeled those clothes off you right here on the street and not given a damn.” “You don’t have to sound so mad about it.” A trace of a flush was on her face, and her breath came out in little puffs, visible in the now chilly car.
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“I don’t like being out of control. But I also know that when something is this strong, you don’t try to fight it. I’ll be back, Talia.” He let go of her wrist. “Thanks for the warning.” Finn watched as she shot out of the car and up the stairs of her apartment. He didn’t leave until he saw the light go on. At least she was tucked safely away for the night. For now.
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CHAPTER SEVEN Talia’s heart raced as she watched Finn drive away. She didn’t know what scared her more, his methods or her reactions to them. Either way, she was shaking in her fifty-dollar high-heeled shoes. Who would have thought one kiss could suck your whole mind out of your head? Her heart raced at the memory of his kiss. His lips had been so soft, but firm. Not at all mushy like that of her college boyfriend. And his hands. Whew. Talia fanned herself, those hands sure knew what they were doing. There was no doubt in her mind that he wouldn’t be fumbling and unsure of himself in bed. And that was exactly where she wanted to be. In bed with him. For hours, days on end. She wanted to explore every inch of that solid frame she’d felt under his clothes. His thighs had been rock hard under her behind. That wasn’t the only thing that had been rock hard either. Talia’s knees buckled at the thought of feeling that hardness next to her, inside of her. She needed Cassidy’s advice right now more than ever. Somehow she was going to have to get Finn to let her help find Cassidy. Only, how was she going to keep her heart from getting lost in the process?
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Sunshine on her face woke Talia. She stretched lazily. It had been a long time since she’d woken up so gently. For the last two weeks she’d woken up with her heart racing in anger or fear because Cassidy was shouting her emotions out. What had happened to Cassidy? Talia jumped out of bed and threw a sweatshirt over her ratty tee shirt and boxers. She needed coffee and she needed to think. Every morning she’d woken up because of Cassidy’s emotional turmoil. Surely if she had been killed, Talia would have felt it. Right? Her hands shook as she measured the water. She had to believe Cassidy was alive. If she thought that while she’d been making out with Finn in his partner’s car, her best friend in the world had been killed, she’d never forgive herself. Finn, she had to see him. He’d know what was going on. She’d shower while the coffee was brewing and be ready to catch a cab in half an hour. Half an hour later, with her hair still a little damp and not a speck of make-up on, Talia clutched Finn’s business card in her hand and ran up the steps to his precinct. Fear and chaos hit her like a club the minute she walked in the door. A different officer manned the desk this time. He was probably younger than her and looked like he wasn’t used to his uniform yet. “Excuse me? I need to see Detective O’Brien please.” “What’s your name? I’ll call up. Sign in on the clipboard, ma’am.” Ma’am? Since when was she a ma’am? Talia did as she was told and tapped her fingers while she waited. The station didn’t look that different from the last time she was here, but there was a nervous energy buzzing through the place that seemed to have everyone on edge.
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“Ms. Dane, I’m sorry but Detective O’Brien is in a meeting with the captain. I can leave a message if you’d like.” “No thanks, I’ll wait. Could you just let someone know that I’ll be here when he has a free minute?” “It could be a while,” he warned. “That’s okay, this is important.” Talia waited until he got on the phone again and left a message with someone that she’d be waiting. For all she knew he could have left the message with the janitor, but he did tell someone she was there. She sat in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs. This could be a long wait. She had only gone through the third out of date magazine when Finn came running down a set of stairs to the right of the room. “Talia. Thank God. I’ve been calling you all morning. Where have you been?” Finn picked her up in a bear hug and squeezed her hard. It didn’t take much of her empathy to feel his relief at seeing her. “I’ve been down here waiting to talk to you. I took a shower and left right after I woke up, I never bothered to check my messages. Why, what’s up?” “I thought maybe you had gone out after I left and went looking for the perp again.” “No, I went to bed. But I’m worried about Cassidy.” She lowered her voice and looked around. Everyone appeared to be busy, but she could feel their attention on her. “Can we talk somewhere more, ah, private?” “Sure, come on, I’ll take you to the lounge. It ain’t pretty, but it doesn’t have a dozen prying eyes and ears around either.” “That’s fine.” After receiving a visitor’s badge, Talia followed Finn up the stairs to the “lounge.” Pit would have been a better word for it, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.
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“Why are you more worried about Cassidy? Did you feel something else?” “No, and that’s the problem. Every morning for the last two weeks I’ve woken up feeling her pain, her anger, her fear, even her determination. Today I felt nothing, and I’m afraid—” Talia couldn’t even finish the sentence. Like if she said it out loud that would make it true. “You say you feel her every morning at the same time?” “Yes. I know you don’t believe any of this, but—” “After the news I just got, I’m ready to believe just about anything. The mayor’s niece is missing.” Talia let out a low whistle. “I’ll bet he doesn’t have to wait twenty-four hours before filing a report. What does she look like?” “A brunette version of Cassidy and Maria. And she hung out in the same crowds, went to the same bars.” “Finn, I swear to you, he wasn’t at the club last night. I would have felt him.” He ran a hand through his jet-black hair. His eyes looked weary, like he hadn’t gotten much sleep. Talia wanted to rub away the tension in his shoulders, to ease some of the strain he was feeling. “I know he wasn’t. She was grabbed from another club less than a block away.” “It’s not your fault. You can’t read his mind, you don’t know where he’s going to be.” “I know that.” The hand went through his hair again. “We have no choice, I have to pull you into this operation. The captain just said he didn’t care if we used Houdini’s ghost as long as we got this guy.” “So you believe me?”
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“I have no choice. All we know is this guy drugs his victims and he’s escalating. Other than that we’ve got squat. No profile, no description, no fingerprints, nadda.” “Escalating?” “There was a month between Maria’s disappearance and Cassidy’s.” “And it’s only been two weeks since Cassidy was taken. Do you think they’re still alive?” Her stomach felt like she’d swallowed a lead weight. “I hope so, I really hope so. Come on, I’ll introduce you to the captain and we’ll go over how this operation will be run.” Finn could feel the curious eyes on them as they walked through the rabbit warren of desks to the captain’s office. He’d fought like hell to keep Talia out of this, but when the mayor had said he wanted his niece found immediately or heads would roll, Finn’s feelings didn’t mean much. Damn Larry. He should have never said anything to his partner about Talia saying she was an empath. Larry had thrown it out to the captain as a joke, and the captain had jumped on it like it was a lifeline. Maybe it was. When they reached the captain’s office, Finn opened the door for Talia and introduced her to the task force. “Talia Dane, this is Captain Thompson, you know Larry, and the beautiful woman sitting next to him is Detective Naomi Lee, from Vice.” He watched Talia’s reactions as she shook hands with each of the members of the team. When she shook hands with Naomi, her eyes widened a little, but she covered it well. The captain stood and walked to the easel he had standing in the corner of his office. “Okay, here’s what we have so far. Three different clubs, all with the same clientele, all within in a three-block radius. That’s not so unusual as that’s where most of the clubs are located. All three women were between the ages of twenty-three and twenty-five, and -78-
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all three ran in the same circles. Does anyone have anything else to add to the discussion before we plan our course of action?” Naomi raised her hand. “Go ahead, Lee.” She stood straight and tall, like her posture could make up for her lack of height. Naomi was barely five feet two inches tall, but she was an experienced martial artist, and could outshoot almost anyone in the room. “I just want to say I’m against bringing a civilian into this operation. I think having someone who has so little experience in the way is just asking for trouble.” “So noted. Anyone else?” “Captain, I don’t see any reason why I can’t go in as the bait, fully wired and under surveillance.” “Because you don’t fit the victim profile. You’re beautiful, Naomi, but not his type, sorry.” Larry smiled at her, which made her bristle even more. “Sir?” Talia raised her hand. “Go ahead, you might as well have your say, too.” Finn hid a grimace. No wonder the captain was almost completely gray haired at age fifty-five. “Detective Lee, I am not trying to play at being a cop. I don’t want to be a cop and never have. I know how to follow directions and won’t go off on my own like a vigilante. I want to find my friend, that’s all. I’ll do as I’m told, stay out of trouble, and follow the rules. I know you think I’m a flake who’s just trying to con her way onto the force for some reason, but all I want to do is help. After this is all over, I’ll disappear and you’ll never have to see me again.” Finn saw Naomi’s face go pale as Talia spoke. “How did you know? Can you read minds?” -79-
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“No, but you don’t have the experience shielding your emotions that these guys do. As soon as I shook your hand I felt your frustration and anger. You’d be surprised how much information I can get from your emotional signature. I could say more, but I don’t think you’d appreciate that.” The captain cleared his throat before speaking. “All right then, now that that is settled, let’s get down to business.” He began to outline a plan to have Talia act as the bait and Naomi as her buddy to protect her. Naomi was going to have to be a serious actress to pull it off because she looked at Talia with a mixture of disbelief and fear. Talia paid close attention to the captain, but Finn could see how uncomfortable she was now that everyone believed her. The realization hit him between the eyes. She was screwed either way. When people didn’t believe her, they thought she was a fruitcake. If they did believe her, they thought she was a freak. No wonder she was so skittish around people. Damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. Finn tried to focus on what the captain was saying; it wasn’t easy with Talia in touching distance. After having a small taste of her last night, he wanted nothing more than to haul her out of the chair and into the nearest closet and get another taste. A nice, long taste that lasted for months. He shifted in the chair a bit as his erection pressed against his fly. Great. They were trying to catch a killer and he was thinking about sleeping with the special “consultant” the department had brought in to help. This was going from bad to worse. The captain passed out a sheet of paper to everyone. “Here’s a list of every bar and club in the radius we’ve identified as the target area. The ones that have been crossed off have been discounted as not attracting
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the right crowd. We may have to go back to them, but for the time being we’ll focus on the ones I’ve highlighted.” The list had at least thirty names on it, not including the ones crossed off. This was starting to look like climbing Mount Everest. “Lee, you and Miss Dane will hit a different club every night.” “Every night?” Naomi looked uneasily at Talia, then at the captain. “Welcome to the world of the club hoppers. I want you out, mingling, meeting people, finding out who was with the girls on the last night they were seen. See if anyone knows anything. It’s going to take a while to fit in, so you’ll be out every night like they are.” “Yes, sir.” Naomi didn’t look like she was so glad she had been tapped for this assignment. He’d have to make a point of speaking to her later. Personal feelings couldn’t get in the way of catching this guy. Maybe he should take his own advice. He couldn’t let his feelings, whatever they were, for Talia interfere with the assignment. The captain went back to the easel and flipped over a clean page. “Finn, you and Larry will be stationed in a van outside the club of the day. Detective Lee and Miss Dane will be wired, but I want you watching the surveillance cameras for the people they come in contact with more than listening to them grill bar hoppers. You’re there to watch the crowd and provide back up. You can also run the plates of the cars in the area and see what turns up.” Larry groaned about the assignment, but kept his mouth shut. Surveillance sucked, but they had no choice. “Miss Dane, one of the officers will get you set up with a wire, and go over the codes we use so you can call if you need help. Detective Lee will teach you a few basic self-defense maneuvers, which will hopefully be unnecessary.” -81-
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Neither woman looked too thrilled with that idea. Too bad. Talia needed to be able to protect herself until help could arrive, and if that meant duking it out at the gym with Naomi so be it. “Is that really necessary? I mean, isn’t the whole point of her being there so she can protect me? I don’t need to get that close to him—” Talia’s words stopped dead in her throat. Her face paled to an almost deathly pallor, and her hands started to shake like a leaf on the wind. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?” Finn jumped out of his chair and grabbed her hand in his. Her fingers were ice cold. “Talia, what’s going on? Talk to me.” He looked into her face, and her eyes were dilated with fear. She had a distant look on her face, like she was somewhere else. “Snap out of it. What’s going on?” If she didn’t stop this crap soon, he was taking her to the hospital. “Leave her alone. This must be what happens when she gets her ‘feelings’.” Larry put his hand on Finn’s shoulder. “I thought you didn’t believe in this mumbo jumbo?” “I don’t, but I can see something is going on, and you shouting and shaking her isn’t going to help much.” Finn rubbed her tiny hand between both of his. The shaking had stopped and color was coming back into her face again, but she still looked like she was miles away. As he watched her face, he saw the play of emotions change from fear to determination. Her fists clenched. Her lips, which had been trembling, were now pursed in a firm line, and her whole body tensed as if in preparation for a fight. Finn could feel her muscles tense and coil. Then it stopped. Just like a light switch being flicked off. It stopped and Talia crumpled like a puppet whose strings had been cut. -82-
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“What the hell?” Naomi jumped up and felt Talia’s forehead. “She’s clammy and cool, like a shock victim.” She pulled Talia’s eyelids back. “Her pupils are dilated too. What just happened?” Finn, who had caught Talia as she fell, carried her over to the couch in the corner. “Someone get me some water and a cloth or something.” Talia’s eyes were starting to flutter and she shook her head, like she was coming out of a dream. “Shhh, take it easy, baby. Just take it easy.” “I’m fine, I’m fine. Cassidy is still alive. And she’s royally pissed off too.” Talia smiled a weary smile that lit up her whole face. “Did you hear me? Cassidy’s alive. I knew she couldn’t die without me knowing, I knew it.” “That’s great, but right now I want to make sure you’re alive.” “Me? Oh, I’m fine. Just a little tired. Cassidy was really afraid at first.” “Yeah, I noticed. Does that happen to you often?” Naomi rushed into the room with some dripping wet paper towels and a cone of water from the water cooler. “Oh, you’re back. What the hell happened?” “I think we’d all like an explanation.” The captain had remained silent, but now stood over them with his hands planted on his hips, waiting for someone to tell him what was going on. “Give her some space, then she’ll tell us everything. Won’t you, Talia?” “Hold on, hold on. Let me sit up a sec.” Talia pushed him away and sat up on the couch. She still looked a little shaky, but seemed to be pulling herself together. She looked around the room at all of them, then took a deep breath.
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“Okay. I explained this once to Detective O’Brien, but I’ll try to do it again. I am an empath. I feel what the people around me are feeling, good or bad.” Larry shuffled his feet uncomfortably, but didn’t say anything. “I have what I call shields in place to prevent me from feeling everything in the air. So, no, Larry, if it wasn’t for the fact that you keep looking at me guiltily, I wouldn’t know that you think I’m a freak.” “Uh, I, uh, I don’t think you’re a freak. This is just weird.” “Trust me, I know.” “Please go on, Miss Dane. You were saying your shields block you from feeling everything going on around you?” Trust the captain to keep everyone on task. “To a certain extent, yes. When I’m heavily shielded, like I am now, I can only feel really strong emotions like hate and anger.” “Or fear.” Finn had to hand it to him, the captain was trying to understand this weird shit. “Yes, or fear. I am also really susceptible to people I’m close to, like Cassidy. I can feel them when they’re upset, wherever they are. I knew my mom had broken her arm, and she lives in Maine.” “So how is that going to help us, if you go into a trance every time one of your friends is scared?” Naomi didn’t look happy with this at all. “It’s going to help us because if I’m in the same room with the guy that’s snatching everyone, I’ll know it the second he walks in the door. And if I go into a trance, I’ll tell you as much as I can before I hit the ground and you can grab him, or at least see what he looks like.” “If you can say something before you drop.” Naomi wasn’t giving an inch. “Enough. Detective Lee, you don’t have to work on this case if you don’t want to. There are other female officers who would step in. You’re -84-
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in or you’re out, but either way you will show Miss Dane some respect and cooperation instead of badgering her.” “Yes, sir. I’m in.” Finn had been in the same position as Naomi before, and he could tell what was going through her head. Naomi wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. This was a high profile case, and if she had a hand in saving the mayor’s niece, it would boost her career nicely. She’d put up with psychic monkeys if that’s what she had to do. “If it is any consolation, I’ve only felt Cassidy in the mornings. She’s been my psychic wake up call for two weeks. It’s never been this late before.” “What does that mean? Can you only feel her when things are calmer, like in the morning?” Larry looked like he was trying to understand, which was a start. “I can feel her any time her emotions are running high. What I think it means is, this guy comes to see her in the morning, and she’s scared of him. When he leaves she gets determined to escape. Today she felt kind of hungry too, so I wonder if he only comes in to feed her once a day and he was late today.” Finn looked at Larry, and they both looked at the captain. If this guy was keeping the girls alive, he was either a sicko who was holding them for some psychotic purpose, or he was planning on selling them. Neither scenario would make Talia feel any better. “He was probably late because he had to bring in the mayor’s niece today.” Finn changed the subject; he didn’t want Talia to pick up on any of their thoughts. Even if she said she couldn’t read him, he didn’t want to take any chances. “Could be, could be.” The captain moved back behind his desk. “So, tonight Lee and Miss Dane will head to the clubs on Eighth Avenue -85-
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around Thirty-third and Thirty-forth Streets. You have the rest of the day to prepare. Rest up, you’ll be out late until this guy is caught. Dismissed.” As they shuffled out of the captain’s office, Finn held back to see how Naomi would interact with Talia. “I have some work to clear off my desk. Can you meet me at the gym later this afternoon? I’ll go over some self-defense moves and we can plan our strategy for tonight.” “That’s fine. I’ll meet you around four, if that’s okay.” “That should be fine. We’ll spend a couple hours planning and working on some moves then we can get showered and ready to go out for seven.” “Maybe we should have dinner first too. No one goes out before nine at the earliest, some of the bands don’t even go on until midnight.” “How do these people function? Don’t they have to get up for work?” Naomi shook her head. “Well, it isn’t easy I can tell you that.” Finn waited until Naomi left before he approached Talia. “I’ll give you a ride home so I can go over some of the code words we’ll be using.” “Are we taking Larry’s car again?” “Nope, I have a city car for the duration of the assignment, I’ll be taking you everywhere you need to go.” And even some places she didn’t.
