The Big Heat Read online

  “Your address was on the paperwork your sister filled out. And don’t forget, it’s my job to find people that don’t want to be found.”

  It should be the next right. He put on his blinker.

  “Just drop me at the corner,” she said.

  “I don’t think so. I’ll see you to the door.” There was no way in hell he was dropping her at the corner. Her neighborhood was an older section, on the fringes of revitalization but not quite there yet. Most of the aged row houses bore bars on the lower floor windows. It wasn’t exactly the safest section of the city.

  “You know—” she said, her annoyance evident.

  He made a split-second decision to go straight rather than turn.

  “Hey!” She cut herself off and looked over her shoulder. “You missed it. That was it.”

  “Yeah. You were so busy complaining you missed the paparazzi camped in front of your house.” He assumed it was her house. It was unlikely they were hounding anyone else in this neighborhood. “Does this run behind your place?” He turned into the narrow alley without waiting on her answer.

  It had a griminess universal to alleyways. Garbage littered the edge of the graffiti-covered back wall. A rusted washing machine listed drunkenly to one side amidst an assortment of plastic kids’ toys missing various parts, like a Big Wheel, minus the wheel.

  He stopped and let the car idle. “Which one is yours?”

  She shook her head. “I’m not getting out back here. Drop me off up front. I’ll deal with them.”

  An idea struck him, although she didn’t seem the type, but sometimes you never knew. “Do you like all the coverage? Being in the limelight?”

  She shot him a squelching look. “Don’t be ridiculous. This past month has been a nightmare.”

  “Then it’s crazy to go through them when you can go in this way.”

  “There are rats back here and I’m not getting out with rats.”

  As if on cue, his headlights pinpointed a rat the size of a small house cat at the corner of one of the garages that ran along the back of the row houses.

  Sunny clenched her hands together. “See? They’re awful. I never park in the garage because of them. I never even open my back door going into the garage.” She shook her head. “I’m not getting out back here.” Resolution underscored her words.

  Cade considered himself a reasonably intelligent man. He had quite a bit of experience with the fairer sex and he also dealt with Marlene and his sister, Gracie, on a regular basis, which was a veritable trial by fire…and come to think of it, Sunny sort of reminded him a little of both Gracie and Marlene—just this side short of a force of nature. He could rant and rave, he could attempt to persuade, but he knew this woman wasn’t getting out of his car back here. But he hadn’t outwitted the news and the paparazzi this long to let them win now.

  When plan A failed, a good bond-enforcement agent proceeded to plan B, and if there was no plan B, he improvised.

  “I’ll pull into your garage and walk you to your door. I’ll make sure you get inside rat-free.”

  She shook her head again, looking so wretched, vulnerable, and determined it sort of tugged on his heartstrings, which he could’ve sworn had disappeared a long time ago. “I can’t. If one of those things brushed against me or ran across my foot…I know you think I’m a pain in the ass. I think I’m a pain in the ass, but I cannot get out of this car back here.”

  A nice guy would deny she was a pain in the ass, but he wasn’t and she was. “Okay. I’ll unlock the door, come back to the car and carry you inside, thereby eliminating any remote possibility of contact with a rat.”

  Consternation chased across her face in the shadowed interior. “You can’t do that. I weigh too much.”

  Cade silently counted to five for patience. First he was a pervert, then a pest, now a weakling. “I bench-press more than three hundred pounds on a regular basis. Since I’m pretty damn sure you weigh less than that, we’re okay.”

  She made a funny, quirky face.

  “I’m not worried about you. I don’t want to be dropped.”

  He bit back an oath. “I’m stronger than I obviously look.” Why didn’t she just lop his nuts off and hand them to him? “Look, I just want to get you safely inside so I can go home and have a nice dinner.” His instinct had shouted that she’d be trouble. Unfortunately that same instinct demanded he protect her.

  “Girlfriend waiting?”

  “No. My stomach’s waiting. To be fed. Can we just get on with this?”

