Beauty and the Chief (13 page)

“Nothing.” Jillian forced a smile to her face. “I just spooked myself that’s all.” She wanted the words to be true, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling.

He was still there, watching, waiting.

***

He wanted her. She was right there. She was perfect, the one. She had even known he was there. She was linked to him, but she wouldn’t come to him. Why wouldn’t she come to him? It was those boys. They had drawn her away. They had kept her from him. Well, he could wait. It wouldn’t be long now. After all, the time had to be right. If it was too easy, then she wouldn’t be worth it.

He watched the SUV pull into the parking lot and raised the camera. The high-powered lens focused in on the man getting out, and he snapped a picture. The cop was really beginning to annoy him. The oh-so Mr. Everything Police Chief. He knew the type. He’d dealt with them all his life.

In school, they were the teacher’s favorites, wore the cool clothes, and had good homes. He was the type whose mom would’ve baked cookies for him, not called him a beast. In college, he would have been popular. Girls would’ve flocked around him, and he would’ve had his pick.

Well, it was different now. It was his turn to on be top. He’d have his pick. And the cop couldn’t do anything to stop him. Mr. Police Chief didn’t know anything. None of them did. They would never get him, and soon, very soon, he would have Beauty.

***

Mark pulled into the parking lot. He was late. Frustration rolled through him. It wasn’t hard to find Jillian and Jordan. Besides Sam, they were the only ones there. They were coming toward him, and some of his frustration faded at the sight of Jillian’s arm around Jordan. They were fitting together almost better than he could have hoped for. Life wasn’t too bad.

“Hi.” He slid out of the car. “Sorry, I’m late. Traffic accident happened right in front of me. I had to stay and help until the units could take over. How was practice?” The trio was close enough now that he could see the tightness in Jillian and concern in his son. Something had happened. His long stride cut away the distance between them. “What happened?” He reached the group, opening his arms to encompass them all.

“Something frightened Jillian.” Jordan was the first to answer, and Mark locked his attention on her. She was already shaking her head.

“It was nothing. I just scared myself. Someone was watching the practice and I let it scare me.”

“Where?” Ice shot through him.

“It was nothing, really. With everything … I let my imagination run away with me.” She tried to brush it off, but he could still hear the stress in her voice.

“Where?” he repeated. She shifted under the weight of his eyes. It was a skill he’d cultivated, and it served him well with criminals and reluctant witness alike. It didn’t fail him with Jillian.

“Over by the concession booth, but it was nothing, really. There was just a man there. He was back in the shadows, and he was taking pictures. I thought he motioned to me. It spooked me. It’s foolish. I’m a little tense. I’ve never been dropped off to a soccer practice before by a police car.” She forced a smile on the end.

“I thought it was cool.” Sam spoke up.

Mark sent the boy a smile. “Good, I’ll tell you what. How about you boys gather up the rest of the balls and gear, while Jillian and I take a walk over there? He could see the objection starting to form in Jillian, but she kept it down. The boys took off. He took her hand, interlocking their fingers and steered her toward the building.

“Where’d you see him?”

“Mark, this is silly. Now that time’s passed, I think I really did just scare myself. I feel so embarrassed that I acted that way around the boys.”

“When did you see him?”

She sighed, giving into the fact that he wasn’t going to let it drop. “At the end of practice. I was thinking how much I missed having you with us. I realized everyone else was gone. Then I saw him. He was kind of hidden. It looked like he was taking pictures, and I thought the camera was directed at me. That’s all it took. When I saw how close Jordan and Sam were to where he was, I freaked.”

“What did you feel?” When she hesitated, he gave her hand a squeeze.

“That he was watching me.” Her breathing picked up. “He reached out a hand like he was beckoning me. It was eerie, terrifying.”

Mark slid his arm around her, pulling her close. They walked around the area but saw nothing. He had Jillian go over everything in more detail. Finally, he gave up and returned to the boys, but he decided next practice he’d have some surveillance on hand.

Four hours later, Jillian relaxed back in Mark’s arms. The movie was a good one, but she was more interested in the man who held her. His heartbeat was a soothing sound. His chest was firm but not too hard. It made a great pillow. She snuggled against it, taking in a deep breath of his scent. She liked his musky smell. It was so him, not overpowering but nice, sexy. She rubbed her head on his chest again.