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CHAPTER EIGHT Why didn’t the thought of Finn driving her around make her feel better? Being alone with him for any length of time had done some crazy things to her hormones. A phenomenon that didn’t seem to be getting any less as time went on. The feel of his large hand on her back was both reassuring and exciting. His fingers were a perfectly acceptable three inches above her derrière, but Lord above did she want them to move lower. She could feel the heat spreading through her entire body every time she took a step. What was it about this man that sent her pulse hammering in her veins? Finn walked her through the precinct and out to a parking garage. He opened the door to a non-descript blue sedan and waited for her to get in. Had anyone ever treated her like a lady before? Funny how a little thing like common courtesy could mean so much more from the right man. “Remember, you’ll be wired at all times, we’ll be only a word away.” Finn concentrated on his driving, his hands gripped the wheel tightly. “I understand. I don’t plan on letting him get close enough to me to need your help though.” “Neither do I, but you have to be prepared for things to go down the drain fast. You don’t know what could happen with this guy, so it’s best to plan for the worst.” “That’s a real positive attitude you have there.” -87-
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“I’m not being pessimistic, I’m being smart. I don’t want to take any chances with your safety or that of any other member of this team.” “Aw, how sweet. I didn’t know you cared.” She couldn’t help but get sarcastic at his protectiveness. He didn’t get it, she wasn’t going to be anywhere near this guy. “I do care, and that is what makes me nervous. I’m beginning to care too much and that jeopardizes the assignment just as much as Naomi’s fear does.” “She’s ambitious, she’ll overcome her fear for the chance to advance her career.” “I don’t care about Naomi, I care about you and not seeing you get killed, okay? Can we stick to the problem here?” He ran his free hand through his hair and heaved a sigh. “And what exactly is the problem? That I’m involved in the case, or that I’m a freak and involved in the case?” Better to get everything out in the open before they went much further. If he said he cared about her one more time she might start believing him, and she knew where that would lead her. Heartbreak city. “The only one calling you a freak is you.” Finn pulled the car into an illegal parking space in front of her building and slammed it into park. He must be hell on transmissions. “You throw that label up in front of you like a wall to keep people out, and I’m sick of it. Everyone in that meeting did their best to keep an open mind, but you had to throw the word ‘freak’ out there to distance yourself.” How dare he accuse her of hiding behind a wall when his were thicker than Stonehenge. “I only said what everyone in that room thought. Do you think I was born yesterday? I’ve been down this road before you know. I get to know people, get to like people and everything is -88-
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fine until something happens and bam. Suddenly I’m all alone again. And don’t talk to me about throwing walls up, because you do the exact same thing.” She did not need to take this from him. Talia opened the car door and got out. She wasn’t hiding, she was protecting herself, just like he was. The sound of his door slamming just spurred her to walk faster. “We aren’t talking about me, we’re talking about you and how you have to open yourself up to people.” “I’m plenty open, to my friends and the people who understand me.” She had friends; she was open, for the most part. Unlocking the door to her building, she hoped Finn would get the hint and leave her alone. Instead he followed her inside and up the stairs. “Yeah, and how many of them are men? Huh?” “That’s none of your business. Who are you, my therapist? I don’t need a man in my life.” She jammed the keys into her apartment door and pushed it open, but didn’t go in. There was no way she was letting him any further into her personal space. “Too damn bad, ‘cause you’ve got one now.” Finn didn’t need an invitation. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her right up off the floor. Crossing the threshold, he swooped down to take her mouth in a mind-blowing kiss. Her legs dangled a foot off the ground, and her head was somewhere amidst the clouds as he kicked the door shut and ravaged her mouth. Finn’s lips teased hers, sliding across them with sweet friction. When his tongue slipped out to caress her lips she felt the heat to her toes. Somehow anger had turned the corner into desire and there was no going back.
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Fire spread out from her core through her body, to her fingertips. Her muscles melted like butter, and it was an effort to wrap her arms around his neck. The feel of his hair through her fingers was worth it though. He trailed a line of kisses to her ear and nibbled lightly at her lobe, shooting sparks that ignited a blaze between her legs. “If you want me to stop, you better tell me now, because in three seconds I won’t be able to.” Stop? Stop touching her? Kissing her? No way did she want him to stop. She’d deal with the consequences later. She’d never felt like this before, like she was on an erotic roller coaster. There was no way she was getting off before the ride was over “Don’t stop, please don’t stop.” She followed his lead and took a tentative nip at the strong column of his throat. His skin was salty and tasted so good she had to go back for more. Wrapping her legs around his waist for better leverage, Talia rubbed her breasts against his steely chest as she ran her tongue down his throat until she reached the opening of his coat. He smelled like leather and soap. Who would have thought leather was an aphrodisiac? Finn groaned as she reached under his jacket to run her hands along his chest. He was so hard. She wanted to touch him everywhere. She felt like she was starving for the feel of skin beneath her fingers. And Finn was definitely an all you could eat buffet. “Where’s the bedroom? You’re killing me.” “Down the hall. Hurry.” He didn’t waste any time getting to her room. As he moved, her body rubbed up against his, almost torturing her with the promise of what could happen next. His hands had moved to her bottom, supporting her and teasing her at the same time. Too many clothes, she was wearing far too many clothes.
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The same thought must have run through Finn’s mind because he slid her down his body and yanked her coat off at the same time. Talia fumbled with his leather jacket as he pulled her sweater and tee shirt over her head. She had a brief moment of panic wondering if he’d be disappointed since she wasn’t wearing the push up bra, any bra in fact, but was quickly reassured when he devoured her pebbled nipples before the sweater was even over her head. His mouth felt like warm honey on her cool skin, and the sensation made her hands shake as she tried to unbutton his shirt. “You’re making me so crazy I can’t get your shirt off,” she moaned as he moved to her other breast and laved it with his tongue. “Later, right now I want to see you, all of you.” Finn picked her up again and laid her on the wrinkled bedspread. Running his wide hands down her ribs, he pulled her pants, underwear and boots off in one fell swoop. Talia had a minute to wonder why she paid so much for underwear that no one would ever see before Finn sprawled on top of her and kissed her with a mindless passion she’d never experienced. His hands were everywhere, touching her face, cradling her head, feathering lightly along her ribcage, and sending desire spiraling through her. The sensations built and grew like a raging inferno, consuming everything in its path. She could feel herself grow moist as her body burned to feel his touch in her most intimate spots. “I know I should take this slowly. I’ve been thinking about it for so long, but I can’t help myself. I want to touch you everywhere at once.” Finn licked and nuzzled his way down her torso towards her stomach. “I want to touch you too.” Had to touch him. Talia’s fingers reached for his shirt. “Later.” His tongue twirled in her belly button while his body rubbed between her legs, teasing her with the contact. Finn continued to work -91-
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his way down her body, his hands pushing her legs wider and opening her up to his gaze. Any feelings of embarrassment were scorched on the spot by the blue heat blazing out from his eyes. “You’re so beautiful.” He sat back on his heels and ran his hands up and down her legs, drawing closer to the very spot that quivered in anticipation of his touch. Closer, but never quite close enough. It felt so decadent, so wanton to be naked and writhing in pleasure while he watched her from between her legs, fully clothed. “I’ve been thinking about all the things I’d like to do to this gorgeous body of yours since the first moment I met you.” Finn looked right into her eyes as his hands breezed over her swollen nether lips. Her hips bucked involuntarily, reaching for his touch. “I find that hard to believe. I’m not exactly Playboy Bunny material.” Talia’s head thrashed from side to side. Something was building inside of her, growing and expanding with a will of its own. She was a little frightened of it, yet couldn’t find the will to stop it either. “Nope, you’re better. Every inch of you is so responsive to my touch.” He demonstrated his observation by rubbing a finger lightly against her nubbin, sending her flying to the moon with an explosion of feeling like nothing she’d every experienced before. “Oh my God.” Talia rocked and shuddered, riding out the tidal wave of sensation that traveled through her entire body, washing away any memory of inadequacies or failed expectations. “See what I mean?” Finn unbuttoned his shirt slowly with a smug smile on his face. What? Talia’s lust hazed mind had no idea what he was talking about. As more of Finn’s mammoth chest was revealed, she didn’t much care either. He had a body like none she’d ever seen outside of a magazine. His shoulders were mounded with muscles, leading to pecs -92-
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that just begged to be grabbed. And Lord, his stomach. It had that perfect washboard firmness that made her drool. When he got off the bed and pulled his pants and boxer shorts down, Talia realized his chest wasn’t the only thing that was steely hard. His erection sprang from a nest of curly hair that thinned into a line going up his six-pack abs. Talia felt hot all over again. As he bent over to remove his pants, she caught a glimpse of his muscular flanks and powerful thighs. Her fingers itched to touch all of that marvelous skin. “I don’t suppose you have a condom handy? I didn’t figure I’d need protection when I came in to work today.” “In the dresser behind you.” She had a full box of condoms she’d bought just last week hoping something like this would happen. Let’s hear it for wishful thinking. Finn brought the entire box over to the bed and put it in easy reach before he took one and sheathed himself in front of her admiring gaze. “Glad you thought ahead, so we don’t have to run to the store any time soon.” “I don’t think you’ll be going to the store today.” Talia pushed herself to a kneeling position and reached out to run her fingers through the hair on his chest. She loved the way his flat nipples perked up just like her own. Finn looked at the twelve pack by the bed, “Not for at least another hour, anyway.” Talia felt bold enough to stretch higher and kiss his nipple like he had done to hers earlier, drawing the little nub into her mouth. He must have liked it just as much because he sucked in his breath and moaned. “Maybe half an hour if you keep that up.”
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She smiled against his skin and nuzzled her nose in the thatch of hair on his chest. She wanted to eat him whole and go back for seconds. Her fingers explored the muscles in his back and his butt, as her lips and tongue made an expedition down his stomach to uncharted territory. Could she do it? Her fingers moved between his thighs with a will of their own. They trembled a little, but kept moving towards his pulsing center. “Talia, if you touch me, it’s all over. This feels too good and my control ended when you looked at me like I was dessert.” Her hands froze inches away from his shaft. Next time. “Then what are you waiting for? You have some catching up to do, I believe.” Where did that boldness come from? As Finn knelt on the bed and pushed her back so he could move between her legs, she didn’t much care how she had gotten so bold. She was just glad it worked. “This isn’t exactly the way I had planned things, you know.” His hand rubbed against her lower lips as he positioned himself, making her hungry for more contact. “Really? And how long have you been planning on getting me into bed?” His hairy thighs rubbed between her smooth ones, and sent sensations zinging through her body. “Since the minute I saw you. Next time we’ll go for style, I can’t wait any longer.” Finn pushed himself into her, and she had to force herself to relax and let him in. He was much larger than her only other lover and that had been a long time ago. Comparing Finn to that experience was like comparing a stretch limo to a skateboard. “Shh, it’s going to be okay. Slow and easy, just relax.” He smoothed the hair on her face, and the tenderness she saw in his eyes made her
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heart flip over in a long, slow, thump. She raised her knees and widened her legs, letting him slide home. “Trust me, this is more than okay. And I really don’t want slow and easy if it’s all the same to you.” Talia scored her nails down Finn’s back and dug into his firm buttocks, pulling him even deeper inside her. She felt full, stretched, and so very complete. So this was what it was supposed to be like. As Finn moved slowly in and out, he rubbed her nub with his free hand. Her body began to ride the roller coaster again and she knew that no one could have ever explained exactly how much she’d been missing. Roller coaster? Making love with Finn was like an all day pass at an amusement park. His pace picked up, and he pushed her legs higher, opening her to more of him. That pressure was built again, engulfing her in its enormity. “Finn.” She didn’t know what she wanted, all she knew was if she didn’t get it she’d die. “Come for me, baby, let go.” “I can’t. I don’t know what to do.” He pounded into her now, each thrust pushing her to heights she’d never seen before. “I’ll take care of you, just hold on for the ride.” He slid his hands under her bottom and lifted her even higher, driving into her like a jackhammer. His body rubbed against the well of her pleasure and she went into orbit yet again. Talia let out a soundless scream, at least she thought it was soundless, the blood rushed in her ears so loudly she wouldn’t have heard if a train ran through the room. Her legs clenched around Finn’s waist again as he let out a roar of his own before collapsing on top of her.
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CHAPTER NINE How did this happen? Hell, he knew how it happened, he hadn’t been lying when he told Talia he’d wanted her since he first met her. No, the question he should ask himself was why he let it happen. Finn wasn’t some wet behind the ears rookie, he knew any time you mixed business with pleasure it was bound to backfire on you. It was his job to keep Talia safe and find the lunatic who was snatching beautiful women in the city. Not exactly easy to do when he was curled up in bed with the hottest thing to cross his path since he dodged a pipe bomb in a gang riot. Even though his conscience beat him up about sleeping with Talia, he couldn’t be sorry. He’d never felt like this before. No woman had ever tapped the core of emotions he’d kept hidden. What was it she’d said earlier? That he hid his emotions too? Yeah, maybe he did. After a few years on the job he got used to blocking off that part of himself, and it just became a habit to block off everything. It wasn’t like he was afraid to feel emotion. Sliding out of the tiny bed, Finn scooped up his clothes and headed to the bathroom. Closing the door quietly so as not to wake Talia, he leaned over the miniscule sink and let out a deep breath. When did he suddenly start caring about whether or not he was in touch with his emotions? He was a cop for crying out loud. He needed to be smart and strong, not in touch with his feminine side. Talia was the -96-
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first person who made him feel like he was missing something by cutting off his emotions before they got out of control. Could she be the reason he felt like this? She was an empath, not that he believed in that sort of thing, but maybe she was making him feel emotions he didn’t want to feel? No way was a woman going to make him into some poor sap who cried at movies and wanted to cuddle. Finn washed up and pulled his clothes on like he was headed to a fire. He had to get out of here before she could mess with his head any more. Feeling around for his keys, Finn tried to remember if they were still in the car, when Talia walked out of the bedroom wearing a ratty pair of sweats. “Going so soon?” She leaned against the doorway and arched a brow at him. “Yeah, I had better get back to the station so I can get the van set up for tonight.” “Right. Well, I didn’t mean to keep you from your sworn duty protecting the public. I’ll see you tonight after Naomi kicks my ass in the name of self-defense.” “What are you talking about? Naomi isn’t going to hurt you, she’s going to teach you how to protect yourself.” Right? “Wake up and smell the coffee, Detective. Naomi was not pleased to show weakness in front of the captain, or you, and the only way she can exert control over the situation is by pounding me into the ground today.” “She’s a cop, she won’t let her personal feelings get in the way of the assignment.” Maybe. “Whatever you say.” “Don’t give me that. Why do you think Naomi would hurt you?”
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“Because that is what people do when they are confronted by things they don’t understand. Once she got over her irritation that I actually wasn’t a con artist, she was uncomfortable and defensive about my involvement. It’s been my experience that when people get so defensive and worried that I can read their minds, they try to kick my ass. Or they run away.” She might as well have said, “Like you.” “I’m not running away, and Naomi is not going to hurt you. You’re just using that as an excuse for not getting the training you think is unnecessary.” Yeah, she doesn’t think she needs it so she’s just trying to get out of it. “I’ll be there, if for no other reason than to clear the air between Naomi and I before we have to act all chummy. Didn’t you say you had to go?” “What? Are you rushing me out the door already?” Did she want to get rid of him? “I have things I have to do too. I need to call work and arrange to do the books from home because I won’t be able to go into the shop every day if I’m out every night.” “The department will compensate you for lost wages while you’re on assignment.” She rolled her eyes at him. “I have other things to do as well. I think you left the keys in the car, you might want to check to make sure it is still there. I’m sure it would be hard to explain the reason a city car got stolen while you were screwing the ‘consultant’.” Before he knew what was happening she had pushed him out of the apartment and locked the door behind him. Here’s your hat, what’s your hurry? Jogging down the stairs he hoped the car was still there. She was
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right about one thing, explaining how the city’s vehicle had gotten stolen would be a little tricky. Luckily, the car was still there. Probably not worth enough to risk stealing in broad daylight. He climbed in and slammed the door behind him. Man, she had some nerve messing with his mind then treating him like he was just using her for a quick fling. She didn’t seem to care about the particulars when he was touching her. Hell, neither one of them had been thinking about anything more than the next touch. Maybe that was the problem; neither one of them was thinking at all. He couldn’t keep going around and around like this. There was a boat load of work to be done before they went live tonight and he couldn’t let his feelings get tied up in knots while there was a kidnapper on the loose. Larry would have started getting the wires set up for Naomi and Talia. When the girls were ready to leave, he’d have Larry get them miked up. Finn didn’t think he could handle putting his hand down Talia’s shirt again without ripping it off. Probably better to have Larry touch that creamy skin of hers. Bullshit. No one was going to touch an inch of her skin. He’d have Naomi do it. Could Talia be right? Did Naomi have something against her because of what happened at the meeting? No one liked to be reprimanded by the captain, especially in front of their peers. Would Naomi take it out on Talia? Better swing by the gym later on. Talia didn’t have to know he was there, but he’d be around in case she needed him. Damn. Finn hit the steering wheel with his fist. What was it about her that brought out these protective feelings? He’d never felt them outside of the job before, and he
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didn’t like feeling them now. He’d be crying at chick flicks before this case was over, he just knew it.