  “I must’ve missed something. I didn’t ask you to bring me home. You insisted. No, that’s not true. You pulled a caveman stunt and threatened to carry me out if I didn’t go willingly. I guess I’m lucky you were at least going to carry me outside rather than dragging me by my hair.”

  “I thought about it,” he drawled, “but you need longer hair if I’m going to get a really good dragging grip.”

  She narrowed her eyes and he had the distinct impression she wanted to plant her hands on her hips but there wasn’t room in the car. “I asked to be dropped out front but no. So, let’s get it straight, honey, I’m not the one being difficult.”

  “That’s a matter of opinion since you’re the one refusing to let me get you safely inside through the back door.” She’d nailed one thing straight on. She was a pain in his ass.

  She threw up her hands. “Okay, okay. Fine. Be a macho he-man knight riding in to the rescue in a yellow Corvette. Whatever. I’m hungry, too. In fact I’ll settle for a mediocre dinner.” Her stomach growled, punctuating her remark.

  Macho he-man knight riding in to the rescue in a yellow Corvette. A definite step up from a caveman. He bit back a triumphant smile at having finally worn her down and being that much closer to delivering her home safely. “Which one is yours?”

  “Third one.” She dug in her purse and pulled out a set of keys. “Here’s the garage key,” she said, handing it over.

  Her fingers brushed his and a funny little zing shot through him.

  Cade jumped out of the car and unlocked the garage door. The wind howled through the alley, slicing through his jacket. He raised the door and loped back to the car. He pulled into the parking spot and killed the engine but left the lights on. He had no desire to stumble around in the dark. Rats weren’t his favorite, either. He held the ring with its key assortment out to her. “Back door key?”

  Silently she handed it back to him. He got out and pulled down the garage door before unlocking the back door and returning to the car.

  The garage smelled musty and dank as if it hadn’t seen sunlight or fresh air in a long time. Most people crammed their garage full of junk. Hers stood totally empty except for his car. She obviously didn’t use the garage for anything.

  Sunny opened the car door and took off her seat belt. “I feel ridiculous,” she said, “so let’s just get this done as soon as possible.”

  “You sure? I was hoping we could drag it out for a while.”

  She ignored his sarcasm and sat as if waiting for the guillotine. “Okay. I’m ready.”

  Her marked lack of enthusiasm wasn’t exactly flattering.

  He bent down. “Put your arms around my neck.” She looped her hands together behind his head and suddenly her cheek was very, very close to his mouth and her scent, fresh and clean and womanly despite her jail stint, chased away the garage’s dankness.

  “Like this?” she said with a slight hitch, her breath warm against his jaw.

  “Like that.” He slid one arm beneath her knees, the other behind her shoulder and lifted her out of the car. He straightened. Her right breast pressed against his chest and her hip snugged low against his belly while her scent teased around him.

  His heart thudded inside his chest and his body tightened. It was like striking a match to a gas flame. Her arms tightened around his neck and her eyes widened as if she also felt the explosion of heat between them.

  Her fingers curled against his neck and her lips parted. Inst
inctively he dipped his head. Her breath mingled with his….

  They both jerked away simultaneously.

  “The door’s that way—” Her breath gusted against his neck.

  “Hold on—”

  Just get her in the house. That was all he needed to do. He’d wanted her before he’d ever met her. And right now want was an ache inside him. But wanting her was…complicated, because he didn’t exactly understand why he wanted her. And when it came to women, Cade didn’t do complicated.

  * * *

  Sunny reminded herself to breathe. Breathing was good. Kissing Cade Stone—not so good. Actually, it’d probably be very good, but not so smart.

  His heart thudded against her shoulder and she felt fluttery inside. She needed her head examined. Maybe she’d concussed herself earlier today and hadn’t realized it. His arms were like bands of steel beneath her shoulders and knees. She drew a steadying breath, inhaling the heady scent of man and leather.