“Are you going to fall asleep on me?” His voice rumbled from within him.

“No, this is just very nice.”

“Agreed.” His hands caressed her back.

“You ought to move Jordan up to bed.” She looked down at the boy stretched out on the floor. Abby was pressed alongside him. They were both asleep. It really did look like she was losing her dog to the boy.

“I think you may have competition for your dog’s affection.”

“Yes.” For some reason it didn’t surprise her that his words followed her own thoughts. They seemed to be very in-tune to each other.

“I should’ve gotten him a dog a couple years ago. Don’t know why I didn’t. You come with bonuses.”

“Bonuses?” She turned in his arms, lifting her head to look up at him. “As in plural?”

“Oh yeah.” He tightened his arms, pulling her to him. “As in plural.”

The words were whispered against her mouth before his lips settled down. Pleasure rushed through her at the taste of him. She wrapped her arms around him and gave herself over to the kiss. One hand came up to burrow into her hair, tilting her head while he feasted on her.

When his lips lifted, all she could think was “Oh, wow,” and it slipped out.

He smiled down. “Yeah, that is one amazing bonus. You’re a pretty sweet package.”

“You’re pretty good yourself.” She reached up and ran a finger across his lips. “I hate to crush the moment, but you really ought to take Jordan up to bed and then take me home.”

A serious look crossed his face. “Why don’t you spend the night here?”

“Mark.” She pulled back. “I’m sorry, I can’t.”

“Again, I’m not talking about sleeping with me. I understand it won’t happen until we’re married, and I agree with that. I’m talking about your safety. I’d like you to stay here.” His shoulder tensed under her hands. The hand on her back tightened, but this time not to ease her to him.

Jillian felt his onslaught coming and hurried to cut it off. “This is about what happened at practice, and I told you I just let my imagination get the better of me.”

“I’m not certain about that. You’re a smart woman and observant. You recognize patterns. Though, you tend to look at it from an artistic side, it’s still the same. Something bothered you. It wasn’t right and you noticed it. I’m not going to dismiss it, and I don’t want you to either.”

“Okay, but I’d still like to go home. The other day you said the psychologist said he followed a pattern, and it’s usually been a month between victims. Well, it’s only been barely over two weeks.”

“Closer to three. He also warned that things were off. It could be that he has accelerated his routine. This guy’s violent and he’s unstable.”

She studied the man she’d come to love in just a few short weeks. He was becoming easier to read. “What else have you found out in the last few days?”

The hesitation was easy to see but with a sigh, he continued. “We traced down the man that made the mask. He just got back into the country. He couldn’t tell us much. It was ordered online. The address it was shipped to was a rental. We’re looking into the name of the person it was rented to, and the police there are helping us.”

“And?” She knew there was more.

“There are two unsolved murders that fit close enough that it looks like the same guy.”

Fear edged in that even Mark’s arms couldn’t hold back. She lowered her head to his chest and felt his lips brush her head. Her mind worked over the thoughts coursing through her. When it stumbled over something, she pushed back to look at him. “Is there more?”

He looked grim. “I guess it won’t hurt for you to know this,” he said after a minute. “The mask was from what the maker called his fairy tale collection. It was his Beast from Beauty and the Beast.”

Her breath caught. “And he called me Beauty.”

“Yes.”

“And a rose is part of the story, if I remember right.”

“Yes. I picked up a couple copies, and though it’s different in each story, a rose always has a part, as does a magic mirror, and the fact that the beast needs Beauty to love him to break the curse plaguing him.”

She lowered her head back to his chest. His arms tightened around her again, but this time it was a hug of comfort. Once more, his heartbeat sounded in her ears. The rush of feeling was deeper and maybe even more meaningful.

“Where do the newspaper articles come in?” She broke the silence.

His lips brushed her head again. “I don’t know. It could be just how he finds them. It could be more. We’re still looking. We have been able to confirm that other victims did have their photos in the newspaper shortly before their deaths, one about two months before she was killed, the second a little over a month. So it does fit.” Frustration rang in his voice.

Jillian sat up slightly over him, looking down at him. “Hey, you’ll get him.”

“Will I? I don’t know. What if he takes off again? Then it starts all over again someplace else. What if I don’t get him, and he comes after you?” His anguish was heart wrenching.