Talia picked out the sexiest outfit she could find. The black silk sweater was skintight and the knit skirt clung to her butt like it was painted on. She was even going to risk the knee-high boots tonight. The black demi push-up bra went in the bag along with the gel inserts the sales girl had insisted she buy. Talia had been hesitant to buy them because it seemed like an expensive way to stuff your bra, but the girl had sworn they worked. She hadn’t worked up the nerve to wear them in public yet. The thought of having one of the gel boobs fall out of her shirt onto the dance floor had kept her happy with just the results of the bra. Not tonight. Tonight she was pulling out all the stops and going to look as hot as she possibly could with what she had to work with. If Finn wanted to play games, fine. She’d play games all right. She would flirt with anything in pants while he froze his ass off in a van listening to her. Talia grabbed her bag of clothes and threw the make-up in there along with some toiletries and a towel. She didn’t know what Naomi had in mind, but she was sure that it was going to involve sweat. The hair dryer, don’t forget the stupid hair dryer. It was going to take her forever to get used to all of this fussing just to walk out the door. Once this was all over she was throwing half of this stuff out and going back to her ten-minute brush-her-teeth-and-combher-hair routine. Wrapping up in her long winter coat, mittens and a hat, Talia went back out into the cold for the second time that day. The gym was in the
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basement of the precinct house, she still had some time before she met up with Naomi, but who knew if she’d find a cab? Locking the door to the building, she searched in vain for a passing taxi. Figures, whenever it rained or the wind cut through you like a stiletto, there wasn’t a yellow vehicle to be found. Her day was going downhill fast. First, Finn walked out on her like she had the plague, now she was going to have to freeze her butt off to walk to a place where a jealous woman was going to teach her self-defense. Talia hadn’t told Finn that Naomi had, if not a crush on him, at least lustful feelings towards him. When he’d escorted her out of the building with a hand on her back, Talia had felt Naomi’s spear of jealously shoot into her before the diminutive detective had a chance to tamp it down. This whole thing was going to be a disaster. How would she attract anyone if Naomi gave her a black eye? Head down, walking into the wind Talia plugged along, her spirits as low as the temperature. By the time she got to the precinct Talia was sure she had frostbite on her nose. It was so cold outside, she didn’t know if she’d ever get warm again. She hurried into the building and got a visitor’s pass and directions to the locker room from the desk sergeant. She was running out of time to prepare for her self-defense ‘lesson’.” Her pink sweatpants had seen better days, but they were warm and comfortable. The ratty NYU sweatshirt was at least two sizes too big, but again made her feel warm and cozy inside. She was ready for Naomi to do her worst. The gym was down another hall, past the men’s locker room and down a short flight of stairs. There was some sort of office too. No one was there, so Talia walked into the gym and wandered around, waiting for Naomi to show up. There were trophy cases that held dusty Little League trophies, bowling trophies and even a New York City Marathon -101-
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trophy. Pictures of officers on baseball diamonds, football fields, and hockey rinks were displayed proudly as well. After she had searched every picture for Finn or Larry, and Naomi still hadn’t shown up, Talia considered just going back home. The fact that her toes hadn’t thawed out yet from the walk here kept her waiting just a little bit longer. This was probably part of Naomi’s game, make Talia wait around forever, then when she left Naomi could say, “Well, I was there but that flake didn’t show up”. Screw her. Talia would wait there until she grew moss. Naomi would show up eventually, she was only forty-five minutes late. As Talia made another pass by the pictures, the door flew open and Naomi ran in. “Sorry I’m late, there was a bust that I’ve been involved with for six months and I wanted to be part of it.” “No problem, I was just looking at the pictures.” Again and again and again. “Thanks for understanding, I just have to go change, why don’t you warm up and stretch and I’ll be back in a few minutes.” “Sure, take your time.” Warm up and stretch? Was this supposed to be aerobics or self-defense? Talia racked her brain to remember the exercises she’d done in gym class back in high school. No one had ever accused her of being a jock. She was stretching out on one of the mats when Naomi blew back in wearing a blue NYPD sweat suit, her long black hair braided and twisted behind her head. “First of all, do you have any injuries I should know about? Bad knees, bad back?” she began without preamble. “Nope, nothing.” Did bruised feelings count? “Good. Let’s begin with the basics, then we’ll practice some grabs and holds.” -102-
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“Whatever you say. I’m at your disposal.” Finn watched from the office window as Naomi demonstrated the standard kicks and punches. He’d been an idiot to think that Naomi would try to hurt Talia. Sure, she was ambitious, but not any more so than any other cop working their way up the ladder. Just the same, he’d wait and make sure everything went okay. Talia looked like a ten year old in her pink sweats. The cuffs of the sweatshirt hid her hands, and her face was bare of any make-up. He kind of liked her that way. The siren he’d taken home from the club the other night was hot, but this waif was more to his liking. It was obvious Talia had never thrown a punch in her life, her hand formation was all wrong and she swung like a girl. Finn cracked the door open so he could hear what Naomi said to her. “No, don’t tuck your thumb under like that, it weakens the punch and could break your thumb if you actually connected with someone’s jaw.” “No thumb, got it.” “No, no, wrap your thumb around your fingers like this.” She demonstrated with her own hand right under Talia’s nose. “Haven’t you ever had to hit someone before?” “Actually, no I haven’t.” “Then you were mighty lucky. I had to learn martial arts by the time I was in the middle school just so I could get home safely. Must be nice to grow up not having to worry about some punk mugging you for your coat.” “Yeah, my life was a bed of roses. No one tried to mug me, they just threw rocks at me and called me a witch. I learned to defend myself in other ways.” “Oh yeah? What did you do, cast a spell on them?” -103-
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“Nope, they just called me a witch, I don’t practice that faith. I just gave them a taste of their own medicine.” “You threw rocks back at them?” Naomi’s hands were on her hips. “No, I threw their fear and their hatred back at them.” Talia had her hands on hips as well, and stood practically nose-to-nose with Naomi. Was he going to have to break up a catfight? “What do you mean?” “I not only receive emotions, I can send them out too, if they’re strong enough. When you have a mob of teenagers coming at you, the emotions are plenty strong. The one and only time they cornered me, I bounced their emotions right back in their teeth and watched them run away.” Naomi looked stunned. “How do you do that?” “Do you mean physically how? I make my shield a mirror and it reflects emotion back. If you mean how could I? Well, I couldn’t outrun them and there was no way I could fight back, so I used what weapons I had to survive.” “And what did they do?” “Shunned me for the rest of my life.” Talia laughed, somewhat sarcastically. “Don’t look so horrified, I was used to it. I grew up in a small town, when you’re different from everyone else people hate and fear you. I was used to being odd man out. Hell, there were only ninety-seven kids in my entire high school, it wasn’t like I could blend in with the crowd.” “So if you wanted to, you could reflect back what I’m feeling right now?” Naomi looked a little uncomfortable at the thought. “No.” “Why not? I thought you just said you could?” “I can only do it if I have time to prepare my shields, and if the emotion is strong enough. You’re blocking your emotions much better -104-
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now, so I don’t have anything to work with. Most cops block off their emotions, even when they’re sleeping.” “What about when, they’re, you know—” Naomi made a motion with her hands insinuating sex. Finn was rather interested in this as well. He hadn’t given a rat’s ass when he was in bed with Talia, but it would be nice to know if she could tell what he was thinking. “I haven’t had that much experience sleeping with cops, but I can tell you that when someone is used to cutting off their emotions, nothing but them wanting those emotions to let loose is going to change that. I could walk through this place completely unshielded and only feel what was coming from the civilians. Maybe.” “I’m still having trouble wrapping my mind around all of this, you know.” “I know. I’ll never be a martial artist and I’m having just as much trouble figuring out how I’m supposed to get out of a chokehold. We all have our talents and strengths.” “Well, okay. I’ll teach you what I can about surviving a physical assault, and you can teach me how to shield my emotions because I’m obviously not doing a very good job of it.” “That isn’t a bad thing.” “It is when you are competing with a bunch of men for the few rungs available on the career ladder.” “I guess I never looked at it that way. Men don’t like emotions, and showing any other emotion than anger freaks them out.” “You’re telling me. You wouldn’t believe how they fall for a crying chick. If you ever get arrested by a male cop, cry.” Finn closed the door on the women’s laughter. If they were man bashing together then they probably weren’t going to start swinging at -105-
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one another. What a waste of time. He should have gone with his gut instinct that Naomi wouldn’t hurt Talia. But obviously he had hurt her. He could rest easy knowing his emotions weren’t going to give him away and that Talia couldn’t use them against him. It was ridiculous to get so nervous. Maybe it was better this way. Talia wasn’t going to let him pull another “wham, bam, thank you ma’am” routine, and he wasn’t one for relationships, so a quick, clean ending was the best thing all around. Too bad his dick didn’t think so. Every time Talia’s sweatshirt rode up high enough that he could get a glimpse of her butt in those threadbare sweats he got harder and harder. After Naomi demonstrated a flip and Talia’s shirt slipped up, exposing her flat stomach and lacy bra, Finn thought he was going to lose it then and there. Good thing the women’s laughter masked his groan or his cover would have been blown. He risked discovery, hanging around anyway, but he couldn’t seem to leave. Hearing about Talia’s life growing up in her dink-water town made his heart do a funny lurch. Growing up in his old neighborhood, he was just one more of the O’Brien boys, nothing different about him. With four brothers, he was lucky if anyone even got his name right. He’d accused her of hiding behind a label, but maybe she was right. If a mob of his classmates had come after him, would he have ever trusted anyone again? Damn it, here he was supposed to be getting ready for a mission, and instead he was thinking about all of this emotional crap again. Even if she wasn’t messing with his head on purpose, just her presence messed with his head. Finn shook himself, like he could shake the unwanted thoughts out of his mind, and snuck out of the office into the hallway. It was going to be a long night listening in on those two, he didn’t have to start it now. -106-
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Finn walked down the hall to the surveillance room where Larry was waiting for him. It had been a long time since they had pulled an all nighter doing surveillance, and he wanted to see what new goodies had come down from the Department of Defense. “Hey, Lar, what’ve we got for tonight?” “You wouldn’t believe how much better this stuff has gotten.” Larry showed Finn two small, round patches that had thin wires leading away from them. “What are those? They look like something you’d use to quit smoking.” Finn picked one up, they were heavier than they looked, and he noticed tiny microchips in the mesh. “These are the newest toys from the feds. One of these patches can transmit over five hundred yards, clear as a bell. See how flexible it is? No more trying to hide wires, just slip this into a bra, or tape it to a stomach, and it’s all set.” “What are these other wires for?” “Those snake up along the collar so you can hear conversation better. Each one of those is like a microphone, we’ll be able to hear everyone the girls talk to well enough to get their voice prints.” Finn let out a low whistle. “That’s pretty impressive. Maybe we should do more surveillance if we get to play with such neat toys.” “Tell me that again when we’re freezing our asses off in the van waiting for something to happen. It’s going to be like playing Where’s Waldo? Only colder.” “You’ve been behind a desk too long, you’re getting soft. A little cold weather won’t hurt you. Much.”
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CHAPTER TEN “Come on, a little cold weather won’t hurt you. Wear the skirt.” Talia was trying to work with the clothes Naomi had brought to wear for their club hopping experience. If it was possible, Naomi had even worse taste in clothes than Talia did. “It is freezing out there, I’m not wearing a skirt.” “We’ll only be outside for a few minutes, and you didn’t bring any pants that will fit in. Don’t you own anything besides suits and sweats?” “Not really. I have a few pairs of jeans and some dresses for formal occasions, but I don’t go out much.” “We don’t have time to go shopping now, but tomorrow I’ll take you to some places I know that were really helpful. You’d be amazed with what they can do with the right bra. And look, you can even buy your very own cleavage.” Talia pulled the gel inserts out of her bag and showed them to Naomi. “No way. What do you do with them?” “Eat them. What do you think you do with them? You stuff them in your bra and it makes you look like you’re stacked.” “Really?” “Really. Here, let me get dressed and do my hair, and if I don’t look completely different I’ll leave you alone about your clothes. If I’m right, we swing by my place and you wear some of the stuff I just bought.”
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“We are about the same size. Okay, you’re on. You have fifteen minutes to prove you’re right or it won’t matter because we’ll have run out of time.” Talia pulled the towel that was holding her wet hair off her head and ran for the mirror. Thank God she’d been practicing over the last two weeks or she wouldn’t have a chance. The first few times she’d had to get ready, her hair and make-up alone had taken close to an hour. Fifteen minutes was still pushing it. She slapped some gunk in her hair and flipped it over to blow-dry it. As long as she got the front part dry the rest could stay damp for a little bit. Her make-up routine was pretty easy, now that she knew how to do the damn eyeliner. That had been harder to learn than calculus. She remembered to use the blush to highlight her high cheekbones and rubbed everything with a piece of toilet paper to even it out. Grabbing her one and only lipstick, she smeared it on and started pulling on her fancy underwear and bra. Too bad those would never get seen. Finn had moved so fast that afternoon he hadn’t even noticed them. Her heart lurched at the memory, and her body heated against her will. Men were such jerks. Too bad she still wanted him. “Five minutes.” Naomi called from the other side of the locker room. “Coming.” Talia stopped wasting time brooding about flaky hormones and flakier men, and slid the gel inserts into her bra the way the girl at the store showed her. Damn, they were effective. Sheer black hose and her knit skirt went on next. The silk sweater clung to her flat stomach and showed off a great deal of her recently enhanced cleavage. She was ready to go. Take that, Detective Finn O’Brien.
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“Done.” Talia pulled up the zipper on her knee-high boots and clattered over to Naomi. “With a minute to spare.” Naomi looked up from her watch and her jaw dropped. “Man, you win. No contest. If I hadn’t seen you walk over there I’d have thought you were a different person.” “Exactly. I no longer look like Talia, the freak bookkeeper, now I’m Talia, the wanna-be actress.” “I’d never guess you were a bookkeeper in that get up.” “Good, now come on. Do you have a car? We need to get to my place and work on you so no one will guess you are a cop.” “I’ll borrow Larry’s, he won’t mind.” Talia threw her coat on and gathered up her paraphernalia while Naomi called Larry on her cell phone and asked for his keys. “Meet me in the parking garage, I’ll run up to surveillance and then meet you there.” “Yes, ma’am. You have ten minutes.” Talia laughed, enjoying her turn at issuing orders. This would be fun. She’d never had the chance to dress someone else up before. Who would have thought she’d get along so well with Naomi? They seemed like polar opposites. Naomi was fighting her way up the career ladder and all Talia wanted to do was find her friend and go back to her quiet little life in the shadows. Earlier today, Talia would have laid money down on the chances of Naomi trying to kick her butt. Now they were going to do a makeover and laughing like best friends. Maybe she’d give Naomi the gel things when this was all over, Talia certainly didn’t want them after this was finished. Wonder what happened if things were going well and the guy took off your bra? Talk about a bait and switch. Well, if he was stupid enough to
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fall for the bait, then he deserved to be disappointed. Still, that could get a little embarrassing. Talia took her time walking to the garage. She didn’t really want to wait in the cold for Naomi to get the keys. She noticed men who had completely ignored her in her previous visits suddenly looked twice. Good. She’d never been vain about her appearance, but it was a nice ego boost to turn men’s heads. And maybe word would get back to Finn and he’d eat his heart out. Okay, that wasn’t very nice. It wasn’t like they had a relationship or anything. He’d said he cared about her, but he probably cared for stray dogs and little old ladies crossing the road too. He was a Boy Scout through and through, and she should have known better than to take his comments for more than they were worth. It was her own fault if her feelings got hurt because he had distanced himself afterwards. Didn’t all those books say women always saw sex as making love and attached emotional significance to it? Men saw it as a physical act, scratching an itch, not a prelude to marriage. Yeah, right. Well, as far as physical acts go, that was one of the best of her life. She had to work with Finn to find Cassidy and, once that was done, she’d find someone else to get physical with. Pictures of all the men she’d met in the bar flashed through her mind. Not one of them could compare to Finn. That didn’t mean there weren’t any out there, it just meant she hadn’t found them yet. A little voice in the back of her mind snorted at her. Men like Finn were rare, and chances were if there were any more of them, they were already taken. “I got the keys. Let’s go. I want to see if you can make me look like a knockout too.” Naomi grabbed Talia’s arm and hustled towards Larry’s car. -111-
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“I don’t have any more of these gel things, but I do have a push-up bra.” Talia got in the car and racked her brain about what would look best with Naomi’s tiny frame. “I’ve got this great dark blue wrap-around sweater that makes you look bigger even without the inserts. Pair that up with some stretch pants and some clunky shoes and we’re golden.” “I guess I’m going to have to do some shopping to make sure I have enough clothes for this assignment. Darn.” Naomi laughed as she gunned the engine and tore off into traffic.
“What is keeping those two? They were supposed to be here half an hour ago. How are we going to get them wired if they don’t show up? The place is already filling up.” Finn tapped his foot rapidly in irritation. He was not happy that Larry let Naomi borrow his car to go to Talia’s apartment. What did they have to do that was so important it couldn’t wait until tomorrow? “Relax. We don’t want them to be the first ones in anyway. It’s better if they get in line with everyone else. Here they come, I can see my car turning into the alley.” Larry’s car parked a few spaces away from the van and two women got out. It was a good thing Larry recognized his car, because Finn wouldn’t have recognized the women. Talia looked like she was a typical party girl, out for a good time and ready for anything. With every step she took, he could catch glimpses of her legs revealed by her short skirt. His body reacted immediately, remembering what it felt like to have those legs wrapped around him. Naomi had done something to her face that made her look sultry and mysterious. And if Finn wasn’t mistaken, she was wearing the same
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outfit Talia had worn to the bar the other night. What was going on with these two? “Man, it’s cold out there. I hope the line moves fast or we’re going to freeze to death waiting to get in.” Naomi took off her coat and laid it on the bench in the van. The girls were short enough to stand up and move around easily in the back, Finn and Larry had to scrunch down so they wouldn’t keep banging their heads on the ceiling. “If you had gotten here on time there wouldn’t be a line,” Finn told them, waiting anxiously for Talia to remove her coat. “We had to change and eat first. Plus, no one gets here this early. We’d stick out like sore thumbs. Isn’t the point to blend in?” Talia dropped her coat, and Finn’s heart just about jumped out of his chest. What the hell had she done? He knew she must have manipulated something to make her so buxom all of a sudden, but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what it was. Her clothes clung to every curve and valley, leaving none of her delicious body to the imagination. And it turned him on almost as much as it pissed him off. Talia and Naomi were laughing as they put the patches down their shirts. For some reason they thought the whole thing hysterically funny. “Have you two been drinking?” Finn accused, trying not to look at Talia as she manipulated her breast to hide the listening device. Both women exploded in laughter, making the van shake and rock. “Cut the crap. You’re going to blow our cover if you keep this up. Let’s test the system. What do you want to use for an emergency word?” “Emergency word?” Laughter still twinkled in Talia’s eyes. “Yeah, if something happens and you need help in a hurry, you say this word and we come running.” Larry adjusted some dials on the control panel. “I don’t know. How about ‘gotcha’?” -113-
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“Gotcha?” “Yeah, like as soon as that guy walks in the door I’ll know it and say ‘gotcha, you lousy bastard’.” “Works for me. Remember, we are right here behind the bar and we’ll be listening to everything you say. Everything.” Something about Talia’s smile gave him a bad feeling.
