Hunted, page 16
“Uh-huh.”
“Tell me there’s not something between you and this Gordon guy.”
She threw her hands in the air. “Oh, for pity’s sake… are you serious?”
He shrugged. “You blush every time he’s mentioned.”
Beth closed her eyes. He could almost see her counting to ten. “He’s a nice guy, and he’s… warm toward me. I think there’s probably interest on his side, but there’s not any on mine, not romantically. I like him but just as a potential friend. I’m not panting after him, and I’m not planning to.”
“Does he know that? What are the chances he’s your stalker and all this is a ruse to get you to fall for him or something?”
He could tell the question annoyed her, but she held on to her temper. “There’s next to no chance of that being the case. As to your other question, I’ve not had a chance to tell him we’re involved. Our conversations have been professional. Since I’ve not responded to any of his overtures, however, I’d say he has an idea I’m not taking the bait.” She closed the distance between them, glaring at him. “Whose bed did I wake up in a little while ago? His or yours?”
Ethan had the grace to feel ashamed, and he ducked his head. “I apologize again. This is all new, and it’s like a new pair of shoes. It pinches a little.”
“‘This’ meaning us?”
“Yeah, and also that we’re not casual.”
She tilted her head, the move making her hair slide over one shoulder. “This isn’t casual for me either, you know. At some point, you have to start trusting me.”
He brought his hands to her hips and drew her near. “I’ll do better. Are you okay with me springing Stacy on you? She called and asked to come out, and she guessed you were here before I could come up with an alternative.”
“Well, she is a good detective.” Beth laughed. “I like Stacy. I don’t mind in the least.”
There was still fatigue in her eyes, her voice, despite her relaxed posture as she leaned into him. That worried Ethan. Sliding his hands up, he rubbed her back gently. “You need rest. Why don’t you stay here tonight and let me take care of you?”
She groaned and laid her head on his chest. “I have work that needs doing. My laptop bag is at the apartment. Besides, even if I had it, I doubt I’d get any work done. You’re rather distracting, you know.”
“Yeah, but at least I’m fun.”
“My job is fun. I happen to like what I do most days.”
He backed her up so that she was against the post, the move pressing her closer to him. “I thought you liked me too.”
“I do,” she answered solemnly. “Sometimes I think I like you too much.”
“There’s no such thing.” He bent his head and gave her a slow kiss. “Stay. We’ll run to town, get your bag, and I’ll give you a comfy corner of the couch. I probably should do some work too. Best of both worlds.” He didn’t kiss her again, just touched her face, tracing the sweet curves and lines as she considered his offer.
“Best of both worlds, indeed. Will you drive us in?”
“I’ll be happy to.”
He did kiss her then because not doing so would have been criminal, but he didn’t try to seduce her. As much as he liked taking Beth to his bed, he wanted to show her he wasn’t just after her body. The idea was staggering, and as he’d said, it pinched a bit. But he was willing to put up with a little discomfort if it meant being with her, and he wasn’t going to pretend otherwise.
Chapter 28
As Beth let herself into her apartment late Monday afternoon after Taylor Bolen’s memorial service, she turned her ringer back on. She’d switched it off before the funeral and hadn’t felt like dealing with her messages directly after. Now, however, she had to get back to work. There were a few missed calls, and she kicked her shoes off as she dialed her voice mail. The first message was from Gordon.
“I have what you asked for, but I’m not comfortable talking to your voice mail about this. Call me back.”
His paranoia made her to smile, and she quickly deleted the message and returned his call.
He answered on the first ring. “Gordon here.”
“Hey. I just got in and heard your message. Are you able to talk for a few minutes?”
He hesitated. “I am if you can give me one minute to wrap something up on another line.”
“Sure, that’s fine.” While she was waiting, she grabbed a drink from the fridge and made her way to her office, sinking into the chair behind her desk with a tired groan.
Very shortly, he was back on the line. “How are you this fine Monday, Ms. Hudson?”
“I’m doing well enough, all things considered, sir. How about yourself?”
He laughed. “Oh, the usual—I’m going crazy here. I have the information you needed.”
“Were we right, then? Is there a pattern?” She felt a welcome rush of excitement as she grabbed the folder where she had stashed her notes.
“Oh, yes. All the disappearances? They happen around the new moon. Every single one of them. Whatever’s happening is occurring on the darkest nights of each month. Does that mean anything to you?”
She considered the revelation. “Not really, other than the fact that maybe whoever is doing whatever they’re doing they’re trying to stay unseen. Does that make sense?”
“It does. I came to that conclusion myself.”
She picked up a pen and made a quick note in the file. “What about the occult aspect of all of it? Was there any connection in that arena?”
“Maybe, maybe not. To a lot of occultists, the dark of the moon is a time for renewal and healing. However, some do consider it a time to bring justice to bear. That might be an avenue worth pursuing.”
“I’d say so.” She tapped her pen on the paper. “So does this mean I can go to the sheriff with this info now? Are you finished looking into things on your end enough for me to do that?”
“Yes. I think it’s wise. They need to know what’s going on.”