“Then you’d better get there and save me.”

“I’d rather we didn’t get to that point.”

“I agree, but I still need to go home.”

Several seconds passed until his chest rose and lowered with a large sigh. “All right, I’ll take you home. But−,” he held up a finger, “you get scared again, or even if you just change your mind, you call, and I’ll come get you.”

“Agreed.” She couldn’t keep the promise from him.

***

“Nan, I’ll be in the car,” Jillian called out, grabbing up her purse, and hefted the storage tote, stacked with design layouts, samples, and other things she wanted to go over with the contractor she was heading to meet. Jillian felt relaxed and happy, more than she’d been for two weeks. The weekend had passed problem-free. She’d spent the whole time with Mark and Jordan. Her team had won their soccer game again. After lunch and errands, they had gone back to her condo, spent the rest of the day at the pool and the evening watching movies.

Sunday they picked her up for breakfast which they made together at his house. They hiked up to a waterfall just out of town and had a picnic. It had been a great weekend.

She smiled as she juggled the tote while unlocking the trunk. Clouds had moved in overnight that weren’t showing any sign of burning off, but they didn’t dull her mood. She loaded everything in the trunk while Nan locked the door. Jillian hummed as she went to the driver’s side door, unlocked it and slid in.

The music froze in her throat as her eyes came up to the rear view mirror.

Beauty

The word scrawled in red across the rear view mirror ripped into her, shattering her contentment. Jillian spun in the seat, afraid he would be there, behind her in the back seat. It was empty. She sank back weakly. The scream erupted from her when the passenger door was pulled open.

“Heavens, Sweet Pea, what was that for?” Nan dropped into the seat, her hand going to her heart.

Jillian couldn’t get the words past her pounding chest. Her gaze went to the mirror and Nan’s followed.

“Oh, my!” the woman gasped and pulled out her cell phone. Her conversation was lost in the ringing in Jillian’s head.

It was the killer.

She wanted to deny it, had been trying to, but it was impossible now. He did know who she was and he really was after her. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She had finally found love, and this psycho was there to put a shadow on it.

She hadn’t registered Nan getting out or coming around the car until she touched her elbow. “Come on, let’s get you inside. Mark will be here in a couple of minutes.”

Jillian forced a deep breath into her lungs, stood and nodded. “I’m all right now.” It was a lie, she knew. She was shaken to her core, but she could handle it. “Will you call Ryan and let him know we’ll be at least an hour late meeting him? Have him just get started on the bathroom. There are no changes there. He can put the scaffolding up in the entry. It’s set to go. We’ll go over the kitchen when we get there.”

“Sure, just let me get you a cup of tea first, something to calm you down.” Nan’s arm was around her, as if afraid she was going to faint.

Jillian found herself able to smile at the image of Nan trying to hold her up if she did. “I’m fine. I’m not going to fall apart.” But that was what she did, nine minutes later when Mark walked through the door. His arms opened just in time to catch her as she launched herself to him.

“It’s okay. I’ve got you,” he murmured against her neck, burying his face into her hair.

His muscles were tense under her hands. His arms, like steel bands, locked around her. She was safe. She held tight to his body several minutes before she eased back. “I’m okay, but I’m glad you’re here.” The smile she gave him was watery. His hands came up to frame her face. He kissed the tears away.

***

Mark didn’t ever want to let her go. There was no denying it now. He’d felt fear like he’d never known when he’d saw the mirror. He pressed his lips to the side of her head taking in the scent of her. There was a touch of berry under the subtle smell of her perfume. He loved that smell, just as he loved the feel of her in his arms. Unfortunately, there were things that needed to be done. One thing was for sure, he was not leaving her on her own again.

“Tell me what happened?”

“There’s nothing to tell. Nan and I were going to meet with one of my contractors. I got in the car, looked at the mirror. I don’t know how long it had been there. I hadn’t been in it since you followed me to work this morning. We just picked up lunch at the deli around the corner. I had a client here that took up most the morning, then I worked on some renderings.”

The trembling in her body increased as she talked. Mark drew her close and started to rub his hand up and down her back. She went lax against him, her head resting on his shoulder. She didn’t keep it there long enough to suit him, but it was her statement that jarred him when she lifted her head, bringing it all to bear.