“How do you stand it?” Naomi shouted into Talia’s ear over the thumping bass line. “You get used to it after a while. I hope.” “You’re not making me feel any better. It’s almost three in the morning, I’ve been up for twenty-two straight hours, my feet are killing me, I’ve got a headache the size of Texas, and if one more guy tries to buy me a drink I might just lose it completely. I think we can call tonight a bust, don’t you?” Talia heartily agreed. The boots were killing her feet, and the bra dug into her sides. It was past time to call it a night. “Yeah, I would imagine if he was going to strike, he would have already. Let’s call it a night and get some sleep. I have to hit the bathroom first though.” “No prob. I’ll get our coats and meet you at the front door.” Talia worked her way through the still packed club to the bathroom where she waited in line for her chance to use a miniscule toilet. Couldn’t they at least put in two for the women? She did her business as quickly as possible and washed her hands as if she was scrubbing for surgery. She didn’t even want to think about the germs that must be floating around this place.
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“Hey, I’ve had my eye on you all night.” Speaking of germs floating around this place. Talia ignored the lastditch come on line and kept walking toward the exit. It wasn’t unusual for people to get desperate at the end of the night and try panicked efforts to hook up. “Didn’t you hear me? I think you’re hot.” “Thanks,” Talia said over her shoulder, trying to squeeze her tiny frame through the bigger bodies in the way. Where was Naomi? “What’s wrong? Can’t stop for a few minutes conversation?” He grabbed her arm and halted her in her tracks. Talia turned to get a good look at her assailant. He wasn’t much taller than she was, skinny and very obviously drunk. He looked like he belonged in a dorm room, not at a meat market like this. She could feel frustration rolling off him in waves. If she didn’t talk him down this could get ugly. Projecting feelings of calm reassurance, Talia put her hand on the one holding her arm. “What’s your name?” “Tony, what’s yours?” The frustration eased slightly. “Talia. Do live around here?” Talia tried to pull his hand off her, but he was now clutching it to support himself. “I’m from Brooklyn, some friends of mine thought it would be cool to come into the city for a night. Thought it might distract me.” Ah ha, so here was the story. “Distract you from what?” “Tina. The bitch.” Uh oh, Houston we have a problem. Anger bumped up against her shields. Calm reassurance, calm reassurance. “Did you have a fight?” “Yeah, she said I was stifling her.” Now sadness hit her.
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“Wow, I bet that hurt a lot. I mean when you care about someone it’s natural to want to protect them.” “Yeah, right. And just because I didn’t want her going to some stupid concert, she said I sounded just like her parents. Is that fair?” “Absolutely not. And you know what? I bet you she’s having a miserable time now because you’re right and she knows it. In fact, I bet she’s trying to call you right now to come pick her up. Do you have a cell phone?” “Yeah, but I don’t get a signal in here.” “Me either, why don’t we head outside and you can check. I just have to get my coat.” Tony looked at her through bleary eyes, still weaving on his feet. He was going to have one hell of a hangover tomorrow, but better hung over than in bed with some woman carrying God only knew what disease. “Okay, thanks. I have to meet my friends, they were supposed to bring the car around to get me.” Thank God he wasn’t driving. That was one small blessing. Talia helped him to the exit where Naomi gave her a puzzled look, but said nothing. Tony’s friends were indeed waiting for them on the sidewalk. So was Finn. And he did not look happy. Tony looked at his cell phone in the dim glow from the neon sign. “Hey. She called like an hour ago. I gotta go. Night, Talia. Thanks.” Tony was ushered into his friend’s car with little regard for his comfort. She did notice they stuck him near a window. Considering the ride back to Brooklyn and the amount he’d had to drink that was probably a good idea.
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“Well that was an interesting way to end the evening. I guess I’ll head on home. Naomi, do you want to meet for lunch tomorrow and then go shopping?” She tried to ignore Finn’s hulking presence. “Sure, a late lunch though, I’m beat.” “‘K, I’ll call you around two.” “Larry will take you home, Naomi, I’ve got Talia.” His voice was colder than the surrounding air. “I can get a cab, really.” Talia stepped to the curb to hail a cab. “I said I’d take you home. Get into the van.” Finn grabbed her arm and hustled her around the back of the building where the van was parked. Larry was already in his car and had it running. Naomi gave Finn a bemused look, then shrugged her shoulders and got in the warming car. Talia felt like her last ally had abandoned her. “C’mon, it’s cold out here.” “No kidding,” she mumbled under her breath. Finn didn’t hold the door open for her this time, so she hiked up her skirt and climbed the high step to get into the van herself. As soon as she closed the door he pulled out of the alley like the hounds of hell were on his tail. Talia held on to the strap by her head for dear life. She could hear things banging around in the back every time he took a corner like he was driving a racecar. “Slow down. What’s the hurry? You got a hot date?” Talia braced her feet against the dashboard as they slammed to a stop at a red light. “No, but you almost did. Why didn’t you ask for help?” “What? With Tony? He was just some kid who’d had a fight with his girlfriend, he was harmless.” “He wasn’t harmless, and he wasn’t just a kid, he was a drunk kid. He could have seriously hurt you.” He gunned the engine again.
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“But he wouldn’t have. I could tell when he was getting angry and when he was calming down. He just needed someone to tell him that it was okay to feel protective.” “Maybe, but your job isn’t to counsel the lovelorn, your job is to catch the kidnapper. Or did you forget your friend Cassidy while you were flirting with everything in pants?” Talia winced. Knowing that he could hear every word she had flirted more than normal. But that was the point, wasn’t it? “That was a low blow, O’Brien. I didn’t forget about Cassidy, and I was doing my job. We were getting ready to leave anyway. The guy didn’t show up. And being kind to someone for a few minutes didn’t jeopardize the assignment.” “But it could have.” “Fine, I won’t be nice to drunk kids any more. You can drop me off here.” Talia reached for the door, it was only a block to her place from the light at which they were stopped. She’d rather face the freezing air than a frigid Finn. “Like hell. This discussion is far from over.” Finn grabbed her arm again, keeping her from leaping out of the van. “Oh no, I think it was over long ago. I’ll do my job, you do yours and everything will be just peachy.” He parked illegally in front of a fire hydrant. “You’re right, the time for talking ended when you got into the van.” Finn pulled her across the seat onto his lap, maneuvering her legs so they straddled his rock hard thighs. Her core was left wide open to his raging hard on, and the thin nylons and silky panties did very little to protect her from the sensation. Finn’s hands dove into her hair and pulled her face down to his, trapping her against the assault of his mouth and tongue.
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She wasn’t actually an unwilling prisoner. Talia knew she should be fighting him, fighting this, but the feel of his body against hers, and the caress of his tongue sliding along her lips overwhelmed her will to resist. How could she stay mad at him when he made her body hum with joy? Talia’s brain railed against the waves of lust pounding against her resistance. Didn’t she learn her lesson last time? He’d just leave again, this meant nothing to him. As Finn’s hands pushed her sweater down her arms, revealing her breasts and trapping her hands by her sides, she gave up fighting the sensations and let her body enjoy what Finn was doing to it. “I’ve been going crazy since you took off your coat in the van, dying to know what you had on under this sweater.” Finn pushed the sweater down even more, until her black lace bra was revealed. His hands cupped her breasts through the bra and pushed them even higher so he could lave them with his tongue.” “Uh, I have a little extra padding tonight,” Talia gasped out, hoping he wouldn’t stop to investigate. She tried to work her arms free of the sweater, but they were trapped. “Doesn’t matter, it isn’t the size, it’s the reaction that is making me bust my zipper.” Finn unhooked the front clasp and pushed the bra aside without even looking. Talia worried for a minute about the inserts falling out on the floor of the van, but then her mind dissolved into a puddle of lust as Finn’s hot mouth covered her chilled nipple. His hands moved from her breasts to her legs, blazing a trail of fire in their wake. Those beautiful hands pushed her skirt up to her waist, and ran along her butt, stirring her senses. “Finn, I can’t take much more, you’re driving me crazy.” Talia rubbed against his jean-covered crotch, trying to soothe the ache he’d started in -119-
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her. The fiery sensations burned through her entire body, but the epicenter was her swollen core. “Good, you’ve been driving me insane all night.” Finn’s mouth moved from her nipples to her neck, to her ear where he pulled on the delicate lobe and gently bit it. Electricity zinged from her ear straight to her center, making her even more frantic. “Finn.” His hands fumbled with his zipper, rubbing against her nubbin in the process, sending her into a tizzy of need. “Hurry.” She couldn’t use her arms to help him any, or herself for that matter. “I’m trying, this is a delicate operation you know.” “If you’d let my arms free I could help you.” Talia shuddered as his fingers again pressed against her nether lips. “Why didn’t you say so?” Finn pulled the sweater down her arms, leaving it bunched at her waist with her skirt, and yanked her bra off. Free at last. She wasted no time reaching for him, freeing his erection from his zipper and holding it in her hands. He was so hard, yet the texture was velvety soft. The wetness at his tip told her he was as ready as she, and she wished she were bold enough to taste him. “In my coat pocket, hurry.” Finn pushed his fingers into the waistband of her stockings and panties, and ripped them apart, freeing her cleft for his touch. The sound of the ripping fabric and the touch of the cool air and his hot hands had her spasming instantly. “The condom. Talia, for the love of God, put it on.” “What?” Her brain was awash in sensation, her mind echoing the pleasure that Finn had given her and her still raging desire. The lust -120-
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running between them spiraled higher and higher, and she was caught in the middle of the maelstrom. Finn took the condom out of her lax fingers and slipped it over his erection. “Damn, that’s cold.” “I’ll warm you up.” Talia slid her aching sheath over him and almost came again at the feeling of coming home. “You’re gonna kill me.” Finn threw his head back against the seat, exposing the column of his throat to her. Talia clutched his shoulders and moved slowly up and down on his length. There was a vein pounding in his neck and she couldn’t resist its call any longer. Planting her mouth on him, she ran her tongue up his throat until she reached his ear. Let’s see how he liked it. “Oh my God!” Finn grabbed her hips and slammed her down on him as he bucked up to meet her. The feeling of his warm flesh crashing against hers in the coldness of the van brought tears of pleasure to her eyes. It was so much, too much, she couldn’t take it any longer. “Finn.” “I’m right behind you.” Finn lifted her up again, and slammed her down over and over until she shattered into a thousand pieces. Their breaths mingled in cloudy puffs in the cold air. Talia pulled her sweater back up, only now thinking about how exposed she was. “I can’t believe I just had sex in a van on a city street.” Talia wanted to get off Finn, but couldn’t force herself to move away from his warmth. “In a city van, no less.” Finn ran his hand through his hair. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your apartment.” His face, which a moment ago had held a look of awed pleasure, was now blank and expressionless. She couldn’t find a trace of the man who’d just ripped her panties off in his haste to touch her. How could he be so distant again? It was like he shut down as soon as his brain wasn’t filled with lust. -121-
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“Don’t trouble yourself, I can manage.” “C’mon, Talia, don’t be like that. I didn’t plan this.” “Neither did I, but I sure as hell enjoyed it.” “Like I didn’t?” “It’s hard to tell when you’re not even out of my body yet and already you’re in a hurry to get me home.” “Maybe I’m trying to be considerate about your situation? Did you ever think of that?” “If you were trying to be considerate of my situation, you wouldn’t be treating me like a ten dollar whore. I’ll pass on the payment, thanks anyway.” Talia got off him with shaky legs and scooped her coat and bra up off the floor of the van. She made sure she got the gel things too, that was all she needed to forget. “Hold on a second. Would you just listen to me?” “Why, so you can tell me you didn’t mean for this to happen, again? That you can’t control yourself around me but wish you could? Forget it. If you want me, you have to want me with everything or it means nothing. If I can’t have your emotions, I don’t want any other consolation prize.” Wrapping the coat around her disheveled attire, Talia scrambled out of the van and practically ran up the street. The sound of the van pulling away from the curb was like a hammer on the last nail of the coffin of her heart.
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CHAPTER ELEVEN The smell of hazelnut coffee and cinnamon woke Talia from a sound sleep. She pried open her eyes to see Finn standing in the doorway to her room with a coffee and a cinnamon bun in one hand and a little battery operated fan in the other. It was a toss up as to which looked better. Finn in tight jeans and a black, body-hugging tee shirt, or the large, steaming cup of coffee. The coffee was safer. “How’d you get in here?” She rubbed her eyes and looked at the clock, it wasn’t even eleven yet. “You’d be amazed how helpful people are when you show them a badge. Your neighbor let me in downstairs, and I picked your locks in under a minute.” He sounded proud of himself. “What about the chain?” She’d hooked the safety chain, she was sure of it. “Ahh, trade secrets, darlin’. I can’t reveal all my tricks. If you want some of this coffee, you better get out of bed and meet me in the living room or I may just drink it myself.” “You fight dirty, O’Brien.” Talia lifted the blankets to get out of bed. “I’ll meet you in the living room, you can leave now.” “Why? I wouldn’t be seeing anything I hadn’t already seen. Touched. Tasted.”
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Talia could feel the heat pool in her stomach. She wasn’t going to let him get to her. Just because she was convenient didn’t mean she had to be easy. Again. “That was before. I’ll be there, go.” She watched his mouth open like he wanted to say something, then snap shut. He spun on his heel and walked down the hallway. Jumping to her feet, Talia grabbed her robe and slipped it on, wishing she had some sort of sexy negligee to wear instead. She slipped into the bathroom to brush her teeth, then went to meet Finn. He was sprawled on the couch flipping through the channels on her TV with little interest. The look he gave her when she walked into the room was hot enough to curl her toes. Those sapphire blue eyes of his were something else. “So what’s up?” Talia asked, grabbing the cup of coffee and blowing on it. “Did he snatch another girl last night?” She sat on the corner of the couch and took a deep breath of Finn scented air. Hot coffee and hotter male, what more could you ask for first thing in the morning? “Nope, nothing’s been reported. I wanted to talk to you about last night, err, this morning.” She moved away from the couch and sat on the barstool by the kitchen. Hooking her feet on the bottom rung she took a hesitant sip of the coffee before looking at him again. His chiseled features just slammed into her gut like a fist. He was entirely too good-looking for her peace of mind. “What about it?” “I want to apologize. I was wrong.” Talia almost choked on her coffee. He was wrong to have slept with her?
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“You don’t have to look so shocked. I overreacted. You handled that kid smoothly without drawing attention to yourself, which I would have done if I’d charged in there.” He was talking about Tony, not having mind-blowing sex with her in the van. “Color me so surprised. Thank you.” “Apology accepted?” “With peace offerings like this, how could I turn you down?” “Good. Now, about what happened afterwards—” “Don’t you dare apologize about that. I had a good time, it seemed like you did too. Let’s leave it at that and move on.” “No, I don’t want to leave it at that. I was a little spooked I admit it. It was a crummy thing to do, to sneak out yesterday afternoon. And it was even worse to leave you with the impression that it was just a quick lay last night.” “Really, I’m used to it. I—” Talia had just enough warning to put the coffee on the counter before Cassidy’s feelings hit her like a tsunami. Rage, fear, frustration hammered at her so much stronger than before. Talia felt lost in a sea of emotion, feelings pulling her under one after another before she could come up for air. Tears streamed down her face, and she vaguely felt herself falling off the barstool. Strong arms caught her and held her tight as she fought off the assault on her defenses. The emotional battering seemed to last forever, then was suddenly still. Talia slumped over, only now aware Finn held her in his arms. “What the hell is going on? You’re white as a sheet. I’m calling an ambulance.” “No, don’t. I’m fine.” Her voice sounded husky in her ears and her hands were shaking. She didn’t know what scared her more, the emotional outpouring, or it’s sudden stop. -125-
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“Was that Cassidy?” Finn rubbed his hand along her back in soothing circles. “Yes. Oh Finn, she was so scared. And mad, but mostly scared underneath it all. Something is happening and she is terrified of it.” “He’s probably getting ready to move them,” Finn said, more to himself than to her. “What do you mean move them? What’s going on?” Finn sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Talia knew she wasn’t going to like what he was going to say. Every time he ran his hand through his hair it was a signal that he was about to drop a bomb on her. “We think he might be into white slavery.” “White slavery? What do you mean? Selling them?” “Yes. There are still places that prize American women for harems. They’re kidnapped and never seen again.” “So maybe this guy just needed a certain number of girls and now he’s ready to ship them out?” “That’s what I’m afraid of.” “We’ve got to find him. Cassidy can’t get sent to some harem.” “Shh, we’ll find her, we’ll find her. I’ve got to call the captain, can I use your phone?” “Sure, I’ll take a shower and get ready.” “You’re out of this now. I’m not taking any chances that he’ll grab you as a bonus delivery.” “Not a chance. I’m the only lead you’ve got.” “No way. I’ll fill the city with decoys, but he’s not getting you too.” “Why don’t we let the captain decide?” Talia took off for the shower, rushing through her daily routine in record time. She wasn’t taking any
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chances that Finn would leave without her. Dashing into the living room, pulling a sweatshirt over her head, she saw Finn still on the phone. “Yes, sir. I agree. Yes. Fifteen minutes, yes.” He hung up the phone without even a goodbye. “What’s up?” “We’re to meet in his office in fifteen minutes. He is calling in every female officer in the precinct to help out.” “But?” She could tell he was holding something back. “But you’re still on the team.” Talia didn’t let out the cheer she held inside. They were going to get this bastard. And she was going to be the reason why.
