Janet Evanovich - Full Speed

They paused and watched the buttons bounce. "This was never my favorite shirt," Max said, covering her mouth once more.

Everything seemed to be happening quickly. Jamie was only vaguely aware of Max removing her sandals, caressing her legs. She reached for his belt as he slipped his hands up her skirt and tugged at her panties. Oh God, she thought as he managed to work them down past her hips and thighs and calves.

"Damn belt," she muttered, trying to unfasten it.

"You've got sexy legs," Max said, pressing his lips against her inner thigh.

"Thank you," she managed.

"You're welcome." He looked at her strangely. "Are you OK?"

"Maybe we could rearrange ourselves. My ears are pounding. I thought it was desire at first, but I think the blood is rushing to my brain."

In one move, Max turned her so that her head was at the foot of the bed and her feet at the top. "That's better," she said.

Max didn't seem to be listening. He shoved her skirt high as he kissed his way up her leg. He touched her lightly with his tongue, and Jamie cried out. She thought she heard Fleas moan in the background.

Fleas began to howl.

Max raised his head. "Come with me, Fleas," he said sternly.

The dog followed him from the bedroom and into the kitchen, where Max pulled out an entire package of ham. He tossed it, wrapper and all, to the floor before hurrying back into the bedroom, where he closed the door and locked it.

"Fleas is having a snack," he said, his gaze flitting over Jamie's half-clad body. He reached for his zipper. From somewhere far away a phone rang.

Jamie blinked rapidly, trying to clear her head, even as she reached for him. She barely choked the word, "Phone!"

Max paused, gave his head a shake, and raced from the room. He found his cell phone on the table. He pushed a button. "Yeah?" His breathing was ragged.

"Max Holt?"

"Speaking."

"Hello, Max. This is Nicholas Santoni."

* * * * *

Jamie got off the bed, pulled her skirt into place, and walked into the living room, where she found Max on his cell phone.

The look on his face told her something was wrong. "I'm listening," Max said.

Jamie waited, afraid to speak. Fleas got up and ambled toward them. Finally, Max hung up.

"What is it?" Jamie asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"That was Nick Santoni. He has Dave."

"What? Oh, my God! Is Dave—"

"He's alive, but he's hurt. One of Santoni's dogs got him."

"Oh, no!" Jamie covered her face.

Max rubbed his brow as he punched several buttons on his phone.

Jamie looked at Max. "How did Santoni know where to reach you?"

"He called from Dave's cell phone. My number is programmed into it. Our phones have a GPS, you know, a global positioning—"

"I know, it allows you to see where the two of you are calling from."

"Yeah, only I can't get a fix on his location, so the system has obviously been disabled." It was obvious Max was trying to remain calm. "I need blankets and clean sheets. Just in case."

"What? Why?"

"Find them, Jamie. Quick!"

She raced to the hall closet and began pulling out bed linen while Max threw on a T-shirt and grabbed his shoes. He stuffed his cell phone into his pocket.

"Please tell me what's going on," Jamie said as he took the bedclothes from her.

"Santoni is going to call me back in ten minutes and tell me where he dumped Dave. I don't know what kind of shape he'll be in, but I may have to put him in the back of the truck and take him to the hospital."

"Let me grab my shoes and purse," Jamie said as Max started for the door.

"You can't come."

Jamie stopped in her tracks.

"Santoni told me to come alone or not at all."

"Max, you can't—"

"I have no choice." He raced out the door without closing it.

"We should call the police!" she cried.

"No! Santoni will kill Dave for sure then."

Jamie watched in silence as Max wrenched open the door to the passenger's side of the truck, dumped the sheets and blankets on the seat, and slammed the door. "I'll call you when I know something."

Jamie watched him speed away. She stood there, staring out into the night, wondering what to do next. What was Santoni up to? she wondered, unable to come up with an answer that didn't scare her to death. Had he already killed Dave? Was he just reeling Max in so he could kill him as well? Her thoughts terrified her.

She closed the door, stood there for a moment, unable to think. She needed to do something. Should she call the police? And tell them what? She raked her hands through her hair. What to do, what to do?

Calm down, she told herself. She had to find something to do, something that would give her direction. She was usually pretty good in emergencies; it wasn't until afterward that she went ballistic. Coffee. That was always a good place to start. She needed to be alert when Max called.

She put on the coffee and then shoved a load of laundry into the washing machine just to have something else to do. She hated the washing machine because it was so loud. No telling how old it was. No time to worry about that now. She wondered how long she would have to wait before Max called. She would have to be ready to walk out the door the minute she heard from him. She had to be prepared in case—

She tried to think. She might have to meet Max at the hospital. If Dave was hurt, Max would definitely rush him to the hospital. That's probably when he would call her. She should change clothes. Better yet, a quick shower in case they had to sit with Dave a long time. Jamie hurried into her bedroom, grabbed a pair of slacks, a blouse, and fresh underwear, and raced into the bathroom.

* * * * *

Max's cell phone rang, and he snatched it up. "Hello, Max," Nick said from the other end of the line. His voice was smooth and unhurried, as though he had all the time in the world.

"How is Dave?" Max said.

"He's alive if that's what you're asking. Listen, I hear you're a genius. Let's see how smart you are. I'm going to give you a clue, and it's up to you to figure out where your friend is. If you do, he lives. If you fail, he dies."

"You're going to pay for this, Santoni."

"You have a choice, Holt. You play along or I disconnect our call and you will never find your friend. What's it going to be?"

"What's the clue?"

"Clue number one: Where do dead things go?"

"A funeral home? A morgue?"

Santoni chuckled. "Why are you asking me? I already know the answer. It's up to you to figure it out. Good luck, Max." The line went dead.

Max slammed the ball of his hand against the steering wheel. "Dammit!"

"I heard," Muffin said.

"Dave could be lying in a graveyard," Max said. "How many are there in this damn town?"

"I don't think so," Muffin said. "Did you not listen to the question? Santoni specifically asked where dead things go. Things, not people."

"What things?" Max demanded.

"I don't know; I'm trying to figure it out."

"Oh, shit, I just thought of something."

"What?"

"Jamie could be in danger!"

* * * * *

It wasn't until she'd lathered herself from head to toe that Jamie realized she'd forgotten to bring in her cell phone. Oh, crap. She quickly rinsed, wrapped a towel around her, and hurried into the living room for her purse. The phone wasn't there. Where had she left it? She began to search. Had she left the thing in the truck?

She dressed in record time. The telephone rang in the kitchen and Jamie raced for it. Max was on the other end.

"Jamie, get out of the house!"

Her heart lurched. "What? What's wrong? Have you got Dave?"

"No, I'm on my way. Listen, the global positioning system on my phone works. Santoni knows where I was when I received both calls. You have to leave immediately."