“He’s watching me. I’m next.”

Again, he caught her face between his hands. “He’s not going to get you.” He forced her to look at him. Searching for a way to get her to understand just how important the promise was to him − how important she was to him.

“I love you. I’ll keep you safe. Do you understand that? I won’t let him get that close to you.” He opened his soul to let the truthfulness of his words glow into his eyes as he took his fill looking at her. “I love you, Jillian, love you like I’ve never imagined. It would rip me apart to lose you now that I’ve found you. I can’t, won’t let that happen.”

“Mark.” She raised her hand to his cheek, cupping it. He shifted a hand to cover hers and press it there to soak up the love that came through her touch.

His eyes didn’t leave hers. “I’ve been lonely for so long.” He let out what he had never even acknowledged aloud to himself. “When I married Jordan’s mother I was looking for someone to fill that loneliness, but she was never the one. Since then, I’ve used work and Jordan to fill my life, and it’s been enough. But, I’ve still known I was missing something. The night I met you, I knew what I was missing − you. At first, I was afraid to admit it, afraid to hope, afraid if I did, it would be snatched away. I can’t let this psycho take you from me.”

“Mark.” Was all she seemed to be able to manage, but it was all that was needed. Her love was so clear for him to see. It matched what he felt bursting from him. Her next words echoed the words in his mind. “I love you.”

“Good. Because I want to spend the rest of my life loving you.” Again, he framed her face with his hands. “Jillian, please, marry me?”

“Yes.” The word seemed to slip out, like there was no way to keep it back, like she didn’t need to think about it. It was right. Just as it was within him, in every part of him, that she was the one he was waiting for. He was the man she loved and would forever. Her mouth was already on the way to his when his lips caught hers.

Intense pleasure and joy wrapped around them, pushing away all the darkness that lurked outside, and they knew only each other and their own world of love. When the kiss ended, they sat contented in each other’s arms. One of Mark’s arms was wrapped around her shoulder, as his hand brushed caressing strokes over her cheek.

The little chime that he had installed on the back door sounded, and they both pulled back. “I keep picking the least romantic spots and times that I can.”

She gave a little laugh, hugged him tight, and then looked up. “I don’t feel like anything is missing.”

“Oh, really.” His heart soared. The panic he felt from Nan’s call forgotten. “We just got engaged in the middle of your shop, in the middle of the day, and I don’t even have a ring for you. I think a lot of women would say I made a huge hash out of it.”

“I’m not like a lot of ladies.”

“You got that right. You’re one of a kind, very special.” He kissed her again, quick and hard.

“Chief Richards,” Nan stepped up behind them. “One of your men would like to speak to you out back.” There was a grin on the woman’s face that said she enjoyed the whole show.

Mark looked down at Jillian, feeling the tightness slip back into her body. “I’ll be right back.” He placed a kiss on the end of her nose before he headed to the door. “Major hash,” he muttered to himself, but Nan must have picked it up.

“On the contrary.” The woman brushed at moisture on her cheek. “I thought it was nicely done.” Nan stepped by him to Jillian. “Well, Rosebud, you sure caught that man.”

Jillian’s eyes came up and met his, and he felt the heat of them. It was all he could do not to go back and take her in his arms. He should be able to do that. After all, they just got engaged. The moment called for them to be together, instead, he forced himself out the back door to the menace waiting there.

***

“I’m engaged.” Pleasure ricocheted through Jillian’s body. “I’m going to marry Mark. I can’t believe it. It’s so soon, but it’s right. Nan, I know it’s right.”

When the woman chuckled, Jillian joined in with laughter of her own. She felt wonderful. “I’m marrying Mark.”

“Yes. Oh my blossom, isn’t it something? I told you I needed to pull out my wedding planning book. Men like him don’t want to wait when their mind is made up.”

“Oh, what about Jordan?” A fissure of unease slipped into Jillian. “How will he take this? It’s so sudden.”

“I’d bet Mark has already talked to him, Sweet Pea. And what’s the problem? I thought you and Jordan got along great.”

“We do. He’s a wonderful boy. But that was me dating his dad. This is me being his new mom. What will he think of me as that?”

“Any child would be fortunate to have you as a mom. Now, quit worrying.”