The meeting had to be moved to the conference room because there were so many people involved. Naomi flew into the room shortly after Talia, and pushed her way next to her. “What’s going on? All I was told was to be here in fifteen minutes.” “I’ll explain later. Hold on.” The captain took a position at the front of the room and waited until the conversation died down. “Thank you all for getting here so quickly. We’ve had a tip that the kidnapper may be getting ready to move his victims. Tonight we’re going to canvas the city looking for anyone being taken out of a bar as if they are too drunk. We have no description of this guy, all we know is that he drugs his victims, making them appear drunk so he can take them home.” There were grumbles in the room, and Talia could feel the frustration and tension even through her reinforced shields.
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“I know it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack, but we have no choice. I’d personally escort every drunk home if it meant we could catch this guy. You’ll be splitting into teams to discuss maneuvers, and we’ll reconvene at nineteen hundred. Dismissed.” Naomi went off to talk to a tall, dark officer across the room, so Talia waited, not knowing what to do next. Finn argued heatedly with the captain. She could tell by the number of times he ran his hand through his hair that he wasn’t hearing what he wanted to. Finished with her conversation, Naomi returned to Talia’s side. “Hey, looks like we’re splitting up tonight. There isn’t enough manpower, or should I say womanpower, for us all to have partners. The women will be going in solo with a back up waiting outside.” “Gee, I wonder who my back up is?” Talia looked over at Finn, who still pled his case. “Good luck. I don’t know what’s gotten into him lately. I’ve never seen him act so weird. And trust me, I’ve spent a lot of time, ah, observing him.” Talia didn’t let on that she had felt Naomi’s crush on Finn when they first met. “I’ll bet. He’s pretty easy on the eyes.” “No kidding, but I think I’ll stick to someone who’s a little easier to deal with thanks. You can have him.” “Who said I wanted him?” Talia asked, startled. “Oh honey, you may be able to block everyone else’s feelings, but you can’t hide your own. You look at him like he’s made of chocolate. And when you’re not looking, he’s doing the same thing. You two are sending off sparks like a broken muffler dragging down Broadway.” “Great.” Naomi laughed right out loud. “Shoe pinches when it’s on the other foot, huh?” -128-
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“Shut up.” Finn walked up behind Talia, startling her. “I don’t see that there is anything to laugh about here. Talia, why don’t you go with Naomi until it’s time to reconvene, I’ve got some leads I want to chase down before we meet again.” “Yes, sir.” Talia gave him a fake salute and left with Naomi. They still had some shopping to do.
There was something he was missing, but he just couldn’t put a finger on it. Finn checked his watch, five minutes to seven. He hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Talia since she left with Naomi that morning. His notes stared back from his desk, mocking him with their secrets. The answer was in there somewhere and three lives were at stake if he didn’t find them. Collecting the note cards, he stuffed them into his coat and headed towards the conference room. They had to catch this bastard soon. He’d pour over the notes some more while Talia flirted. At least it’d give him something to do besides grind his teeth. The captain kept the meeting short and to the point. Each team was given their assignments and headed out to their location for the evening. Finn caught up with Talia, who had changed for the night and was now dressed in a clinging knit shirt and skintight black pants that showed off her belly. “Come on, let’s get this over with.” Finn hoped to God some other team caught the guy tonight. He usually wanted to be in the thick of things, but if he was in the middle of this bust, it would mean Talia was too and he just couldn’t handle that.
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He didn’t like feeling this way, all anxious and confused all the time. Should he explore these feelings or shut them out like always? He’d have to figure out a way to deal with her, because he knew for sure he didn’t want to lose her. Somehow he’d find a way to keep her in his life. Although, it would be mighty hard to find out how to do that if she was on her way to the Middle East somewhere. “Finn, don’t worry. Everything will be fine. I’ll be fine. I’ll know the guy as soon as he walks in the door.” “That’s what worries me that he’ll be walking in the door at all. I don’t want to see you hurt.” “And I don’t want to see you hurt, but I’m not telling you not to do your job am I?” “That’s not the same thing at all.” “Sure it is. As much as I hate to admit it to myself, for some reason you’ve managed to make me like you. I don’t want you getting shot or killed any more than you want to see me getting grabbed. And this guy won’t hesitate to kill you, I know that.” She shuddered in her seat. “He’s pure evil, and what’s worse, he likes it.” “All the more reason for me to turn around and take you home.” “No, all the more reason for me to help you find this guy and lock him away for good.” Finn couldn’t fault her for wanting to nail this guy, but his gut was screaming at him that something was going to go seriously wrong tonight. And there was nothing he could do to stop it. They pulled within a block of their assigned club and Talia got ready to walk the rest of the way. Finn did one last check of the listening device. “Okay, you’ve got your cell phone in case I need to get in touch with you?” -130-
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“Check.” “And the second you feel this guy you shout ‘gotcha’ as fast as you can. If you can, give me a description of what he is wearing. I’ll be parked in the alley behind the bar, monitoring the folks going in and out so I should be able to spot him as soon as you give the word.” “It’ll go fine, really. You worry too much.” Finn didn’t think he worried too much at all, he thought she wasn’t concerned enough. “I’m off. Wish me luck.” Talia gave him a saucy grin as she reached for the door handle. Before he could stop himself, Finn grabbed her and pulled her close for a kiss. Her lips were so soft, and she smelled as sexy as all get out. He wanted to hold her and never let her go. Stopping that kiss was the hardest thing he’d ever done. “Go now, or I won’t be able to let you out the door.” Talia’s eyes were glassy and dilated with desire. He’d ruffled her hair unknowingly and she looked like she had just gotten out of bed. She left the van without saying a word. As Finn watched her get in line with all the other club hoppers, he couldn’t help the feeling that it would be the last time he ever saw her.
“Finn, can you hear me?” Talia squeezed herself into the back stall of the ladies room. “This place is clearing out, I think tonight’s a bust. My feet are killing me, and my head’s pounding. I’m ready to blow this pop stand.” And I want to see if you plan on following up on that kiss you planted on me.
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Talia wasn’t sure if he’d heard her or not, but after she retrieved her jacket from the coat check and pushed her way out the door, she spotted him. Finn leaned back casually against the van, as if waiting for her to come out of a bar at three in the morning was an everyday occurrence. Her heart skipped a beat as she crossed the still busy street to him. “Did anyone else have any luck tonight?” “Not a thing.” “Crap. I hate this. I know he’s up to something.” “These things take time. He’ll screw up eventually and we’ll have him.” But will it be in time? Talia pushed the thought out of her head as Finn helped her into the van. She couldn’t miss the hitch in his breathing as the skirt rode up and exposed a great deal of her thigh as she sat. “You did good in there. I was impressed at the way you questioned the bartender. You were smooth.” “Well, I have an unfair advantage.” “Whatdaya mean?” Finn looked at her out of the corner of his eye as he pulled out into traffic. “I could tell when he felt bored or busy or frustrated so I knew how much to push and when to back off.” Finn grunted but didn’t say anything. The rest of the ride went by in silence. Talia felt more nervous with every passing block. What kind of game was he playing now? Before she went into the bar he’d kissed her like he’d never see her again, now he ignored her. Did he want her or not? Just when she thought her nerves would snap from the tension, Finn pulled into a parking spot in front of her building. “Here, I’ll help you get rid of the wire.” -132-
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Finn’s hands brushed over her breasts as he tugged the tiny patch out of her bra. Fire raced through her bloodstream and her nipples tightened instantly. “Now that that’s out of the way, I can do what I’ve wanted to do all fucking night,” he growled, before pulling her across his lap. His large hand cupped her breast as he swooped down to take her mouth in a devastating kiss. A tight bud of desire at her core unfurled from the heat of his touch. Need spiraled through her veins as he gently pinched her nipple, then stroked it. “W-we need to get into the apartment. I’m not having sex in the van again.” Talia could barely think, but she knew she didn’t want him to run away this time. “Where’re your keys?” “Right here.” Her hands shook as she covered herself and opened the van door. A blast of arctic air slapped her in the face the minute she stepped onto the street, but even that wasn’t enough to chill the fire running through her. Finn laid his hand on the small of her back and hurried her through the front door of her building. She could feel the urgency rolling off him. His need swamped her and made her even hungrier for him. God, how many stairs did this place have anyway? When they reached her doorway, Finn took the keys from her fumbling hands and unlocked the door. She could tell he was having as much trouble waiting as her, but he still held her back until he scanned the room for danger. Her heart tumbled just a bit more over his protectiveness. “Do you want a drink?” she asked as she dropped her coat to the floor. -133-
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“All I want is you.” His blue eyes blazed fiercely as he pulled her into his arms. Talia’s brain dissolved as his lips covered hers once again. Fire engulfed her as he tightened his grip. She could feel his erection pressing against the juncture of her thighs and moisture flooded her core. “Bedroom. Hurry.” She wanted him on her bed, in her body as soon as possible. “We’ll get there eventually. Just enjoy the ride.” Finn scooped her up in his powerful arms and cradled her against his chest. His pulse beat rapidly in the vein in his neck, belying his calm words. She gave in to the urge to nip at that throbbing point. The salty taste of his skin burst over her taste buds and made her hungrier for more of him. She wanted to touch him everywhere, wanted to run her tongue over his body and taste every part of him. “Babe, I’m going to drop you on your ass if you keep teasing me like that.” “Then you’d better get to the bedroom quickly, because I can’t stop touching you.” Finn kicked open the door to her room and dropped her on the bed. Before she could slip off her shoes he fell on top of her and pinned her to the mattress. “You’re going to pay for every second I’ve suffered because of you.” “How have I made you suffer? You’re not the one wearing toepinching high heels and waiting in the freezing cold for hours.” “No, I’m the one trying to hide a constant raging hard-on watching you in high heels with your nipples poking out because of the cold.” He leaned back on one elbow and pulled her shirt and bra over her head.
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“I’ve wanted to do this all night long.” Slowly, he lowered his mouth and drew one pebbled point into the warm cavern of his mouth. Red-hot need shot through every atom of her body. Talia’s toes curled in her shoes from the sensations rolling over her. She wanted to feel his bare skin, needed to feel his naked chest against hers. Desperately, she pushed his thick jacket off his shoulders and attacked the buttons on his shirt. Once his muscular chest was naked, she ran her fingers through the hair dusting his pecs. Damn, he was gorgeous. She couldn’t get enough of him. “How the heck do you get these pants off?” Finn slipped lower on the bed and removed her painfully high-heeled shoes. “There’s a zipper on the side. I’ll get it.” Before Talia could get the fastener all the way down, Finn’s hands tugged the clingy pants over her hips and off. “Much better. I love your body.” He opened her legs and lay between them so he could nuzzle her breasts. “The feeling’s mutual,” she gasped as he slipped a finger over her clit. Lazily, he kissed his way down her torso, stopping to nip and lick at whatever caught his attention. All the while, his finger skipped torturous circles over her nerve-filled nub. By the time his mouth brushed over her lower lips, Talia thought she’d explode. When he slid his finger inside her channel and sucked on her clit, she did. Fireworks burst around her as her body shattered into thousands of tiny pieces and floated to the moon and back. “Watching you come is so fucking hot. I could do it all night.” “Don’t let me stop you.”
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Talia stretched like a contented cat. Every muscle and sinew in her body felt loose and relaxed. That wasn’t the case with Finn. The tendons along his neck stood out as he moved on top of her. The muscles of his shoulder bunched under her hands as she ran them across his rock-hard body. “I plan on loving you all night long. I’m going to watch you come from every position I know. And when I run out of ideas I’ll make up some new ones.” His eyes blazed and Talia felt scorched to her toes. “You have a problem with that?” he asked. “Not that I can think of right now. Of course, I stopped thinking shortly after you said you planned on loving me all night long.” With a quick twist, she pushed him onto his back and sprawled across his chest. “But first, I have some positions of my own I’d like to explore.” Talia mimicked his earlier actions and kissed her way down his naked chest. His six-pack abs fascinated her, so she ran her tongue over every hill and valley of them. He still wore his jeans, which looked ready to burst their zipper as his cock pressed against the tight fabric. “That just can’t be comfortable,” Talia said as she carefully slid the zipper down. “Trust me, it feels even worse.” “I guess we’ll just have to do something about it, then.” His erection sprang out as she pushed the tight denim and cotton boxers down. A tiny drop pearled up at the tip of his penis and she couldn’t stop herself from bending down for a taste. Talia licked the smooth head, then drew the length of him into her mouth. “Mother of God! That feels so good.” -136-
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Finn’s body tightened under her hands as she ran her lips up and down his cock. She’d never done anything like this before but she knew she’d definitely do it again. He was so big, so strong, and he was totally under her control. She felt powerful and sexy. Lust pooled in her center as she rubbed against his hairy leg. Her sensitive nipples brushed over him and added to the tidal wave of sensations rushing over her. “I can’t take anymore. I need you now.” Finn’s voice was harsh with desire as he pulled her over top of him. Talia’s hands fumbled in the nightstand as she reached for a condom. Finn groaned again as she unrolled it over him. Her knees shook as she adjusted his tip at her entrance. “Look at me,” she said. His blue eyes heated as she slid him inside her welcoming sheath. Finn gripped her ass and bucked his hips under her, rocking against her engorged nub. Fierce licks of flame burned inside her, growing hotter with every pump of his powerful body. Sweat dripped down her back as she rode him hard. Finn reached up and captured a nipple in his mouth. He bit down hard, then laved away the sting. The combination of pain and pleasure ripped through her like a force of nature. Spirals of pleasure cycloned through her, tearing her from her moorings and shooting her once more to the stars. “Talia!” Finn’s hoarse shout rang in her ears as her body convulsed around him. He clutched the cheeks of her rear end in a painful grip as he reached his own fulfillment. Tears ran down her face as she collapsed across his heaving chest. She’d never felt such a complete and utter release, and she couldn’t contain the feelings running amok inside her. Finn kissed her on the head and stroked her back without saying a word. -137-
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She searched for something to say, for some way to explain how special that had been to her, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, she let exhaustion claim her and drifted into slumber with Finn still inside her.
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CHAPTER TWELVE “Talia, honey, I need to check in with Larry.” Finn eased Talia’s limp body off his chest and bit back a groan as his dick slipped out of her slick channel. His whole body shivered in pleasure at her slightest touch. Hell, she was dead to the world and she still turned him on. The thought should bother him, but amazingly enough, it brought a smile to his face instead. As quietly as he could, he yanked his phone off the belt clip and crept from the room so he wouldn’t disturb Talia’s rest. He’d give her a few more minutes to sleep before he woke her up and pounced on her again. Or better yet, let her pounce on him. Finn crossed to the kitchen and poured a glass of juice while he dialed Larry’s cell phone. “Yo,” he answered. “Hey Lar, you get anything?” “Not a damn thing. You?” “Zilch. We’ll have to go out again tomorrow night.” “And probably the night after that too.” “Damn it, we don’t have that much time. We have to get this bastard.” “We’ll get him. He’ll make a mistake sooner or later and we’ll be there to grab him.”
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Finn opened his mouth for a sarcastic reply but snapped it shut again when he heard a female voice in the background. A familiar female voice. “Is that Naomi with you?” “Uh, yeah, we decided to get a cup of coffee and discuss the case after the bar closed.” Riiight. And he was born yesterday. “Well, don’t stay out too late. You’ll need your rest for the debriefing in the morning.” “Don’t remind me.” Finn chuckled to himself and rinsed out his glass as he hung up. Who would have thought Larry would hook up with Naomi? Still laughing to himself, he grabbed a bottle of water for Talia and padded back to her room. She lay curled on her side, wrapped around the pillow and clutching her necklace. Leaving the door open so the light from the hall would shine in, Finn crept back into bed and examined her necklace a little closer. It was a tiny chunk of some pink stone, no bigger than the tip of his thumb. It must mean something to her because she reached for it whenever she got nervous. He turned it over in his hands and tried to figure out what was so special about a hunk of rock. Could it be from an ex-boyfriend? “Is it morning already?” Talia murmured against the pillow. “Technically, I guess it is, but you have a few more hours before you have to get up.” “Oh good. I want to see what other positions you have in mind.” She snuggled against his side, pressing her breasts against his chest.
