Crime & Punishment 2: Master Delacroix (18 page)

Next year, she’d promised. Maybe.

Her editor had cut her some slack after what had happened and not pushed her, but eventually she would insist. Every one of her books had made the
New York Times
list, so there was no way they’d let her get away with this for too much longer. Connelly dreaded the arrival of that day.

She loved her readers and always answered e-mails herself; she just hated attending something she and her late husband had always done together. It was a shame he hadn’t been more adventurous when it came to sex. If he had been, they would’ve had the perfect marriage.

After showering and changing her clothes, she walked into her office and saw the note taped to her computer screen right away. It was from Peter letting her know he was running errands and would be back later. He also expected details, so she better be forthcoming.

With a grin, she tossed it to the side and hit the space bar, bringing her computer out of sleep mode. She’d check e-mails first. Peter always left the fan ones for her. Once done with that, she’d finish up the last part of her book, and it would be ready for her beta readers to make their initial go through. They always had great input; she just hoped they liked the sexier story line.

She answered the e-mails quickly, then closed down the Internet. Time to get started. It had taken her much longer to get through everything because her mind kept shifting to Nathan and how much she’d enjoyed sleeping in his arms.

Shaking her head, she tried to focus. “It’s just sex, just sex, just sex. That’s all. Don’t get attached.”

With a deep breath, she turned her focus to her story. Four pages into the next scene, a noise toward the back of the house caught her attention. She froze and listened. She was used to the sounds in her house. As an older home she’d restored, it often made settling noises, but this sounded different.

“Peter?” she called, although she doubted it was him. He always used the front door, not the back.

When she didn’t get an answer, she pushed back from her desk and stood. She thought about grabbing the gun she kept in the drawer, but changed her mind. It was probably just a new settling noise she hadn’t heard yet. Besides, no one would break into her house in broad daylight. Her neighbors were too close and the streets too heavily patrolled.

Steeling her spine, she walked down the main hall toward the great room in the back. This room was the newest with a wall of windows that overlooked the garden and fountains. She’d fallen in love with this house the second she’d seen it, and her husband had bought it for her, despite his belief that it should be torn down. Because of its condition, they’d gotten an amazing deal and spent a fortune bringing it back to life. Once finished, he’d been forced to admit the process had been well worth it.

She glanced around the room trying to determine where the noise had come from. Nothing appeared out of place, yet a chill still worked its way up her spine that made her shiver. She wrapped her arms around herself in an effort to ward it off.

“You’re hearing things, Connelly,” she mumbled to herself.

She turned to head back to her office but stopped dead in her tracks at a sight that made her blood run cold.

Andre Lenox.

* * * *

“Nathan, get up!”

Nathan jerked awake and stared in shock at his old FBI partner, Josh Barnes, standing over his bed. “Josh? What the hell?” He brushed his hair back from his face and looked around the bed for Connelly.

“She’s not here,” Josh said as he tossed a cell phone onto the mattress beside him. “You better take a look at that.”

With a frown, Nathan picked it up and stared at the screen. On it was a picture of him and Connelly having sex on the patio. She was wearing his shirt, so it must’ve been taken after everyone had left.

“What the hell is this?” Nathan asked.

“It was left outside your door,” Josh said. “Listen, Nathan. We need the name of that girl.”

Nathan set the phone down as a sick feeling worked its way through his stomach. “What’s going on?”

Josh sighed and put his hands on his hips. “Lenox escaped. As of right now, you and that girl are under protective custody.”

“He what?” Nathan snapped.

“And we might want to include your brother, since he looks so damn much like you.”

“Josh!” Nathan bellowed. “How the hell did he escape?”

“We don’t know yet. But we do know he’s after you.”

“Son of a bitch,” Nathan said as he threw the covers off his legs and swung his feet to the floor. “Her name is Connelly James. Somebody get to her before he does!”

* * * *

Connelly stood frozen in fear. Not ten feet away was the man who’d murdered her husband and left her for dead. He tilted his head, studying her. “You look familiar,” he murmured.

