Paula Graves - Forbidden Temptation

He hid a smile, kept his emotions in check. But inside, the answer rang in his head like an edict from on high.

Nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing.

They could do nothing to stop him now.

DANIEL HEARD Rose’s soft intake of breath. He turned to find her looking at the crowd behind her, her face as pale as winter. He followed her haunted gaze. Had she seen someone? Did she know who Orion was? “What is it?”

Rose turned back to the front, her jaw rigid. “Nothing.”

She was lying. She’d seen something. “What did you see?”

She pressed her pale lips together, not answering. But she looked terrified.

Daniel looked back over his shoulder, scanning the crowd. There were more women than men, although the crowd was liberally sprinkled with males, many of them there with their wives or girlfriends. Any one of them could be Orion; Daniel knew the killer he’d been tracking all these years had to be pretty damned good at blending in with average people or he wouldn’t have escaped apprehension this long.

Was it the average Joe in the corner, sitting with his arm around a wide-eyed blonde with limp hair and baggy clothes? Was it the preppie-looking thirtysomething three rows back, wearing a bright green golf shirt, a trendy pair of Oakley sunglasses tucked into the breast pocket?

Who had Rose Browning seen that made her face go pale and her breathing shallow?

“Want something to drink?” he asked Rose.

She shook her head in the negative, but he got up and headed back to the refreshment table, anyway, determined to station himself along the wall by the time Frank started his presentation to the people gathered. There was no way in hell Orion could have resisted this meeting, and Daniel wanted to be in a position to observe the men in the audience. Something as simple as an inappropriate smile could betray the killer.

He kept his eye on the crowd as the neighborhood association president introduced Frank Carter and the topic of the evening. As John Fielding finished the introduction, he singled Rose out from the crowd, asking her to stand.

She stood, her expression placid but her red cheeks betraying her embarrassment. She glanced toward where Daniel leaned against the wall, and he gave a brief nod. Her color deepened and she quickly dropped back into her chair.

The neighborhood association president finished up and Frank took the podium. As he went into his presentation, Daniel pulled a notepad from his pocket and scanned the crowd.

By the time Frank finished giving a series of practical ways for women to protect themselves-safety in numbers, practicing radical awareness of one’s surroundings, installing security devices for auto and home-Daniel had jotted notes on several men in the crowd whose behaviors had pinged his internal radar for odd behavior.

Unfortunately, none of them was Orion.

Still, there might be wife-beaters, rapists and con artists in this crowd, and it wouldn’t hurt to give Frank a heads-up.

After Frank’s presentation ended, the crowd headed toward the back of the room to partake of the refreshments. Daniel scanned the crowd, looking for Rose Browning, but couldn’t see her. Biting back a sigh of frustration, he headed for Carter.

“Everywhere I turn, there you are,” Frank murmured, his voice desert-dry.

“Think your killer could resist a meeting like this?”

“You think it’s the same guy for all three.”

“He’s killed other women in other places.”

Frank’s voice took on a different color. “Are you sure it’s the same guy?”

Daniel met the detective’s dark eyes. He knew they were talking about Tina’s murder now. “Not yet.”

Frank nodded. “Let me know if you figure it out.”

“You’ll be my first call.”

“Did you notice any possibles?”

Daniel shook his head. “Not for Orion-”

“Orion?”

Daniel smiled, feeling a little self-conscious. “It’s the name I’ve given him.”

“Orion.” Frank cocked his head. “I like it. It fits.”

“Did see a few guys you should keep your eye on for other stuff,” Daniel added, pointing out the handful of men he’d observed during the presentation.

“I’m familiar with three of them already,” Frank admitted. “Good call. Do you want me to see if my lieutenant will bring you in on the investigation? He might be up for it.”

“Not yet. Want to stay off the radar, for now.”

Frank frowned. “I’m not sure I like you wandering around out there freelancing. This is my case, and I don’t want it messed up by someone who’s not working on the same page as me.”

“I’ll be careful.”

Carter didn’t seem appeased by Daniel’s assurance, but one of the meeting attendees interrupted at that point, pulling Frank away. Daniel took advantage of the opportunity to look for Rose again. He spotted her, finally, sitting alone near the front of the room, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

She gave a start when he dropped into the chair next to her. Her silvery-brown eyes met his, wide and troubled.

“Not hungry?”

She shook her head.

“Did you come here with Melissa?”

“No, I got a ride with a neighbor.” She looked toward an older woman standing in line at the refreshment table. “She wanted to stay around a little bit, see if she could get a word with Detective Carter.”

“I could drive you home.” He hadn’t known he’d make the offer until the words spilled from his lips. He had planned to hang around the place a little longer, watch the crowd in case he’d missed something.

“Not necessary,” she said softly. “Besides, aren’t you looking for the killer? You don’t want to sneak out too early and miss him.”

So she did know who he was. He’d begun to suspect as much. “Don’t mind if I sit here while I look, do you?”

Her lips curved slightly. “Free country.”

He settled next to her, his arm brushing hers. Sparks flew, sizzling along his nerve endings. He hadn’t felt anything quite like her effect on him in a long time.

Too long.

“So why didn’t you just tell me who you were the first time we met?” Rose asked.

“Wanted to keep a low profile.”

“Until it came time to trick Melissa into giving you my name and address.”

“Technically, I already knew your address.”

The look she gave him singed his eyebrows. “So, I’m guessing that you’re not really in the market for a wedding planner, either.”

“No.” He changed the subject. “Earlier tonight, you looked back in the crowd and saw someone or something that upset you. What was it?”

“I just got a creepy feeling,” she answered tightly, looking away. He knew immediately it wasn’t the truth. Not the full truth, anyway. But she showed no signs of budging from her vague explanation, so he tabled the discussion for later.

“He was here, wasn’t he?” she added, half whispering.

He didn’t have to ask whom she was talking about. “I can’t see him not showing up for something like this.”

Her pale face went a shade whiter. “I could feel him.”

He frowned. “Feel him?”

Her gaze darted up to meet his. “I know that sounds crazy.”

Not entirely. He’d felt Orion in the room tonight, too. But his hunch was based less on emotion or some intangible sensibility than a scientist’s certainty that, given all the variables at play, it was nearly impossible for a killer like Orion to resist the opportunity to see the fruits of his labors.

He knew Orion had been here because the killer was incapable of staying away.

“Detective Carter gave a good presentation.” Rose changed the subject abruptly. “I’ve overheard a lot of women saying that they feel safer just knowing he’s on the case.”