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“That can be arranged. Just give me a few minutes to recover, you almost killed me last time.” “Some big, bad cop you are if a little thing like me can take you down that fast.” Finn rolled over and trapped her hands over her head. “You can take me down any time you want.” Her breath caught and her silver-gray eyes stared into his. Emotions he couldn’t name flared between them, and the air grew thick with tension. A hint of nervousness wriggled in his stomach at the naked longing on Talia’s face and he backed off her like he’d been burned. “Tell me about that necklace. I notice you’re always playing with it.” “This?” She loosened the fist she’d made around it. “It’s pink quartz, for clarity. My mother gave it to me when I was a little girl. It’s supposed to help me with my shields.” “Does it?” “I don’t know, I’ve never tried to shield without it. I’ve worn it my whole life.” Finn decided to let that go. It was one thing to start believing in her empathic abilities, it was another to buy into all that new age mumbo jumbo. “If we’re playing twenty questions, why don’t you tell me why you decided to be a cop?” “I didn’t have much choice. In my family you were a cop or a priest. I like to sleep in on Sundays so I decided to forgo the priesthood.” Talia laughed and Finn felt it along his side. “Somehow I have a hard time thinking of you taking a vow of chastity.” “Me too. One of my cousins is a priest though, and a damn good one too.” -141-
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“What about the rest of your family? Do you have any brothers or sisters?” “Three brothers, and all three are cops. My mother swears we’ll be the death of her.” “It must be nice to have a big family. I’m an only child. I always wanted a big brother to take care of me.” She heaved a wistful little sigh and Finn felt something crack in the region of his heart. He remembered the story she’d told Naomi about getting beat up and chased in school and his gut clenched in anger. If he’d been around when she was little no one would have hurt her or they’d have had to deal with him. “Of course, if I did have a big brother, he probably wouldn’t want me dating you, so maybe it’s a good thing I’m an only child.” “What’s wrong with dating me?” “Nothing, except we’ve never even been on a date. We’ve had sex, but not dinner.” “You want to go out for Chinese now?” Finn slid down in the bed until he could nuzzle her belly button. He could smell her arousal and feel her stomach lift with her rapid breathing. “Or would you rather eat in?” He tipped his head until he could capture her tiny bud with his lips. “I love ordering in,” she sighed.
Remembered pleasure kept Talia warm as she waited in line in the frigid night air. The line was longer than Talia had expected. People were everywhere and there was an almost palpable excitement in the crowd. Was there a storm coming? Sometimes when a natural disaster was about to hit people got hyped emotions like this.
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By the time she got into the club, her nerves were on red alert and every sense jangled with foreboding. She checked to make sure her cell phone was still securely on her hip and the wire in place. Everything will be all right. Finn is only a word away. He won’t let anything happen to me. Finn. A ripple of anticipation made her quiver. She’d never experienced anything like the pleasure he’d shown her last night. But it went way beyond the physical. She might not be able to read him, but even a blind woman could see he cared about her a little. The way he touched her and tried to protect her proved that, didn’t it? She couldn’t think about that now. There’d be plenty of time to figure out if Finn really cared about her after they found Cassidy. Time to get to work, Talia, enough obsessing about Finn. The club was wall-to-wall bodies. People danced and gyrated like they performed some weird pagan mating ritual. Somehow Talia didn’t think it was going to work for her. She’d met her mate already, she just didn’t know what to do with him next. Going to the bar, she ordered a seltzer with lime and tried to look approachable. It wasn’t long before she flirted with a twenty-something who was the drummer in a band. It was a struggle to appear interested this time. Even though she knew Finn was listening, it just didn’t have the same entertainment value as it had the other night. With the memory of him still on her mind, that wasn’t surprising. She was listening to the inane chatter of the drummer, who was trying to talk her into going to his apartment to listen to him, when her cell phone rang. “Excuse me, I need to get that, be right back.” She smiled wanly and ran for what passed for a quiet corner near the bathroom.
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Reading the phone’s display, she saw Finn’s number on the screen. “Thank God, if I heard one more line about how drumming was like sex I was going to throw up. What’s up?” Talia held the phone to her ear and plugged the other one with her hand, trying to hear Finn. “There’s a distributor here with a delivery, I have to move the van. I’m just going around the block. The manager said the guy would be gone in five minutes.” “Why would the distributor make a delivery during the busiest hours of the night?” Talia shouted into the phone. She could barely hear Finn. “He forgot part of the order when they dropped it off earlier today, so he had to make a special run. Stay out of trouble for five minutes, I’ll call you when I get back. Call if anything comes up.” “Okay, but my signal doesn’t work everywhere in here.” The signal in the building was so bad she was surprised she even got the call in the first place. She’d hang out in sight of the bartender until Finn called her back. There was no way she was going to be one of those idiot females like in the movies, who tried to take care of the bad guy themselves and ended up getting in the way. Nope, she’d be smart and hang out by the service bar and stay out of trouble. Talia squeezed her way to the end of the bar. There was a group of people trying to carry on a conversation at the top of their lungs. They’d be good cover for her. She’d turn off her “I’m available” vibes and hopefully get ignored for the next five minutes. The bartender was working his butt off tonight, she shook her head when he came her way, and he gave her a wink. She’d been in this bar before, he must have remembered that she only drank seltzer. Talia looked down at her watch as the bartender hustled to the other side to
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get another patron a drink. A minute had gone by, big deal. It was really boring to be here without Naomi. Wonder how she was doing? Hopefully she’d be the one who caught this guy. Naomi could kick his ass before he ever knew what hit him. Maybe she’d take up karate after this was all over. It might be a good thing to do, living in the city— Rage. Anger and anticipation swamped Talia like a tidal wave, making her drop her drink and cling to the bar for support. Oh my God. He was here, in the building. Talia scanned the room, trying to find the source of the emotion pummeling her. There were too many people. She couldn’t see the door. Where was he? “Finn. Finn. Can you hear me? He’s here.” Talia’s head pounded, she felt nauseous and weak. The flashing strobe lights stabbed into her eyes, and made her squint in pain. She had to find out where this guy was so she could describe him to Finn. She couldn’t move. The pain was too much, her knees were going to buckle. Talia fumbled for her cell phone, trying to dial Finn’s number with shaking hands. No signal. Talia stuffed the useless phone in her purse and tried to move towards the door. She bit back the urge to curl up in the fetal position and scanned the crowd for the monster pounding her walls. How could someone this evil blend in? How could this much anger and hatred not show on someone’s face like a brand? Her feet tried to move, but her legs wouldn’t support her and she stumbled into one of the men in the crowd next to her. “Hey. Watch it. Go puke on someone else. Stupid women, can’t hold their liquor.” The guy pushed her away from him and went back to his conversation. -145-
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“Here, let me help you.” The voice was low and smooth, but Talia wasn’t fooled. She turned to look into the eyes of the kidnapper. “You.” Talia didn’t know what made her scream the accusation at him, but she saw the instant the mask of civilization slipped. The man grabbed her arm and dragged her behind the bar. The bartender was flirting with a girl down the other end and didn’t see him dragging her. “Let me go. The police are here, they know who you are and they’ll stop you.” Talia screamed, hoping Finn was in range of her listening device or that someone would pay attention to her, but the music was too loud. “You can’t hide behind that fake uniform, he’ll know who you are. Finn. Finn. White hair, blue eyes. Six feet. In a uniform.” Talia screamed out descriptors as loud as she could, hoping to connect with Finn. The kidnapper dragged her through the back room, past rows of bottles and kegs. Where was everyone? “Shut up.” He wrapped his hand around her mouth and pulled her past a pile of garbage and empty boxes out the back door of the bar. He looked around, searching for witnesses, then dragged her through the alley. Talia tried to scream around his hand, but it was no use. She struggled to get away from his grip, kicking and lashing out with her free hand, but he was too strong. His rage and panic hit her repeatedly, forcing her to fight on two fronts. In desperation she tried to reflect his emotions back at him, but it only made him stronger. His anger built higher and tore through her fragile shields like they were tissue paper. Her arm throbbed where his fingers dug into it. She could barely see straight from waves of hatred coming off him. What was she supposed to do? She couldn’t remember what Naomi had said. Bite. She’d bite him. -146-
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Clamping down as hard as she could, Talia bit the tender part of the fingers closest to her teeth. “Bitch.” he swore as he shook his hand in pain. “Finn. In the back alley. White van.” Talia screamed and kicked out at him, trying to get away. The kidnapper opened the back of the van and threw her inside, slamming the door before she had a chance to make a run for it. She tried to stand up, bracing herself against the crates that were stacked on the sides. Before she could gain her feet, the van pulled away with a screech of tires, sending her flying into the boxes. The smell of spilt beer was strong, so she assumed he must be the liquor distributor that Finn had to make way for. She only hoped Finn had heard her. She couldn’t remember the range on the listening device. Could the signal even get out of the van? Signal. Her phone. The bastard hadn’t taken her purse away from her. Talia scrambled around on the floor looking for her pocketbook and her phone. Her fingers hit the leather strap and clutched onto it like a lifeline. The phone, where was the phone? Did she put it back in her purse? The thing was so damn small she could have dropped it and not known it. She fumbled around, searching for the elusive little device, panicking every time the van stopped. Hate and anger still poured from the kidnapper, making her hands clumsier than usual. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to find the phone. Her hand brushed something hard, was that it? Almost dropping the purse, Talia latched onto the phone and flipped it open. No signal.
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She almost threw the damn thing against the wall in frustration, but stopped her hand at the last minute. Talia dialed 9-1-1, but didn’t hit send. Easing the phone up her sleeve, she braced herself against some crates and waited in the back of the van for it to stop. She didn’t have long to wait. The van careened around a corner and slid to a stop, almost knocking her out when the crates of booze slid around. The engine died, and Talia prepared for the door to open. It seemed to take forever before she heard the snap of the lock. The heavy metal door squeaked as the doors were pried open. Talia prayed the squealing hinges would disguise the beep of the phone getting a signal. She hoped she could keep the phone long enough to send a message. “Go ahead and hide back there. I’ll get you anyway, and there’s no one to help you now. What, did you lose your courage?” Talia threw a bottle of whatever was in the box next to her at the kidnapper, and pressed “send” on the phone as he ducked to escape her missal. “Bitch. No undercover cop is going to come to your rescue now.” He hauled his way into the van and grabbed her around the waist. Talia
screamed
and
kicked,
while
looking
around
for
any
distinguishing landmarks. She needed to know where she was so she could give the dispatcher a clue, without letting this guy know what she was doing. She was in an alley, fat lot of help that was. The kidnapper’s hands clawed painfully into her sides, pulling her out of the van and throwing her over his shoulder. Talia clutched her hand against her sleeve to keep the phone from falling out. There had to be something, some way of knowing where she was. They hadn’t been on the road that long. The kidnapper pulled down the -148-
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ladder of a fire escape with a pole and a hook, so she struggled some more, hoping to buy some time. Her hair was in her face, she couldn’t see anything. “You won’t get away with this. Finn will find you. Do you hear me? Detective Finn O’Brien will find you and you’ll never kidnap another woman again.” “Then I guess I had better move you all tonight.” The kidnapper didn’t have any trouble climbing the steep ladder with her on his shoulder. Why couldn’t he have been wimpy? A window rattled as he lifted it. Crap. She still hadn’t seen where she was. Her hopes were almost over when she caught a glimpse of the dog park near Washington Square. She was practically in her neighborhood. “Washington Square. Washington Square. Tell Finn.” With a last desperate cry, she snapped her necklace off and dropped it on the fire escape as the kidnapper climbed through the window. Please God, don’t like some bum steal it. Please let Finn find it. Let him find me. “What the—” He threw her onto a musty twin bed. The force sent her sprawling and her phone flew out of her sleeve and crashed against a wall. Talia jumped up to grab the phone, and he slapped her face so hard she slammed against the wall. “It’s not going to do you any good. There are thousands of apartments in this area. I’ll be long gone before the police can search the whole neighborhood. And so will you.”
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN “What do you mean you lost her?” The captain didn’t scream, but he might as well have. His back was to Finn as he stared out his office window. “I had to move the van and when I came back she was gone. I tried to call her and got voice mail, so I went inside to find her. She’s gone and no one has seen her.” Finn’s gut clenched in on itself. This was no time to panic, he had to keep a clear head and find Talia before it was too late. “Now what do you mean you have a lead?” “I had to move because of the liquor distributor. I think he snatched Talia. I’ve got the guy’s name and address from the company, plus a description of him from the manager. We’ll track him down.” “Who’s on it?” “Larry’s headed there now, and Naomi is with him.” “And what are you doing here?” “Getting chewed out by you, sir.” Finn had wanted to go, but Larry had been closer to the address, and the captain had demanded his presence ASAP. “Get the van and get moving once we get confirmation, we’ll need all the manpower we can get.” Finn stood to leave as the captain’s phone rang, but stopped at a hand signal from him.
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“The address leads to an empty apartment, been vacant for years. We’re back to square one.” Finn kicked his chair over with a curse. Talia was out there with that asshole, and there was nothing he could do. She was defenseless as a day old kitten when she had those emotional attacks, he’d have easy pickings. And Finn had never said he loved her. Had never known he loved her, until the thought of losing her for good hit him like a hammer. He’d had the chance last night to let her know how he felt and backed away like a coward. There was no time for that now. He’d find her, and then they could discuss this love stuff. He would find her, or die trying. “Sir?” A uniformed officer knocked tentatively at the door. “What is it?” the captain barked. “Uh, I’m Officer Clark from dispatch. I have something I think you might want to hear. And you too, Detective O’Brien.” The officer shuffled his feet at the door, waiting for permission to enter the lion’s den. “Well, out with it, man.” “Uh, you have to come down to dispatch, sir. It’s on the tape, the 9-11 tape. We got a call from a cell phone, with a woman’s voice screaming for Detective O’Brien. The number was traced to a department phone.” “Talia.” Finn launched himself out of the office, almost knocking the officer down before he could move out of the way. He ran down the two flights of stairs to the dispatch center, the captain and Officer Clark hot on his heels. “Where’s the tape? Play the damn tape.” Finn tried to control his impatience as the nervous dispatcher rewound the tape and cued it up. -151-
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Talia’s voice shot daggers through him. The panic and fear he heard flayed him worse than any verbal assault the captain could ever give. Finn tried to listen for background noise, to try and glean any small clue he could from the static filled recording. “Washington Square. Washington Square. Tell Finn—” “Rewind that part.” Finn shouted, grabbing a chair near the console. The dispatcher played it again. Finn heard a squeak and a rattle before Talia’s voice shouted out her location. “He’s holed up in an apartment near Washington Square.” Finn grabbed his phone as he ran for the van. He’d have Larry meet him near by and they could team up and cruise the area in the sound van. If Talia still had the wiretap on, they’d be able to find her. It was one big if.
“Talia.” Cassidy caught Talia as she was thrown into a tiny room. “What are you doing here? How’d he catch you? What did you do with your hair?” “I’m happy to see you too,” Talia said, returning Cassidy’s hug and appraisal. Cassidy looked different too. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes had dark circles under them and she had lost some weight as well. “I’m not happy to see you here. What happened?” “I was acting as bait, and he caught me. The bastard.” “What do you mean, bait? Don’t tell me you wanted him to find you?” “I had to do something to find you. I knew you were alive because I could feel you every morning. I had to make sure he didn’t kill you.” “Oh, Talia, you lunatic. He isn’t going to kill us, he’s going to sell us to the highest bidder.”
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“What?” “We’re on freaking white slavery eBay. He has a website and everything where he sells stupid women like me to the highest bidder. And now you’re going too.” “No, I’m not. Neither one of us are. I was working with the police, and they’ll find us.” “Yeah, but will they find us in time?” A shadow disengaged itself from a chair in the corner. This woman was even thinner than Cassidy and her hair was waxy and lanky. “I’ve been in this hellhole over a month. The only way we’re getting out of here is with a ticket to some wacko’s harem.” “Are you Maria?” The girl nodded. “Finn told me about you. Do you know where this guy’s keeping the mayor’s niece? She’s missing too.” “I know he has another girl in the room next door, I’ve heard her crying at night after the drugs wear off. But I don’t know if it’s the mayor’s niece or not.” Cassidy wrapped her arms around herself as if warding off the cold. “Who’s Finn?” Maria asked. “He’s a cop who’s been trying to find you ever since your boyfriend reported you missing.” “He’s not exactly doing a great job, is he?” Talia could see where she would give up hope after being there an entire month or longer. “He’ll find us, don’t worry. I know Finn and he won’t let anything happen to me—us.” “Slow down here, sister.” Cassidy grabbed Talia’s arm and pulled her to a musty blanket on the floor. “Is this the same Finn that came into the store looking for her?” She indicated Maria with a nod of her head. “The one and only.” “Did you sleep with him?” -153-
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“I can’t believe we are sitting in some nasty apartment, waiting to be sold into a life of slavery, and your biggest concern is whether or not I slept with a good looking man.” “No, my biggest concern is where you got that sweater, but I still want to know if he was as good as he looks.” A glimmer of the old Cassidy sparkled in the depths of her haunted eyes. “Better.” Talia just hoped she’d be able to find out again. Her head throbbed from the attack on her shields, not to mention getting smacked in the face, but she had to try to contact Finn. Wincing in pain, she opened her shields as wide as she could and tried to send him her love and trust. This was a last ditch effort, and she gave it everything she had. It would only work if he were open to her as well. And that was what scared her. Finn had never been open to her before, he’d always held his emotions under lock and key. If he allowed those emotions their freedom, she could find him, but only if he opened up. Talia opened her walls wider and pushed as hard as she could, she was going to need all the help she could get.
“There’s a million apartments here, we’ll never be able to find the one he’s got her in.” Larry jumped up and down in the cold, trying to stay warm as he spoke to Finn through the window of the van. “I’ll cruise the area, if she still has the wire on, I’ll be able to hear her and we can narrow the search radius.” “That’s putting a lot of faith in a little wire, man.” “All I have left is faith. I can’t lose her now.”