Jillian laughed again, letting the happiness wash over her. “You’re right.” As she stood, a little of the reality of life slipped back in. With her deep breath, she took a step to the door. “I’d better go see what’s going on. I don’t think I finished answering questions.”

“You two got a little distracted.”

Warmth came back into her at just the thought of getting engaged to Mark. Jillian wrapped the thought around her like a shield as she stepped out the door.

Mark was beside her car talking to an officer whom she recognized from the night of the attack. He was a detective. There was another man scrunched down leaning into her car.

She only took a couple steps toward them when the figure appeared in front of her. The flash blinded her, and Jillian stumbled back. Her foot came down on the edge of the back step and slipped off. A scream caught in her throat as pain spiked up her ankle. Her hands scraped over the side of the planter, but she managed to keep her head from striking it. Still, she impacted with the ground with enough force to knock the breath from her lungs.

***

Mark jerked around at the small shriek in time to see Jillian fall. He knocked the man aside in his dive to catch her, but he was too late. “Jillian!” He came down beside where she sat awkwardly on the ground by the stoop. “Are you okay, sweetheart?” He reached for her head first, lifting her chin.

She nodded, took a couple deep breaths. “Yes. Just got the air knocked out of me.” Mark gladly caught her up in his arms, but when he eased her up, and she placed her foot down, she winced.

“What is it? You’re hurt.”

“I think I twisted my ankle.” She leaned into him and lowered her foot tenderly to the ground. After a couple of tries, she let it take her weight and sighed. “It’s okay.”

Mark kept his arm around her.

At the faint whirl of the camera, Jillian jerked and turned. Mark shifted positions to shield her, glaring when he recognized Clark. “What are you doing here, Clark?” He snapped, not bothering to hide his annoyance. He wanted to send his fist into the face of man whose action had caused Jillian to fall.

“What is it? Is it the killer? Did he strike again? Did he attack Miss Taylor?”

“No. Why are you here?” Mark released Jillian, taking a step toward the reporter. “Are you stalking Miss Taylor?”

“Hey, back off. I’m just doing my job. I heard the address on the scanner with a request of a forensic unit.” The reporter lifted a hand in front of him as if it would help ward Mark off. He backed up a couple steps as Mark kept coming.

“And how did you know it was her address?”

“I’m a reporter. I’m supposed to know. Besides, it wasn’t hard.”

“Yeah, but to memorize the address so you knew it as soon as you heard it?” The challenge was clear. Mark wasn’t sure what he was getting at.

“That’s what it takes to be a good reporter.”

“Harassing someone?”

“I’m not harassing anyone.”

“Wrong, you’re harassing me and my fiancée. You caused her to fall, possibly causing injury.”

“Fiancée?” The reporter locked on the word.

“Yes. We’re engaged. And I don’t like you following her around distressing her.” Mark glared the man down even though they were close to the same height. “I want you to stay away from her. You understand? I don’t want to see you around her again, or you’ll be facing charges.”

“You can’t do that.” There was a whine in the man’s voice.

“Wanna bet?”

“You can’t do that. Freedom of the press,” he stressed like it was a shield he wielded.

“Don’t even try to go there. You stay away from her.” Mark turned his back, cutting the man off. He slid his arm around Jillian, directing her back inside the door. He seethed with pent-up energy. It was all he could do not to hit the man, but he didn’t realize how taunt he was strung until Jillian’s hand brushed his cheek and slid down the side of his neck to rest on his shoulder.

The instant she stretched up to press her mouth to his, his anger morphed into passion. His arms locked around her pulling her into him. He pressed her back against the door. The groan that escaped her only seemed to fuel him on. He needed her, craved her. The shiver he felt cruise through her body was in answer to the one that ran through his.

It was the sound of the telephone that finally pulled him back to reality. He broke abruptly, panting as he tried to get air back in his lungs. Jillian looked so dazed and wanting, he almost crumpled back into her, but he straightened himself and eased away.

“I am not going to make love to you the first time in your shop,” he growled out more to himself, but Jillian looked up in shock. Her expression told him she wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her. He felt the laughter rise in him. His mood changed once again. “Oh, you are a pleasure. I can’t wait to get married.” He took another deep breath. “Are you okay?”

“Yes!”

“I meant your ankle.”

“Uh, oh, yes. It’s just a little tender.”