Janet Evanovich - Full Speed

* * * * *

"Holy hell!" Dave said, pointing at the TV.

"What now?" Max said.

Dave sat in front of the TV, a magnifying glass in his hand. He'd been checking his wound again, despite the fact a doctor in the emergency room had assured him it didn't look like a bite and there was no need to be vaccinated for rabies.

Max followed Dave's gaze to the TV set, where the Knoxville chief of police was holding up a composite drawing of Jamie in her disguise. Max didn't realize Jamie had followed him into the room until he heard her gasp out loud.

"Oh, my God," she said.

"It gets worse," Dave told them. "The medical examiner was just on, and you won't believe what he said." Max and Jamie looked at him. "Rawlins's throat was cut from ear to ear."

"Jesus," Max said. "He wasn't like that when we last saw him."

Jamie nodded. "Somebody came into the room after we left. Before the police arrived."

"Why would somebody slit his throat?" Max asked. "He was already dead."

Dave looked up. "Here's one even better. What if the killer had been there the whole time? Just waiting," he added. "Hell, he could have been hiding behind the shower curtain."

Jamie felt a sudden chill. "Somebody wanted to make certain he was dead. That somebody wanted to make one hundred percent certain that Harlan Rawlins never drew breath again."

"Or talked," Max added.

* * * * *

"Jamie, can I come in?" Max said, knocking softly.

He heard a click, and the door opened. Jamie stood there, her arms folded across her stomach. She wore cutoff jeans and a thin white T-shirt.

"Are you OK?" Max asked, trying not to stare at her breasts, but he could see her nipples against the shirt.

Jamie shrugged and backed away from the door. "I've been better."

Max went inside. Fleas was lying on the floor beside her bed, having been relegated to that part of the house because of Dave's allergies. Although the dog didn't raise his head, his eyes followed Max as he stepped closer to Jamie. "I feel crummy, too, Jamie. I know Rawlins was a thief and a liar—"

"Not to mention an adulterer," Jamie added. "He probably abused his wife as well."

"Probably."

"I feel bad about Rawlins," she said, "but that's not why I'm freaked out. I'm scared to close my eyes, Max. I keep thinking about what Dave said. The murderer could very well have been in the hotel room when Harlan and I were there. I don't remember if the shower curtain was closed, but it would have been a perfect place to hide. What if—"

"Stop asking yourself what if," Max said. "The killer wasn't interested in hurting you; he wanted Harlan."

"I can't shake the feeling that he's going to get me next. Every time I close my eyes I imagine him standing over me by my bed. Watching me. I don't think I'll ever be able to close my eyes again."

Max walked over to the bed and pulled the covers aside. "Why don't you lie down, and I'll sit with you?"

Jamie lay on the bed. Max tried not to stare at her long legs.

He sat down on the edge and regarded her. "This is why I didn't want you to come with me," he said. "I was afraid something like this would happen."

"I know. But all I could think about was getting my big story. Now Harlan's dead. I don't have the story, and I wasn't able to get any information from him before he was murdered."

"You got an invitation to his private residence," Max said. "He invited you to lunch. I think he would have told you something if he hadn't died."

"You're just trying to make me feel better."

"No, Jamie. I believe Harlan desperately needed someone he could talk to. I believe he trusted you." Max reached up and pulled a stray lock of hair from her face. "I'm glad we got rid of that wig. Your hair is too pretty to cover up." He let his hand rest against her cheek for a moment.

Jamie swallowed. His touch was so tender she felt something in her stomach flutter. "We have to find out who killed him, Max."

"I definitely think Santoni is responsible."

"He could have hired a woman to pass herself off as a maid. That way she could have had access to the room."

"Most women don't kill with a knife, and from the description on the news it was very brutal. Of course, a knife is quiet and comes in handy when one has to worry about noise, so that would change things. It could have been a man dressed as a woman."

"What about Ward Reed, the bodyguard?" Jamie asked. "He certainly had opportunity. Maybe Santoni got to him, offered him a ton of money."

"Or maybe Reed was already working for Santoni," Max said.

"What makes you think it wasn't Santoni himself?"

"I don't know that it wasn't, but most mob figures in his position would have hired it out because the risk would be too great. Not that Santoni isn't a risk-taker," he added. "He's taken so many risks that most of his family is against him. All I know is, whoever killed Harlan knew exactly what he was doing."

"Meaning this person has killed before and is going to kill again."

"Not necessarily. I think he got what he wanted. Let's not talk about it anymore tonight, OK? You need to try and rest." He stood.

"Max?"

"Yeah?"

Jamie was almost embarrassed to ask. "Would you sleep in here tonight?"

His look softened. "Are you sure Fleas won't mind?" he asked, as though hoping he could tease her into feeling better.

"He'll understand."

"OK." Max cut the light, rounded the bed, and kicked off his shoes.

Jamie felt the mattress dip under his weight as he lay down on the bed. He reached for her, pulled her close. Jamie lay there, her back flush against his chest. She could smell his aftershave, feel his breath on her neck. She allowed his warmth to seep in, allowed her body to relax for the first time since they'd found Harlan dead.

"Damn, Swifty, you feel good," he whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Max adjusted his body so that she wouldn't know just how good she did feel against him.

Jamie's body responded to his nearness, the protective arm that held her close. She felt safe for the first time since finding Harlan sprawled on the bathroom floor. She shifted on the bed, trying to get closer.

"Don't do that," Max muttered, in a pained voice.

Jamie was acutely conscious of his body against hers, the hard lines that made her feel so secure. She and Max might have differences from time to time, but she knew instinctively that he would protect her no matter what. It gave her some satisfaction to know that he was as conscious of her body as she was of his. She smiled in the darkness. She was thankful she could find something to smile about after her day. "Don't do what?" she said after a moment.

"Dammit, Jamie, you know what you do to me.

"No, tell me." Even as she said it she wondered why she was teasing him. Perhaps she was simply looking for escape in Max's arms, or maybe she liked knowing Max desired her.

"I think it's obvious," Max said after a moment.

Jamie heard the smile in his voice. "Max, I know we don't always see eye-to-eye. I know you find me disagreeable at times."

"Uh-huh."

"But I appreciate your being here with me."

"Why wouldn't I? You know how I feel about you, Jamie. It's not like I haven't told you."

She took a deep shuddering breath. "I know you care about me, Max, but I think a big part is due to …" She paused.

"My attraction to you? Of course I'm attracted to you." He tightened his arm around her. "You make me crazy sometimes."

She heard the huskiness in his voice and something more. A need. She knew how he felt. She had tried to fight her attraction to Max from the moment she'd laid eyes on him, had tried to fight her feelings. But there was no denying it. She had never been so drawn to a man, and that's what scared her.

God, where was her self-control? she thought.