Karen Rose - Have You Seen Her?

"Do you have any scotch?" Ned asked, leaning back and closing his eyes. "Scratch that, I've got to go to the airport for her folks in an hour. Water would be good."

"Have you eaten anything?" she asked and he grimaced.

"I don't think that's a good idea right now. Just water." Ned opened his eyes and met Jenna's even gaze. "Thanks, Jen. I know what you think of me, and I guess most of it's been true, but-"

Jenna put her fingers over his mouth. "No, Ned. You're here for Casey and that's enough for me. I'll go get your water. Lucas, you'll stay here with him?"

And with Lucas's nod she turned to find Steven still waiting, his expression more humble.

"Casey's boyfriend," Jenna said, looking up at him.

"How is she?" Steven murmured. His hands opened and closed like he wanted to touch her. She wished he would. She really, really wished he would.

Jenna shrugged. "Touch and go. Next forty-eight hours will tell." She closed her eyes. "If only she'd been in her own car. The air bag would have deployed and she'd be okay right now."

Steven looked at her, feeling a burst of relief that she was standing here on her own two feet. Alive. She could have been the one in critical condition right now. But she wasn't. She was alive. Wearing her karate gi and a pair of sandals, her face worn from worry, but she was alive. He needed to touch her, to prove to himself she was solid flesh and bone.

He just needed to touch her. But after the last time, would she let him?

It didn't matter. His hand was lifting to her cheek on its own. Then she turned her face into his palm and that was all he needed. He pulled her into his arms and she came willingly, sliding her arms around his waist beneath his jacket. He pressed a kiss to her temple and she shuddered.

He shuddered right along with her, but for a very different reason. Her best friend was clinging to life because somebody tried to kill her. Over a damn football game. How would she feel when she found out her life was worth less than a damn football game to Lutz and his hoodlum friends? And what if Davies was right and Lutz was capable of so much more? Anger clawed at his gut, but he kept his voice, his touch, gentle. He smoothed a hand over her shiny hair and lifted her chin so he could see her face. He brushed his thumb across her lower lip. "I came as soon as I heard."

Her dark brows snapped together, creating worry lines in her forehead he wanted to kiss away. "How did you know?"

This wasn't the time to tell her she'd been the target, Steven thought. He'd tell her when he got her alone. Where she could curse and cry in private. "The police called me," he said softly, still touching her face, still convincing himself she was okay. "You know how the rumor mill is. You visit me at a search site and half the force knows we're…" He shrugged. "Whatever we are."

She searched his face and his heart stumbled. "What are we?" she whispered.

You're mine , his mind answered. Mine, mine, mine . But he drew a breath and murmured instead, "I want to find out if you're still willing."

She blinked her violet eyes, then nodded. "I am."

A new wave of relief practically cut him at the knees. "Then will you wait for me here? I want to take you home, but I need to give someone a ride first. I'll be back to get you in an hour. Hour and a half, tops."

Jenna looked over his shoulder to where Davies still stood. "Who is he?"

Davies stepped forward, his hand outstretched. "I'm Detective Neil Davies. I'm working with Agent Thatcher on a case."

Steven looked at Davies and wanted to frown. There was a light in Davies's eyes, a light Steven recognized and didn't like one iota. It was the light that came on in a man's eyes when he saw a woman that he wanted. Steven was sure the same look had come into his eyes when he'd first seen Jenna.

Jenna pulled her arms from around his waist to shake Davies's hand, leaving Steven feeling bereft. And pissed at Davies. He'd let Davies on his professional turf because he knew the mind of their killer, but… But stay away from my woman .

"It's good to meet you, Detective," she said, giving him one of her beautiful smiles, and Steven felt irrational jealousy simmer. "I'm Jenna. I'm glad Steven has some support on this case. I know it's been consuming his time." She turned back to Steven with a sigh. "Thanks for offering to take me home tonight, but I think I'll stay here."

"No, she won't."

Surprise on her face, she turned around to where an older man stood, looking determined. She frowned at him. "Yes, I will, Lucas."

The man named Lucas shook his head stubbornly. "You heard what the doctor said. We can't see her till she's stable. You might as well get some rest so you'll be strong tomorrow."

"He makes sense, Jenna," Steven said quietly.

Jenna sighed. "His logic is solid, this once. I'll wait for you here, Steven."

She's as beautiful up close as she was through binoculars , Neil thought. As beautiful as she'd been in his dreams. And now, having seen her up close, having heard the smoothness of her voice, he knew he'd never get Jenna Marshall out of his mind.

"So who is she?" Neil demanded without preamble as he and Thatcher pulled out of the parking garage ten minutes later. Thatcher had been wearing a self-satisfied smile since Jenna had promised to wait for him and Neil wanted to wipe it from Thatcher's face with a ferocity that shocked him.

Thatcher glanced over at him, his smile becoming a hard frown. "She's my son's teacher." Thatcher was no idiot, Neil mused. He knew another man on the hunt.

"Just your son's teacher?"

Thatcher clenched his teeth. "And my…"

If Thatcher didn't know, Neil figured Jenna Marshall was not his woman after all. "Friend, girlfriend, lover, betrothed?" he asked sardonically.

A muscle twitched in Thatcher's jaw. "Yes to one and two, not yet to three and four."

"I see."

"Make sure you do," Steven said with false mildness. It must be the way Southern men posture, Neil thought and was not impressed.

They were quiet for several miles until Thatcher said harshly, "That accident was no accident."

Neil turned in his seat, giving Thatcher his full attention. "What do you mean?"

"Jenna flunked one of the football players last week, suspending him from the team. The ballplayer and his friends have been making her life a living hell for the last week, slashing her tires, vandalizing her classroom. That call earlier was from the Raleigh PD. Her brakes were cut."

A new fury burned inside him. "Then Jenna was the target and her friend was just in the wrong place, wrong time."

"Yeah." Thatcher's voice shook when he said the word. "I'll tell her when I pick her up later. Oh, and three guesses as to who the football player is."

Neil shot upright in the seat. "No fucking way."

"Yes fucking way. Our own Rudy Lutz."

His heart began to race. Close. They were close. "Can you prove he's done the vandalism?"

"None of it so far," Thatcher said tightly. "We could bring him in for questioning, but we don't have enough to hold him. Certainly not enough to arrest him at this point. His father's fancy lawyers would have anything we gathered tossed out of court."

"But if we could arrest him-"

"We could get our own DNA sample to compare to the hair we found at the clearing." Thatcher nodded. "Yeah, I thought of that already."

"So what next?" Neil asked, practically vibrating, charged up and ready to pounce.

"See if we can't more closely link Rudy to the trouble at the school or Jenna's car tonight. Stay back for now, Davies. Let's let the locals do their job and see where we come out."

Neil bit his cheek. "I'll stay back for now." From Parker , he thought, but not from Jenna .