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Larry looked over at Naomi, who sat in his car, listening to the recording they had made of the dispatch tape. “I know what you mean.” Finn looked from Larry to Naomi and wondered if there was more brewing between those two than a cup of coffee after work. Could Larry have gotten his heart snagged by the petite officer and not known it either? Naomi’s face lit up in triumph and she shot out of the car. “I’ve got it. I know where she is. The dog park.” “What are you talking about? He couldn’t keep her hidden in the dog park.” “No, I can hear the vendor that works in front of the dog park, he chants. I heard it, but didn’t place it. He’s right near Talia’s apartment building. Come on.” Finn gunned the engine and practically ran over Larry’s feet as he backed the van up. Naomi might not know exactly where Talia was, but if they could find the vendor, they could narrow the area down some. Naomi climbed inside the moving van, almost ripping the door off in the process. “What the hell are you doing? Go with Larry.” “Not a chance. Someone has to listen in back while you drive. I’m not letting the bastard get her. And she may need a woman nearby, you know, after.” Fear slammed him in the gut at the thought of that bastard touching Talia. It wasn’t going to happen. He wouldn’t let it happen. Some of what he was feeling must have shown on his face because Naomi laid her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, we’ll find her.” “I’m not worried, I’m pissed off. I should have known better than to leave her alone.” -155-
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“I’m sure you’re pissed off, but that isn’t going to help any. Showing a little faith and trust might though.” “I think you’ve been reading too many issues of Cosmo. How can my feelings help the situation any?” “Look, I don’t get into all this hoodoo voodoo stuff, but Talia does. She’s an empath, so she operates on emotions. If you would let go with some of those emotions, maybe Talia would be able to feel them and let us know where she is somehow.” “You’re out of your mind.” “Maybe, but you can’t deny she can feel other people’s emotions. And she said she can always feel the people she is close to…” “Who said we were close?” Panic speared through him again. “Idiot. Now is not the time to be worried that your poker face slipped and you actually showed some emotion. If you want her safe, and you want her back, now’s the time to put up or shut up. I’m going in back to listen for the wire.” Naomi snorted with disgust and climbed into the back of the van when he stopped at a red light. Was she right? He knew damn well Talia could feel emotions, but didn’t she say she couldn’t read his? That he was walled off. Could he afford to break down those walls after all this time? Hell, he didn’t even know how to go about letting the emotions in. Think about Talia. Think about how she always looked like she had to defend herself just for living. Think about how vulnerable she looked, but how strong she really was inside. First there was a trickle, he could feel the worry being pushed aside by the warmth of affection. He thought about making love with her and feeling that bone deep connection that he’d never experienced before. More, he needed to give more. The breech widened, but he had to force it open all the way. Finn thought about what it must have been like -156-
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for her to face all her battles on her own, and felt sympathy for a young Talia. He thought about the strength she showed in adversity, and felt admiration pour out. And lastly, as if pushed out against his will, he felt love. Love for this woman who felt so unlovable. Who touched him deep inside and made him feel both vulnerable and strong at the same time. Finn felt almost lightheaded. The car behind him beeped, reminding him he was still in traffic and not floating in some emotional stratosphere. He felt warm all over, like heat was spreading through his veins. Almost as if he’d had a cankerous sore that had been scraped away and washed clean. He felt raw, open, yet strangely free for the first time in as long as he could remember. “Finn. I got something. Pull over.” Finn pulled the van in front of a fire hydrant and slammed it into park. He squeezed his frame between the seats and hobbled as fast as he could to where Naomi sat with headphones on. “What is it? What’ve you got?” Naomi held up her hand for silence. “She’s around here somewhere. I can hear her clear as day, she’s talking to someone, her friend I think.” “This thing has a five hundred foot radius, that gives us an awful lot of places to check out. We need to narrow it down.” “No kidding, Columbo. Try to communicate with her, have her give us some clues.” “What are you talking about? I can’t do that.” Just because he had opened himself up a little didn’t mean he bought into all of this mumbo jumbo. “Listen, Finn. You either believe in her or you don’t. Do you want to help?” “Of course I want to help. I just feel like an idiot.” -157-
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“I don’t honestly give a rat’s ass how you feel. I think her life is worth a little foolishness on your part. Just try for God’s sake.” Finn sat heavily on the bench. The feelings were still swirling over him and he wasn’t sure how to handle it. “Give me the headphones, I need to hear her voice.” Maybe that would help. “I’ll get in the front.” Naomi handed him the headset and slid into the driver’s seat. Adjusting the headphones, Finn slipped them over his ears. Talia’s voice came through loud and clear, just like Naomi had said. “Don’t worry, Finn will find us. I know he’s probably tearing the city apart looking for us now.” “I’m here, baby, just tell me where you are. I’m right here.” How could he make her understand he was looking for her? “What makes you think this cop is going to do any more than he has to?” Finn didn’t recognize the voice, it wasn’t Cassidy, maybe it was one of the other girls who had been snatched. “He’ll come. He believes in what he does, and he’s good at his job. It’s his life and he won’t quit until he solves the case. It’s just a matter of time before he finds us.” Didn’t she know that this was more than just a job for him now? No, because he’d never told her. He said he’d cared about her, but that didn’t mean much without specifics. She was defending him, relying on him, and didn’t know he loved her. There. He’d said it. He loved her, and she was never going to have to wonder if it was the job or her that mattered more to him. Finn pushed those feelings of love towards her. He pictured a tidal wave of his feelings swamping Talia, wherever she was. His love for her encasing her in protection. “Finn?” -158-
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Holy Shit! It worked. She could feel him. “He’s not here,” came the same voice. “No, he is, he’s close. Where’s a window? I need to see if I can spot him.” “There aren’t any windows.” “Damn. Does anyone know where we are?” “We were all drugged at a bar and woke up here, I don’t even know if we’re still in the city.” “We are. When he was carrying me up the fire escape I saw the dog park. Finn, if this thing is working and you can hear me, look for an alley with a white van parked under a fire escape. This guy has white hair and he’s huge, be careful. I love you too.” “Look for a white van in an alley near a fire escape.” Finn almost fell over as Naomi pulled out into traffic. Okay, think. If he were carrying her up the fire escape, he’d have to have her over his shoulder. If she could see the dog park, it would be on her left, which meant that right side up, the building would be on the left as well. Finn felt reassurance and trust pour through him. He could feel love and joy too. Talia must be sending him her faith in bunches. “You know we can’t get a warrant based on feelings,” Naomi said, slowing down as they passed an alley. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” He’d worry about making a case for prosecution after Talia and the others were safe. The van lurched forward again, speeding to the next alley. Naomi’s driving was going to make him lose his lunch if they didn’t find Talia soon. She slowed down again, a quick foot on the brakes making him almost fly through the windshield.
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Craning his head, Finn searched the darkness for the white van. “I’m going in back to see if I can hear anything else. Try not to kill me, okay?” “Bitch, bitch, bitch.” Naomi hit the gas again. Panic slammed through Finn before he could make a wisecrack in return. His hands shook as he picked up the headset. “Finn. He’s got Cassidy. He’s moving us. Hurry.” “He’s in motion.” Finn grabbed a radio and dialed up the police frequency. “I want every unit in the Washington Square area to the following location immediately.” He’d set up roadblocks so if they didn’t catch the guy before he left, he wouldn’t get far. “Be on the look out for a white cargo van. Suspect is possibly armed and has hostages. Repeat, possibly armed and has hostages.” Come on, come on. Where was he? They had to be close or he wouldn’t be able to hear Talia. “Don’t touch me, you bastard. You’re not going to get away with this.” Talia screamed into his ears, sending pain from both her voice and her fear shooting through him. “I see the van.” Naomi pulled a U-turn in the middle of three lanes of traffic and cut off the exit to the alley. The alley lay between two gigantic apartment buildings. How could he pick the right one in time? If he searched the wrong one, the kidnapper could kill Talia before he figured it out. Fuck! Come on, God, give me a sign. I promise to go to mass and stop picking on my cousin if you just give me a clue. A glint of light caught Finn’s eye. Something bright dangled from the fire escape. He looked closer and saw the flash of pink. Talia’s necklace. “He’s got Talia in the building on the right.”
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“You go up the stairs, I’ll go up the fire escape and we’ll pin him. Go. I’ll call in our location.” Finn bolted out and skirted the white van to get to the door to the building. He could hear thumping coming from inside the van. He had to get Talia, but he couldn’t leave hostages in there either. Running to the back door, Finn prayed it was unlocked because he didn’t think his hands were steady enough to pick it right now. The handle turned with a grating creak, but it turned. “NYPD.” Finn looked into the dim interior of the van and saw the blonde from the bookstore with tape over her mouth and hands wire tied behind her. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her out, luckily her feet were free. He didn’t have time to cut the ties off. Pulling the duct tape off her mouth so she could breathe easier, he pointed to the police van. “Wait in that van, I’m going to get the others. Stay out of the way.” “He’s on the third floor. Hurry, Talia’s going to fight him and she doesn’t know what a bastard he can be.” Finn didn’t bother to tell her she had no idea what sort of bastard he could be either. Especially if Talia had been hurt. The inside of the stairway was as dark as the alley outside. His eyes had adjusted to the lack of light, but he still needed to move cautiously. Was this the only way down besides the fire escape? What if there was another exit and the bastard was getting away with Talia while he fumbled around in the dark? A door slammed from above, and he could hear sounds of a struggle. Talia was still there, they’d get him now. Finn took the stairs two at a time, aiming for a ray of light revealed by the open doorway. He rounded the last turn when he saw Talia’s body swing wide over the railing of the stairs. -161-
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“Talia.” Finn started to rush the rest of the way up the stairs. She hung precariously over a railing a flight above him. “Stay where you are. You take so much as a step and I’ll let her fall face first on the concrete.” Finn could see the only thing holding Talia from a debilitating fall was a fist clutched in the back of her shirt. He assumed her hands were tied behind her as well, and she had tape over her mouth like Cassidy had. “Don’t do anything crazy. I’m not moving a muscle. Pull her back over the railing and we can talk about this.” “What? You think I’m stupid? I know she’s my ticket to safety. You’re going to radio down to whoever is in that van to get the hell out of the way, and I’m going to walk out of here, or she’s going to do a swan dive.” The guy’s face was sweating, and his arms were shaking from the strain of holding Talia suspended over the railing. Her feet were hooked around the top of the railing, but that wouldn’t slow her fall much. She was at least ten feet above him, and there was nothing he could do to help her. He took out his radio. “Naomi, move the van. This guy means business and he’ll kill Talia if we don’t do as he says.” Did Naomi have enough time to get up the fire escape? “Roger.” Naomi’s voice came through the radio loud enough for the guy to hear. Finn could see the relief in his face as he pulled Talia back from the edge. “Now, you are going to walk down those stairs and stay out of my way, or I’ll snap her neck like a dry twig.” Finn turned his body slowly, as if he was going to go down the stairs, but only enough to shield his movements. Reaching under his jacket, he
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pulled his gun out and prepared to shoot the bastard as soon as Talia wasn’t in the way. The kidnapper used Talia as a shield, his forearm pressed against her windpipe and her body pressed back against his. Finn spared her a glance, she had fear blazing in her eyes, but she wasn’t struggling or getting in the way. “Move it, copper.” The guy waited at the top of the stairs for Finn to move off the landing before he came down. Finn hadn’t taken a step before he heard a grunt and a shout coming from up the stairs. Spinning around with his gun aimed, Finn pulled it back just in time. Naomi had her fingers jammed in the guy’s windpipe and was trying to sweep his leg. The guy threw Talia from him, sending her flying down the flight of stairs. Finn dropped his gun and braced himself to catch Talia. The impact of her fall sent them both crashing against the wall, almost knocking the wind out of him. Ripping the tape off her mouth, Finn gave her one hard kiss and pushed her behind him while he grabbed his discarded gun. He didn’t need to bother. Naomi had barely broken a sweat, and the bastard was bleeding from the nose and mouth. His arm hung at an unnatural angle and he looked like he’d gone ten rounds with the heavyweight champion of the world. And lost. “Go get the others, I’ll wait here for back up.” Naomi clipped handcuffs on her victim, smiling as he screamed in agony from his injured arm. “I’ll show you where they are, he was tying us up one by one. He already grabbed Cassidy.” -163-
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“We got her, she’s waiting in the van outside. Naomi, radio for an ambulance, I want everyone checked out.” “I don’t know about the mayor’s daughter, but Maria is in pretty tough shape. She hasn’t been beaten or anything, but I don’t think he fed them much. I think he did only enough to keep them alive. He was selling the girls over the Internet.” “You’ll all get checked out.” “Take care of the others. I’m fine. You found me before he could do anything.” . “You didn’t get that bruise on your face from a love tap.” “Yeah, well, I knew you were coming so I’m a lot better off than the others.” “I know. I felt your faith and your trust.” “Kind of scary, isn’t it?” Would he hide behind his walls again? Sometimes dealing with emotion was too much for people, especially the spectrum he’d been dealing with in the last five minutes. Talia had known the moment he opened himself up to her. She felt it as surely as if someone had unkinked a hose, letting the water pour out. His fear for her safety, his anger at himself for letting her get caught, the panic at the thought of losing her, and eventually the love had been a feast of emotions for her anxious mind. If she could feel him, she knew she could lead him to her. And maybe, just maybe, when this was all over she could help him find his heart as well. “Thank God he didn’t search me and find the wire. I don’t know what I’d have done then.” “I’d have found you anyway. It was like you were throwing out a line and I just had to catch it and reel you in.”
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“I was. I was pushing all my emotions out, hoping you’d be able to feel them.” “I didn’t think that would work unless I was open to emotion?” “It won’t. That was a risk I had to take. Here’s the apartment where the other two are being held. One of them is Maria. I don’t know who the other girl is. Cassidy said she was new, so she could be the mayor’s niece. Looks like you solved your case.” “I don’t give a damn about the case, I’m just glad I found you and you’re alive. There’ll always be another case.” Talia felt like her heart was going to burst. Not only did he open up inside, but he wasn’t shutting back down again. Maybe it would take some time to get him to really understand his feelings, but she could wait. Heck, she’d been waiting for someone like him her entire life, she had patience enough to wait for him to get it all figured out a little while longer. As he bent over to untie Maria, his jeans pulled tightly against his muscular butt. Her breath caught at the sight. Looked like she had plenty to distract her in the meantime.
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN “Explain this to me one more time.” The captain sat behind his desk, looking only slightly less aggravated than the last time she was in this office. “Campbell, the kidnapper, had a website auction service where he sold young women to the highest bidder. He’d hang out in all the popular clubs and hunt around until he found a victim who met his needs.” Finn leaned against a filing cabinet with his arms crossed over his chest. “And those needs were?” The captain asked. “She had to be young, pretty, and not have any family members who would notice right away if she went missing.” “That’s why he kept coming by to see Cassidy at the store. He was trying to find out where she was from and if she had anyone around he’d have to worry about.” “How did he manage to kidnap his targets once he’d decided on them? There was no guarantee they’d be at any particular club on a given night.” “We think he’d set up dates with them after he got to know them a little better. Campbell came across very smooth. He dressed well and flashed money around and looked fairly attractive. While he was on the hunt he never put any moves on them or made the feel uncomfortable, in fact he came across as a little bit shy. When he’d ask to meet them at
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one of the more popular clubs, the girls didn’t see anything wrong with it. After all, they’d be with other people so they’d be safe enough.” “Only they weren’t,” Talia said. “No, they weren’t.” “So once he picked the girl, he’d lure her to a club where he knew security wasn’t as tight and slip something into their drink.” “From what the lab has said, he mixed up the date rape drug GHB in his apartment. It’s colorless, tasteless, and odorless and dissolves quickly in liquid. He wouldn’t even have to buy the girl a drink, he’d just have to get close enough to drop it in.” “Then when she got disoriented, he’d offer to call her a cab.” “Only he wouldn’t, he’d slip them out back and into his liquor distributor van and steal them away.” “And no one caught on that his van was at every crime scene?” The captain’s eyebrows rose almost to his scalp. “He made regular deliveries all over the city, and quite often would hit two or three clubs a night.” Finn flipped his notebook to another page. “Ingenious. We’re damn lucky you found those girls before he could move them.” “Damn lucky is right. Apparently, there was a bidding war going on and
he
was
waiting
to
see
who
won
before
he
arranged
for
transportation. If he’d been less greedy, they’d have been long gone.” “Sir, what about the men who were trying to buy the women? Will anything happen to them?” It didn’t seem right to Talia that these guys would get away with trying to buy another human being for God only knew what reason. “We’ve confiscated his computer and are even now trying to track down the addresses of the buyers. It may take time, but we’ll get them. The mayor has called in the FBI and the CIA to assist us in tracing the -167-
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ISPs.” The captain didn’t look too pleased at the prospect of that assistance. “I guess that’s everything. We’re looking at some other missing person’s cases to see if anything turns up on Campbell’s computer.” “Excellent.” It had been three days since Finn had rescued her, three very long days of hospital tests, meetings with the District Attorney’s office, and helping Cassidy to find a counselor who would work with her during her recovery. She hadn’t seen Finn except to pass him in the hall as she left her meeting with the D.A. and he went in for his. He hadn’t called, hadn’t stopped by with coffee, and even worse, hadn’t opened up to her again. Maybe by waiting she had shot herself in the foot? Should she have pushed him when he was still open and vulnerable? No. That went against every thing she believed in. He had to decide, of his own free will, whether or not he wanted love in his life. And more specifically, her love. She wouldn’t push, she wouldn’t press, but nothing could stop her from hoping he hadn’t built those walls up around her heart yet again. He stood next to her, only inches separated them, but it might as well be miles. Her hands itched to grab him and shake him and scream, “Look what you’re missing.” but she remained silent and kept her eyes focused on the plaque to the right of the captain’s head. “Well, I guess that’s everything I need for my report. The department appreciates
your
contribution
to
solving
this
case,
Miss
Dane.