She nodded. “I’m going to try to set up a meeting with the sheriff, two of his detectives, and maybe a couple of other people tomorrow or Wednesday to bring them up to speed. Any chance you’d want to sit in on that meeting?”
He blew out a breath. “I’d like to even if it’s just as an observer. Let me reach out to Wyatt Dixon. I’ve spoken to him in recent weeks about the occult case, and I want to make sure I’m not stepping on any toes by being there.”
“You… Gordon, you’re a man who’s absolutely full of secrets.” She remembered Stacy telling her that Wyatt had spoken to someone with the FBI in Louisville. “Is there anything else you want to reveal to me?”
He chuckled. “Nothing pertinent, not at the moment. But I might be persuaded to give up a few more secrets if you have dinner with me.”
Her breath caught. “Um, I’m truly flattered. I really am. But I’m… seeing someone.”
There was a pause. “Oh. I didn’t realize.”
“It’s a recent development,” she said with a little laugh. “In fact, you’re the first person I’ve actually told.”
“And yet it sounds serious if I’m reading your tone correctly,” he remarked. “I won’t say I’m not disappointed. Are you still available for a strictly platonic friendship?”
“I think so, yes. I do like you, Galen Gordon.”
He groaned. “Just Gordon, please. I hate my name. Anyhow, back to business. I’ll clear my presence with Wyatt, and you do what you need to do. Text me the time and place, and I’ll do my best to be there. If there’s a problem, I’ll call or shoot you an e-mail.”
“Will do. Thank you. I appreciate your help on this.”
“I’m glad to give it.”
Once they’d hung up, she sighed. As she’d told Ethan, she wasn’t interested in dating Gordon, but she held enough vanity that she was deeply flattered a man as gorgeous and as sharp as he was had taken an interest in her.
None of her other messages were urgent, so she took a minute to close her eyes and blow off a little tension using some deep-breathing exercises. The prospect of getting Ethan and Gordon in the same room was a bit daunting. “It has to happen sometime, right? We’re all professionals.”
To that end, she figured she might as well get started setting up the meeting. There was little question as to who her first call needed to be—Ethan. Unfortunately, it went to voice mail.
“Hey, it’s me,” she said after the beep. “I’m sorry I missed you. I have information I can share now, and I wanted to call you first. I’ll give Stacy a buzz, see if she can get things rolling on setting up a meeting tomorrow. If you get a chance, call me back. Talk to you soon.”
She’d ended up driving the Beast home yesterday afternoon after all, parking it, and riding back out to his house with him once she had what she needed from her apartment. Much as he’d promised, he’d settled her in on the couch, taking the recliner beside her, and they’d each worked. That wasn’t to say there hadn’t been some distraction, but all in all, it had felt comfortable and natural.
That terrified Beth. To have gone from antagonistic battlers to cozy lovers so quickly left her head spinning. It certainly wasn’t what romance novels called “insta-love” as they’d known each other for well over a decade, but it was startling and certainly a surprise. She hadn’t expected them to jump to being a couple so fast.
There was still some underlying tension between them. Ethan was jealous of Gordon, of the idea of the man even, and that annoyed Beth. She was worried about his drinking, and he was defensive about that. She tried her best not to be judgmental, but every time he got a beer or poured a whiskey, she couldn’t hide her concern. That had grated on his nerves, which had in turn grated on hers. So things weren’t perfect, and she wasn’t blind to their flaws as a couple.
But those things aside, what scared her the most was how deep she was already in. She’d had feelings, strong feelings, for Ethan for years. She’d never approached him because the timing hadn’t been right—he’d been engaged, she’d been tied up with her career… so many excuses that basically amounted to the same simple thing—she instinctively knew that if she let herself fall deeply in love with him, she’d be giving him the power to destroy her.
As much as she wanted to be with him, she didn’t know if she was willing to open herself to that kind of heartache.
“If you aren’t, you damn well better figure it out now,” she told herself as she got ready to make her next call. “Because if you don’t? You’re going to tear everything apart, and there won’t be any putting it back together.”
Chapter 29
Beth didn’t hear directly back from Ethan until late that night. He’d sent her a couple of texts through the day, and she knew from scuttlebutt around the office that he was tied up on a meth lab bust.
You still awake, blondie?
She smiled and texted him back.
For the most part.
A moment later, her phone rang. “I didn’t want to call and risk waking you if you were already in bed.” His voice was low and soft. “Sorry I didn’t get a chance to talk to you earlier.”
She snuggled deeper into the stack of pillows behind her and pulled the covers close. “I am in bed, but you didn’t wake me. And I understood that you couldn’t answer. Was it bad?”
His groan was weary. “There were kids, Beth.”
“Oh, God. Are they safe now?”
“Yeah. They got checked out at the hospital, and CPS took them to a good foster home. I doubt they’ll stay there long, but at least for tonight, they’re safe. How was your day? How was the funeral?”
“Awful. The Bolens are broken, there’s no other way to describe it. I’d rather not talk about it. The rest of my day was all right. I got the meeting set up for tomorrow afternoon at three.”
“I saw that. I spoke to Wyatt, by the way, and Charlie’s working on those backgrounds. How come the meeting’s being held at the paper?”