  He shouldered open her back door and carried her into the kitchen, shouldering it closed once again. She released her hold on his neck and he promptly deposited her onto her own two feet, as if he was as eager to release her as she was to be released. She stepped back from him, coming up against the door.

  What had just happened? Well, she knew what had almost happened. She just didn’t know why. And surely she wasn’t disappointed that he hadn’t kissed her? She couldn’t possibly be frustrated with herself that she’d been a breath away from tossing caution to the wind and kissing him.

  The air between them practically quivered with an elemental pull.

  “I thought you said I wasn’t your type,” she challenged, still slightly breathless from the sheer magnetism of his nearness.

  He quirked one dark eyebrow. “You’re not.”

  Thinner, younger, prettier all came to her mind. Somehow she didn’t think he bothered too much with smart.

  “Then why’d you almost kiss me?” She’d never been one to beat around the bush or play games. She shifted closer, drawn to him, as if bound to him by an invisible cord.

  He closed the gap between them and her heart pounded. “You know, I thought you almost kissed me and you claimed I wasn’t your type.”

  “You’re definitely not. At all. No way. In fact, I knew if I met you I wouldn’t like you and I don’t.” Well, there was like and then there was like. Lust, which seemed to be alive and well where he was concerned, was an altogether different matter.

  He lowered his head, his jaw nearly brushing her own. Anticipation shivered down her spine at his almost-touch. “Funny,” he said, the low gravel of his voice stroking along her nerve endings, “I’m pretty sure I don’t like you either.”

  She stood on tiptoe, her lips nearly touching his ear and whispered the burning question. “Then why’d you want to kiss me?”

  “Damned if I know.” He cupped her chin in his big hand and tilted her face up to his. His tawny eyes appeared smoky in the near-dark. “All you’ve done is insult me since I’ve met you.” He brushed his thumb against the corner of her lower lip and her knees threatened to give way. “You know, you’re a very frustrating woman.”

  She braced her hands on his shoulders, his muscle rock hard beneath the supple leather. “I’m frustrating?” She nipped the tip of his thumb. “Have you looked in a mirror lately? I didn’t threaten to carry you out of the police station slung over my shoulder.”

  “Only because you knew you couldn’t. Otherwise, I’m sure you would have.” He smiled that lopsided smile and she knew that none of her fantasies about Cade Stone had prepared her for this. “You were being noncooperative. You didn’t leave me any choice.” His tawny eyes pierced her like a laser. “I’m more interested in why you didn’t kiss me than why you almost did.”

  Good Lord, he had the most sensuous mouth. Had she ever so desperately wanted just a kiss?

  “It struck me as a very bad choice. I decided kissing you would be more trouble than it was worth.”

  “Who knew?” His head blocked the light, enclosing them in intimate shadow, his lips brushing hers even as he spoke. “We have something in common because I thought the same thing.”

  And then his mouth was on hers and Sunny realized that while she’d definitely been kissed before, she’d never really been kissed.

  Chapter 6

  “I should leave,” Cade said. Dammit, he’d known kissing her was a bad idea. Just like he’d known meeting her was a bad idea. And staying any longer sure as hell was a bad idea. He’d done what he came to do. “Do you need anything before I go?”

  Sunny’s cell phone rang, interrupting what he was sure was going to be a no. She fished it out of the purse still slung over her shoulder. She looked at the flashing display with a perplexed frown, apparently not recognizing the number, and answered the call. “Hello?”

  He didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but it was damn near impossible not to hear the woman’s strident voice on the other end when he was still standing right in front of Sunny. “Sunny, this is Tosha Mackey with WMPH news. We’d like to tell your side of the story. What do you think of City Councilman Meeks’s assertion that you tried to kill him today?”

  “No comment.”

  Sunny disconnected the call. Before she could draw a breath it rang again. She gave it another go. A man’s voice rushed. “Do you regret what—”

  She hung up on the caller and pushed the cell phone’s off button. She drew a deep breath and a terse smile played around her lips. “Yes, there is one more thing you can do for me.”

  Despite sounding calm, despite the smile, she radiated fury.