Unfortunately, we have to ask you to keep your part of this secret. The press would have a field day if they found out we used a—” “Freak?” Talia raised her eyebrow at him. “The word is empath, sir. And I have to disagree, we used the resources that were available to us, and we never would have solved the case without Talia.” -168-
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“It’s all right. I don’t want anyone to know about my part in this. I just want to live as normal a life as possible, I don’t need every broken heart in the city showing up on my doorstep.” “I still think you should receive some sort of recognition for your sacrifices. Hell, you were almost killed.” “I’m fine, really. I’m just glad all the girls are safe, and this guy will be behind bars for a long time.” “Oh, he will be. And rest assured, his customers will be joining him in prison too. He kept meticulous records, and I’m sure with the C.I.A. and FBI tracking them down it’s only a matter of time before they’re caught.” “That’s wonderful. Well, thank you for filling me in on everything. I need to go back to work now. If I can ever help again, don’t hesitate to ask.” She wouldn’t look at Finn, she wouldn’t look at him one last time. Talia kept her eyes firmly on the captain’s face as she shook his hand and spun around out of the office. If Finn wanted her, he had to make the move without her prodding. One step, two steps, her hand was on the door and still nothing. Her heart sank. Sometimes you gambled and you won, not this time apparently. Talia let out a silent sigh and stepped out of the office. She made it as far as the desk sergeant before she felt herself swooped up in familiar arms, the scent of leather and man strong in her nostrils. “You didn’t think you’d get away that easily, did you?” “I didn’t want to get away.” Talia kept her hope tightly in check, did this mean he wanted her? “Then why did you leave without saying good-bye?” Finn carried her towards the parking garage, ignoring the curious stares thrown their way. -169-
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“Because I didn’t want it to be good-bye, but I couldn’t force you to want to be with me either.” “No one forces me to do anything. No one. I think we need to talk. You’re coming with me.” “Uh, like I have a choice?” Talia indicated his manhandling with a nod of her head. “As a matter of fact, no, you don’t.” Finn plopped her in the passenger side of yet another city car and ran around to the driver’s side. Yeah, like she was going to run away or something. “We’ll go to your place, it’s closer.” He declared. “That’s fine.” Did he want to talk to her or have a quickie? The short ride passed in silence. Talia was afraid to ask what he wanted to talk about. What if he just wanted to let her down gently? She couldn’t get a read on him, and his face wasn’t revealing any clues either. As they pulled up in front of her building, Talia’s nerves were stretched so thin she almost bolted. Would walking away be easier than being told to leave? Her hands shook as she opened the door to the building. Finn was still silent, inside and out. How could he be so calm when he was about to ruin her life? She dropped her keys twice trying to get the locks to her apartment open. God, she just wanted this over with. “Do you want something to drink?” she asked as she opened the door and almost tripped over the threshold. “Not really, do you?” She probably should have one, but she didn’t think it would help much. “Nope, not yet. What is it you want to talk about?” Might as well get it over with. It’d hurt less that way, right?
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Finn ran a hand through his hair, then shoved both of them into the pockets of his coat. Uh oh, that wasn’t a good sign. He walked around her miniscule living room, jingling his keys. Couldn’t he just spit it out? “A lot has happened between us in a short period of time.” Here it comes. Now he was going to say they should back off because it was all just a big mistake, and he was only pretending to love her to solve the case. “I have to admit that I’m really out of my depth here.” “You’re trying to tell me you’ve never broken up with a woman before?” She snorted. “No, I’ve never asked one to marry me before, wise ass.” Talia looked at him, stunned into silence as he pulled a jeweler’s box out of his jacket pocket and opened it, revealing a platinum ring with a glittering round diamond winking up at her. She gaped at him, speechless, her brain awhirl with questions. And he had the nerve to laugh. “You look like a landed fish. Your mouth keeps moving but nothing is coming out. Did you really think I brought you here to dump you?” “You, you were shut off, I couldn’t read you. I haven’t seen you for days. You never said—” “I never said I love you. And you were so unsure of yourself that you doubted your own feelings. Weren’t you the one who told me feelings don’t lie?” “But I couldn’t feel you.” “I know, I wanted to surprise you, and it worked. I, ah, also wanted to see if I could. Having a wife who can read your every emotion is a little unnerving.” “Wife? You mean it?” “I know it’s kind of quick.” -171-
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“Kind of? We’ve never been on a real date. I’ve never met your family or anything. Don’t you think we should take a little more time to get to know each other better? I mean, what if you change your mind?” “Not gonna happen.” “But how do you know it won’t happen?” “How can you not know?” He stared right into her eyes and captured her gaze. “I’ve never felt this connection with anyone before. Even when I knew it wasn’t the smartest thing in the world to be with you, I couldn’t stay away. Those hours when you were with Campbell were the longest of my life. I swore then if I got you back I’d never let you go. We can have a long engagement if you want. I’ll take you to meet my folks and we can go up to Maine and I can meet yours, but I’m not losing you.” Talia’s heart beat furiously and tears stung her eyes. “Are you sure you won’t have any doubts down the road?” “How can you doubt this?” Finn pulled her into his arms and kissed her with such devastating passion, Talia thought her bones would melt. At the same time, he opened the floodgates of his emotions and enveloped her in so much love her fears were put to rest. “So will you?” “Will I what?” Talia asked, her mind still soaring from the potent combination of his kiss and his emotions. “Will you marry me?” Finn pulled the ring out of its velvet-lined box and held it at the tip of her ring finger. “Yes. Yes. Yes I will marry you and love you and keep you happy for the rest of our lives.” As soon as he slid the ring on her finger, she pulled his head down to kiss him with all the love she held inside her. As her lips met his in a scorching kiss, she poured her joy and love right back at him.
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With his emotional channels open to her, she could feel his desire growing. Even if she were mind-blind she’d have known of his lust by the growth of something else as well. “Maybe we can explore this sharing of feelings in the bedroom?” Finn picked her up again and carried her down the hall. “Only if you promise to be here when I wake up.” “Oh, you can count on that one. In fact, I might not let you sleep at all.”
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ARIANNA HART To learn more about Arianna Hart, please visit www.ariannahart.com. Send an email to Arianna at
[email protected] or join her Yahoo! group to join in the fun with other readers as well as Arianna Hart. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/friendsofari.
Look for these titles and more from Arianna Hart & Samhain Publishing, Ltd! Available Now! HOT Snowy Night Seduction
Coming Soon! Spitfire~ July 2006 Surprise ~ October 2006 Take Your Medicine ~ January 2007 A Man for Marly ~ April 2007 Devil’s Playground ~ July 2007
Angel Eyes © 2006 Jaycee Clark Available now from www.samhainpublishing.com He searches, waits and watches for the perfect one… Psychic Cora O’Donnell doesn’t care what the majority of people think about her. She’s got her successful new age shop, Mystic Moons, and now dark, strange dreams keeping her busy. Rogan Duran, ex special ops, is tracking a killer he swore he’d find if it took him the rest of his life. What he doesn’t plan on is a woman he thinks is weird. Rogan tells himself he’s just sticking around to keep Cora safe. Cora doesn’t want anything to do with the know-it-all, she just wants her peace back, and no amount of yoga is giving it to her. But she can’t argue with one fact. There is a killer out there and not only can she sense him, she’s got what he wants…eyes a pale hypnotic blue. She knows sooner or later she’ll be the next woman the killer goes after… The one with Angel Eyes…
“Angel Eyes drew me in and kept me on the edge of me seat. Jaycee Clark writes romantic suspense extremely well. Her blend of twisted villains, steamy sex and tender romantic moments thrill me every time I read one of her books…The ending sent shivers up my spine! As a fan of romantic suspense stories, I thoroughly enjoyed Angel Eyes!” ~ Nannette, Joyfully Reviewed.com
Enjoy the following excerpt for Angel Eyes…
Rogan Duran stared down into his beer and felt sorry for himself. That pissed him off. He made it a point to never feel sorry for himself, but it was the truth, his life was shit. Once he’d been a war hero, following orders that were never reported, because technically the missions under several joint special ops forces, had never happened. There were no records. But that was all before. Before the mission gone wrong, which had landed him in the infirmary, followed by his reassignment to the Army’s Criminal Investigative Unit. Before Ginger, before the nightmare, before the investigation. He sat and listened to the activity happening in the bar. Leo’s, a cop hang out, was in Maryland on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. The air was thick with squawking radios, men and women rehashing the day’s events and cursing the turn around of the justice system. The dark wood interior, scarred tables and green vinyl had probably never been changed. And it was all as normal to him as breathing, as familiar as the smell of grilling burgers and beer. He sighed and took another sip of his dark ale. He must be getting old. Anymore, beer left a bad taste in his mouth. He motioned to the waitress and ordered a cup of coffee while he waited to meet his friend, Detective Clayton Whitesell. He’d met the man two years ago after he’d been discharged. They’d hit it off, in this very bar and had been friends of sorts ever since. Clayton worked in the homicide unit and Rogan freelanced and worked for the Washington Post. He covered the military stories. To be perfectly honest, he was bored out of his mind. His heart wasn’t in it and he half ass did the job. He was simply used to more. He wanted more. He needed more.
But that wasn’t to be. At least not at present. “Man, I gave up a date for this?” A hand slapped him on the shoulder. Rogan looked up and shrugged his friend’s hand off. Rogan studied Clayton as the man sat opposite him. The detective’s salt and peppered hair was worn longer than most of his contemporaries thought fashionable and most of the younger rookies would have called fashionable. The mustache, also salt and peppered, gave the cop a rather criminal look, or maybe it was just the hard green eyes. “I didn’t ask you to give up your date,” Rogan said, smiling as the waitress set his coffee in front of him. Clayton ordered the same. “What are you working on?” Clayton slid the saltshaker over the scarred, varnished wood of the tabletop. “Nothing worth talking about, why?” Clayton shifted. “You going on assignment any time soon?” “Do I need to?” Technically Rogan was a reporter now, not a military investigator, but the two had…bonded, for lack of a better word. Clayton sighed. “You and I talked about your case, about the missing girls.” For a moment, Rogan didn’t say anything. He had told Clayton of what led to his discharge, of the nightmare he’d found himself in and never had awakened from. Missing girls… “And women,” Rogan muttered. Clayton’s
green
eyes
narrowed.
“Do
you
want to
investigation reopened on you? I’m trying to help here.”
have
the
A tingle of apprehension walked its cold fingers down Rogan’s spine. He didn’t move, didn’t twitch. Instead he looked across the table at one of the few men he’d ever call if he were in trouble. “What are you here for, Clayton? Why did you call for this meeting?” Clayton sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “A woman who was reported missing from a county in the western part of the state some year ago—her body was found yesterday.” The tingle became a squad marching down his backbone. “And?” His heart thrummed in his chest, knowing what he’d hear before Clayton told him. “She’s like the others. Pleasant, nice from all accounts, knew people, no variation from her routine before, poof. She’s gone.” Rogan sipped his coffee, wishing he’d kept his beer. “People vanish every day, Clayton.” Clayton leaned back as the waitress returned with his coffee. “Yes, but it’s not every day the missing person is a woman with pale, freaky blue eyes.” Freaky… Rogan smiled in spite of himself. Pale blue eyes…he supposed some might see them as odd or freakish. He never had. He’d loved that color, which had always reminded him of the purest glacier, where ice met water. The memory of Ginger’s eyes, as she laughed at something he’d said, flashed in his mind. “Damn,” he finally said, and drank the rest of his bitter coffee down. “Yes, that’s it in a word.” “Can you tell me any more?” He ran a hand over his Henley, suddenly wishing he’d put this meeting off, wishing he’d moved across the country instead of staying on his own quest.
“Not at this time. Just thought you might want to know since…” Clayton trailed off. “Well, since things with you are as they are.” Rogan shook his head and wished… What? Anger beat in him. He knew Ginger was dead, he’d known from the beginning. He’d known when she hadn’t come home after two days, and then Colonel McClafferty had shown up on his doorstep there on Ft. Hood with the MP’s. Life after that had been a blur. Questions, questions and more questions. There had been other women who had vanished off bases, all seemingly normal women, many of them wives of servicemen, some of them enlisted, officers, all had vanished, all had been on or near bases he had served on. What the fuck didn’t even begin to cover the confusion and fog of that time. It wasn’t something he could easily let go. It had ruined his career, and he knew some still believed he was behind the disappearances. “Thanks,” he said, looking into Clayton’s eyes. “So where did this happen, maybe I should call my editor and ask him if he’d be interested in this story.” Clayton leveled a finger at him. “You, my friend, are going to stay the hell away. I know who you are. But if others don’t, you can bet your ass they will.” “Thanks to modern technology.” He cursed under his breath. This was just what he needed. They finished their coffees and both ordered burgers. Blue eyes, just disappeared. It could be a coincidence. “We don’t know anything yet,” Clayton said as if reading his thoughts.
He often wondered how the man could read him so easily. Rogan decided to change the subject. “How’s Roni?” He’d met Whitesell’s partner a few times, and the woman surprised him. She was petite, looked more like a kindergarten teacher than a homicide detective. He had nothing against Detective Kershaw, but he was damn glad she wasn’t here right now. “Fine. She wanted to come along. Which means I’ll be dodging questions for the next week. Woman may look like she’s thinking about grading papers, but her mind is shrewd and tactical.” Rogan sighed and dunked a fry into ketchup then tossed it down and pushed the plate aside. Clayton shook his head. “I debated whether or not to tell you, but figured you’d want to know. Hell, I’d want to know if I were in your shoes.” “Yeah, but there’s not much I can do but wait.” He stood, slapped his hand against the side of Clayton’s shoulder and said, “Thanks. I owe you one.” Clayton nodded. “Keep your phone on, so I can reach you.” He stopped halfway slipping his leather jacket on. “Why?” “It’ll look better should the need arise.” Clayton took another bite of his burger. “And don’t get any ideas about going on vacation in the southwest.” He paused and tilted his head. “So another was reported missing was she? Where?” Then he huffed out a breath. “Never mind. I’ll do my own searches.” Without another word, he walked across the bar and shoved through the door. For a moment, he stood on the sidewalk, watching the traffic, the couples, the cops. He felt like a damn criminal.
With another curse, he strode to his bike and jerked on his helmet. He straddled the seat and cranked his baby. A black and silver Fat Boy. The sweetest damn Harley he’d seen in a long time. The man he’d bought it off of was selling it because he was being shipped out and didn’t want to have to worry about it. It had helped that Rogan knew the man selling it. An old buddy he’d served with on several missions. One of whom who’d stood by him when Rogan’s life unraveled to hell and back. The motor purred and growled to life. Another missing woman. Blue eyes… This wasn’t happening, not again. But he knew it would. Again and again and again, until someone found the real killer. He revved up the bike. His mother worried he’d get killed on this bike. Rogan adjusted the strap to his helmet and took off. He knew it was another threat all together that would kill him. Without a doubt in his mind, women would be the death of him.
Secrets and Shadows © 2006 Amy Mistretta Coming September 2006 from www.samhainpublishing.com Is it safe for a woman to trust a man who has already been convicted? Reese Abbot is content living in Massachusetts away from her prominent family. The last thing she wants to do is give up her dream job as an architect at one of Cape Cod’s most distinguished firms. But the death of her great-aunt forces her to return to Wild Ridge to stake claim on the Victorian mansion that has been in the Abbot family for centuries. If she doesn’t, her family’s greed will allow it to go to the highest bidder. However, the man Reese hires to help her bring the old place back to life has a disturbing past. Years ago, he was accused and convicted in one of the biggest controversies to hit their small town. Back then, Reese had always believed in Evan Payne’s innocence. Now spending every day alongside him, unable to deny the passion stirring between them, she’s convinced there was more to his case than anyone in the town—or Evan—is willing to admit. Will Reese find more than she bargains for when she seeks out the truth about Evan’s past? Or will her instincts only wrap her more deeply into the Secrets Within… Warning, this title contains sex and violence.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Angel Eyes…
The one thing Reese hadn’t planned on when setting out to find the right person to help her restore the old Victorian-style mansion was coming face to face with a convicted rapist. As the sun was beginning to set, a man walked up the steps to the wraparound front porch, holding a newspaper. Reese was sitting just inside the front door of the house, looking through the old bureau desk that rested against the foyer wall, when she heard his footsteps. The door was open, yet he didn’t come in. Instead, he rapped heavily on the outside casing, waiting for Reese to finally look up from the hidden treasures she was uncovering in the old desk. “Come on in,” she said, not bothering to get up as she finished sorting through the loose papers in the long front drawer. At that point, she figured he was going to be another inexperienced, unqualified applicant. Just like everyone else I’ve interviewed today. The man walked in, removed his baseball hat and stood next to the desk. “I’m here about the job,” he said, slightly lifting the newspaper from his side. Though she hadn’t made eye contact with him, it was as if his deep voice demanded her attention and she finally looked up. He didn’t seem to be much older than she, and there was something awfully familiar about him. Reese couldn’t put her finger on it. “Please, have a seat.” She got up from the chair, motioning for him to take her place. “Thank you,” he said, looking around the old house, interest clearly taking over his otherwise reserved look. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she commented after following his gaze to the grand staircase leading up to the open landing.
“There’s something about these old homes,” he said. “I can’t seem to get enough of them. So many aged characteristics screaming to be revived.” That statement alone was enough to make Reese decide to hire him right there and then, but she didn’t want to appear too desperate. “I’m glad to hear you appreciate the construction of the house.” She walked in a little closer and put out her hand, ready to launch into the same questions she’d asked the other applicants. “Reese Abbot. And you are…?” Anyone watching the man’s facial expressions would have thought Reese had said something obnoxious. The look in his eyes immediately changed from pleasant to almost hateful. At that moment, without as much as a word, he stood up and walked back toward the door. “Excuse me? Did I say something to offend you?” Reese asked, following, more puzzled than anything. “Yeah, your last name says it all.” “Look, I don’t know what you have against my last name, but I assure you that I don’t know who you are.” “That’s hard to believe.” “I admit, you look familiar, but I can’t seem to―” “Evan.” He paused, turning for a brief moment, his gaze penetrating through hers. “Evan Payne.” Reese instantly remembered the name as soon as the words left his mouth. However, she couldn’t believe that Evan Payne was standing in the house with her, only a few feet separating her from his grasp. And they were all alone.
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