Brenda Novak - The Perfect Murder

Immediately switching to business, as if that was the only reason he’d have to call her, she nodded. “Let me know if you get anywhere with Wesley. I’ll be visiting the Indian casinos today, asking around. Maybe I’ll get lucky and come up with someone who’s seen him or knows when he usually comes in.”

“Be careful.”

“I will.”

He walked her to the door, but she hurried out before he could touch her again. Muttering a soft “Bye” over her shoulder, she headed down the walkway. She didn’t want to deal with that awkward moment-both of them wondering if they should embrace or kiss goodbye. It had been a furious coupling, nothing more. Now that she was emerging from her long hibernation, she was doing it with a vengeance, but she had to avoid confusing lust with love. Between Noah and Oliver, she’d already had more than her fair share of difficult relationships. No need to ask for another hard knock.

On the ground floor, she raised her umbrella and braced against the cold wind as she picked her way through the puddles in the parking lot. When she reached her car, she allowed herself a final glance at Sebastian’s window-and saw him standing there, staring down at her. What was he thinking?

Managing another casual wave, she got behind the wheel. At least he knew how to make love. That bone-melting moment when he’d brought her to the heights of pleasure had been unlike anything she’d ever experienced.

She thought of Jonathan’s advice to “get back on the horse” and almost laughed aloud. She’d done exactly that. And it’d been worth the ride.

As long as she wasn’t pregnant…

After tossing and turning for most of the night, suffering from another bout of heartburn and the anxiety created by what Pam Wartle had told him, Malcolm slept late. He was eventually awakened by Latisha and Marcie yelling to be let loose so they could go to the bathroom. But he wasn’t willing to leave the comfort of his bed. Ignoring their pleas, he listened to the storm rage outside while going over his late-night conversation with the one person who’d made his escape from justice possible.

When Sebastian had stopped going to the brokerage house, Malcolm had assumed Colton ’s father just needed some “personal time.” That was what he’d been told. The man at Lincoln Hawke Financial-the man he’d spoken to on the phone last summer-had said Sebastian was taking “a few months to deal with a personal tragedy.” Malcolm had known what that personal tragedy was, had even taken pride in being the cause of it. Finally, he’d knocked the arrogant Sebastian Costas on his ass.

But it’d been more than a year since the shootings. Why wasn’t Sebastian back at work? What the hell had he been doing for so long? Was he hurt and suffering-or was he angry and vengeful?

Probably both. And if he was tracking Malcolm, he had the wherewithal to do it. Judging by the cash that’d passed through Emily’s hands whenever Colton had the simplest need, Sebastian had plenty of money.

The threat that Colton ’s father might come after him made Malcolm’s esophagus burn again. Sebastian could be a stubborn son of a bitch. Why hadn’t he accepted the DNA evidence, like everyone else? If Sebastian was convinced that the man who’d killed his son was alive, he wouldn’t stop until he found what he was looking for…

“Wesley? Can you unchain us? Please?” It was Latisha, and the whine in her voice put his teeth on edge. “I gotta pee. I can’t hold it.”

“Didn’t I tell you to shut up?” he yelled. “It hasn’t been five freakin’ minutes since you complained before. I’m tryin’ to think in here!”

“But…it’ll only take a second,” she called back. “I don’t want to go on the floor.”

“You’ll lick it up if you do,” he hollered.

“Please? I’ll make you breakfast if you’ll let me use the toilet.”

Damn it! They wouldn’t give him a moment’s peace. What did he care if they had to go to the bathroom?

Muttering a string of oaths, he rolled out of bed, once again lamenting the fact that he’d saddled himself with two young women-with anyone. What had started out as a thrill-and a potential convenience-had turned out to be a major mistake. He wasn’t getting any work out of them. He couldn’t unchain them long enough to get them to do anything. If he did, he had to release one at a time, then watch her like a hawk. Instead of making his life easier, he’d ended up with a situation that prevented him from ever leaving the house. He hadn’t been by Mary’s in three weeks, hadn’t gone to the casino in even longer. Forget cruising Stockton Boulevard. Being cooped up all the time was making him edgy. The only thing that might make him happy was something Marcie and Latisha wouldn’t willingly give.

So what good were they? No good, just dead weight. He had to shoot them. Why not get it over with? There wasn’t anyone around to hear the shots; the storm would cover it even if there was. He could bury them in the barn out back and at least he’d be free. He needed to be mobile. If Sebastian was after him, he might have to move fast.

“Wesley?”

“Shut the hell up!” This time he knew they’d heard the fury in his voice. They wouldn’t call out again. But it was too late. He’d made up his mind.

Instead of putting on the shirt he’d grabbed off the floor, he stripped off the boxers he’d slept in. No need to soil his clothes. He hated to do laundry almost as much as he hated to cook his own meals.

The sound of Latisha and Marcie whispering made him even more determined. He was tired of wondering what the hell they were saying about him. He wasn’t a bad guy. He’d just gotten himself into a mess. And now he was going to get himself out of it.

After pulling his gun from under the mattress, he walked down the hall and stood in the open doorway. Both girls stared at him, their mouths falling open. They didn’t seem to notice that he was naked. Their eyes were riveted on the gun.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Latisha asked, her voice barely a whisper.

“Who wants to go first?” he said.

“Is there a reason you’re smiling like the cat who ate the canary?”

Startled out of her thoughts, Jane looked up to see Jonathan standing in her office doorway. She’d called him a little while ago, hoping to talk him into canvassing the Indian casinos with her, but she’d gotten his voice mail. She hadn’t expected him to show up so soon after she’d left her message.

“I was…thinking,” she said, but she’d been reliving those few minutes in the motel with Sebastian and she suspected he could tell that she was lying to him again.

Sure enough, his lips curved into a devilish grin as he motioned toward the list she’d made. “You looked pretty distracted from whatever you’re doing there.”

She’d been using the Internet to search for all the Indian casinos in the area and hadn’t even realized that her mind had drifted-until he’d called her on it. “I was remembering something cute Kate said to me.”

“Oh, yeah? What was it?”

Suddenly, she couldn’t recall a single example. “Nothing you’d enjoy.”

“I’m guessing that’s true.”

She sat back. “What?”

“I doubt it has anything to do with Kate,” he said. “I’m guessing it had to do with a naked man. Definitely not something I’d enjoy.”

She couldn’t believe he was on to her-again! She’d heard he was a good P.I., but this was ridiculous. “How’d you know?”

His grin went crooked as he strolled in. “Do you really want me to tell you?”

She narrowed her eyes at his sheepish expression. “I do.”

“I followed you to the Raleigh Pete.”

Throwing down her pen, she pushed away from her desk. “You what?”