“He mentioned that about the backgrounds when we spoke. Hopefully, Charlie can find the missing link. Anyhow, as to the reasoning—we have a bigger conference room, better parking, and it’s away from prying eyes who might get curious. Marshall and Wyatt both suggested it. He and Poppy are going to be there too. They want to help, and they also want to make sure the paper’s interests are fairly represented. We don’t want to ruin the good relationship we have with you coppers by releasing too much, too soon or what have you.”
“And us coppers appreciate that,” he said, the low timbre of his voice causing delicious shivers to chase across her skin.
“We couldn’t do it any other way, us Olman/Hudsons. Another reason we’re meeting at the paper—snacks. Poppy is hosting a brunch meeting with some of his gentlemen friends, and they always have a bunch of goodies left over, usually the best of the best from The Brown Bag. We can take advantage of that.”
Ethan chuckled. “Knowing your grandfather, there’ll be plenty chocolate.”
“That’s a love that runs in the family, Detective. Don’t ever doubt that.” She sighed. “So are you home?”
“Yeah. I got in about thirty minutes ago, got cleaned up, ate a bite, and here I am. I thought about stopping by a certain reporter’s apartment, but I figured it was a bit late for that.” There was a wistfulness in his voice that surprised her.
“There’s always tomorrow. Besides, I think we need to slow down, take this thing a little easier. No, I’m not saying I don’t want to see you,” she said before he could ask. “I just don’t want to rush us and risk breaking things. Moving too fast can be detrimental to a relationship, you know.”
He didn’t respond immediately. “I’m not sure what to say. Are you certain you aren’t having regrets?”
“Positive.” She’d had all afternoon and evening to think about how she felt, and the longer she’d gone without hearing from Ethan, the more she’d realized she had to conquer her fears. She wanted to be with him too much. “I’d love to spend every waking minute and most of my sleeping time with you. I just don’t know if that’s prudent. We kind of jumped straight from friends to lovers and skipped the dating part, you know?”
“What do you suggest we do about that?” His tone was hard to read, quiet and a bit brusque.
“Umm, I don’t know. You tell me.”
“Hmmm. Let me think about it. So… what are you wearing?”
Beth snorted then dissolved in a fit of giggles. “Really, Ethan?”
“What?” He laughed. “We have to start somewhere, right?”
She sighed, ridiculously pleased. “I think so, yes. Do you want the truth, or do you want me to make something up?”
“The truth, always. I don’t get to hear enough of that in my line of work.”
Glancing down at her clothes, she made a face. “I’m wearing the softest red plaid men’s jammies pants I own and a terribly threadbare Olman County Lions T-shirt that I’ve had since… probably since Joely graduated high school two years ago. No, wait. Since her junior year. It’s about three sizes too big, and it’s my favorite shirt.”
“That sounds cozy.”
“It is. Cozy and warm. I’m set up here in bed with a boatload of pillows and my thick blankets. I’m still freezing to death, it’s entirely mental, and if I didn’t think we needed to take it slower, I’d drive out to your house right now and hijack your bed.” She sipped her water and then, using her best comically seductive voice, she asked, “What are you wearing, Detective?”
“Truth or other?” he responded softly. “I miss you too, by the way.”
“I never would have guessed you’d be so romantic, you know. And the truth, please, unless you have a really good story.”
“Maybe the truth is a really good story. I’m as naked as a jaybird. I’m also curled up in bed, trying to get warm. And there’s a lot you don’t know about me. I’m looking forward to you finding that out.”
Beth sucked in a breath, then let it out in a long sigh that ended on a whimper. “Dang it, Ethan. That’s cruel and unusual punishment.”
“The nudity or the looking forward?”
“Both.”
“Then you’ll have to arrest me the next time you see me.” He yawned. “What’s your favorite color?”
“Red. I don’t wear it that often because I look appalling in most shades of it, plus there’s the whole blue-eyed-blonde thing where people don’t take me seriously when I wear red, but I adore it. You may have noticed half the things I own, including my car, are red.”
He snorted. “It hadn’t escaped my attention, no. Why don’t people take you seriously?”
She shrugged even though he couldn’t see. “It’s just a stereotype or what have you—red power suits and flashy cars, bold lipstick. As stupid as it sounds, people judge me more harshly when I wear red. What’s your favorite color? I think I can guess.”
“Tell me.”
“Blue.” His bedroom walls were blue, and a lot of his shirts and ties were as well.
“Got it in one.” He yawned again. “Sorry. The day’s catching up with me.”
“It’s been one for the books,” she said quietly. “Will I see you tomorrow? Meeting aside, I mean.”
“If you want to. It’ll be later though. How’s your dance card?”
She closed her eyes. “For you? It’s wide open. I’ll let you go. Good night.”
“Good night, blondie.”
After they hung up, she turned off the light and grabbed one of the pillows, holding it tight. She never would have thought that Ethan had such a romantic side. That truly, deeply surprised her. His warmth had practically reached through the phone to touch her, and now, lying in bed without him, she could hardly stand the loneliness.