  “What is it?”

  “What is the absolute worst dive bar you know?”

  “The Three-Star,” he answered automatically. The Three-Star Bar a couple of blocks off of Beale generated plenty of business for AA Atco. Drunken brawls were a daily occurrence, not to mention the occasional prostitution bust and drug deal. “Why?”

  “Can you drop me off there?” She thought he’d drop her off at The Three-Star Bar? Maybe when hell froze over. “If it’s out of your way I can call a cab.”

  “Exactly why do you want to go to the Three-Star? I missed that part.”

  She sidestepped around him. “I have been hounded, harassed and been made a laughingstock for the past month. It was so bad at one point that I didn’t leave my house for two weeks. Today I made a mistake but to tell you the truth, I don’t regret it.” She paced while she talked, back and forth across the small kitchen. “I’m not sorry in the least that I rammed into that slimy little toad.”

  He barely stopped himself from clamping his hand over her mouth. If she said that to the wrong person she didn’t have a hope in hell of not doing jail time. “You might want to keep that tidbit private.”

  She stopped in her tracks. “Private! Private? Nothing in my life has been private for the past month. I thought my cell phone number was private, but apparently not any longer.”

  He was looking at a woman who’d been pushed past her limits. She was one step beyond reason.

  She resumed pacing. “I’m not playing the game any longer. I’m not going to sit huddled in this house with no food and no phone and worry myself sick over whether I’m going to jail for a felony and how I’m going to pay the fines and what it’ll do to my business if I wind up in the slammer and what it’ll be like if I get a cell mate like Spanky.” Who the hell was Spanky? “Nope.” She planted herself in front of him, arms crossed over her chest, her chin tilted aggressively. “I’m going to the Three-Star and getting knee-crawling drunk.” He’d wager she’d never been knee-crawling drunk in her life. It would’ve made the news during the past month or at some point in her campaign, plus he’d read enough about her that he had a pretty good idea of the fundamental Sunny Templeton. On a sane, rational day she wasn’t the let’s-get-drunk type, knee-crawling or otherwise. Sane and rational, however, seemed to have momentarily vacated her premises. “If they want a story, I’ll give them a story.”


  “That would be a mistake,” he said in a neutral tone.

  “It wouldn’t be the first one I’ve made. Don’t worry about it. I’ll call a cab. Or my friend Joanie.” She started to turn on her cell phone.

  He stayed her with his hand on hers, thinking quick on his feet. She would definitely regret this if she went through with it. And given her mood, if she kissed some guy after a few drinks the same way she’d just kissed him, Cade would have to rip the guy’s head off. He had no right at all to feel territorial but he wanted to snarl at just the idea. Altogether a bad situation for everyone involved. Her friend Joanie would probably talk some sense into her. Or maybe not. He wasn’t willing to take that chance.

  There was only one way to make sure she didn’t get within spitting distance of the Three-Star or any other bar. “No need to call a cab or Joanie. I’ll give you a ride.”

  “You’re sure?”

  He didn’t know if situational hysteria was an actual term. If it wasn’t, it should be. That’s what he’d call this. He considered slapping her to see if she’d snap out of it but he wasn’t sure he could actually hit a woman, and if she didn’t snap out of it, she’d probably slap him back…and wind up calling her friend.

  “No problem. I can even wait if you want to shower first and change clothes.” A little time and a hot shower might calm her down, change her mind.

  “Oh, no. I’m ready to go now.”

  Not that he needed additional proof that she was over the edge, but no woman in her right mind would go out with her hair doing that crazy sticking out thing and her mascara smeared under her eyes, even if was only heading to the Three-Star. He actually found her very sexy despite the hair and makeup and she’d definitely outclass any other woman at the Three-Star but still….

  “Okay.” Mindful of her rat phobia, he scooped her up in his arms, thinking it was downright disconcerting how right she felt there, and opened the back door. “Then we’ll go now.”

  Damn, she was going to be mad. Eventually she’d thank him for saving her from herself.