“You killed my husband and almost killed me, you son of a bitch,” she snarled.

His lips lifted into a purely evil smile that had her shuddering under her summer sweater.

“I remember you,” he murmured. “How lucky I am that you’re the one who was with Nathan last night. Now I get to kill two birds with one stone. Get back at the prick and finish something I started.”

Connelly gasped and tried to run. Lenox caught up with her easily. He grabbed a handful of hair and jerked her head back. Connelly almost lost her balance, but his hold on her hair kept her from falling to the ground.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Lenox snarled.

Anger rushed through her with the speed of a bullet train. She refused to die like this. Not at his hands. She fisted her fingers and swung as hard as she could and caught him in the nose. He loosened his hold enough that she could break free. His curses followed her down the hall as she rushed toward her office and the gun she had hidden there.

He caught up with her again and, grabbing her elbow, literally slung her against the wall. She hit so hard it knocked the wind from her chest, leaving her gasping for air.

She looked up and winced at his bloody face and awkwardly bent nose. She’d broken it and would most likely pay for it too. And not in a good way. She put her hands against the wall, using them for support as she pushed herself up. If he was going to kill her, she was going to go out fighting.

Lenox reared his hand back and slapped her hard across the face. Her lips split, and blood filled her mouth, making her want to gag, but to her shock, she remained standing. Using the element of surprise, she again fisted her hand and swung, this time catching him in the jaw.

Pain raced through her hand and arm when it made contact with his face, but she ignored it as she tried to skirt around him and head up the stairs. Lenox caught her foot, tripping her. She landed flat on her hands and face. Pain exploded behind her eyes as blood trickled out her nose and into her mouth.

Fighting dizziness, she kicked out with her free leg until he let go of hers. Nausea rolled through her stomach as she struggled to her feet and continued up the stairs.

* * * *

Nathan paced his office as he waited for the team of agents who had been sent to retrieve his brother as well as Connelly. This was what the vision had to do with. Lenox. But whose death was he seeing? His own? His brother’s? Connelly’s?

He rubbed nervously at the back of his neck. “What’s taking them so damn long?”

“Connelly doesn’t live close, and your brother wasn’t at home.”

“Damn it. Did you try his cell?”

“No answer,” Josh replied.

“Shit,” Nathan growled. “He may have gone home with one of the submissives from the party last night.”

“Which one?” Josh asked.

“I don’t know,” Nathan snapped. “I left the party early with Connelly.”

“Nathan, relax and stop pacing for a minute. You’re wearing me out just watching you.”

“I can’t relax.” He was worried. If anything happened to her…

“What the hell is going on?” Daniel asked as he stepped into his brother’s office. “My phone went dead last night, and when I unplugged it from the charger in my car, I had fifteen missed calls from you.”

At least some of Nathan’s concern lessened. Unfortunately, they still didn’t have Connelly.

“Where the hell have you been?” Nathan snapped.

“I helped clean up, then slept on the couch in your office before heading out early this morning for breakfast. You want to tell me what’s got you in such a snit and who the hell all the suits are?”

“Andre Lenox escaped prison and is after Nathan,” Josh said as he stepped forward and extended a hand. “I’m his old FBI partner, Josh Barnes.”

Daniel took his hand. “Yeah, I remember you. Who’s Andre Lenox?”

Josh glanced at Nathan over his shoulder. “Man, you need to talk to your family more.” Nathan curled his lip and continued to pace as Josh turned back to Daniel. “Lenox is the serial killer Nathan helped put away. He’s also the one who killed Trish.”

Daniel frowned. “And you think he’s after Nathan?”

“We know he is. Lenox had a shrine to Nathan in his cell.”

“How did he get out?” Daniel asked.

“We don’t know, but we think he may have bribed someone on the inside.”

“Wow, that’s comforting.”

“No kidding,” Nathan snarled, for once agreeing with his brother one hundred percent. “We’re also trying to find Connelly. We have reason to believe he could be after her as well.”

“Because of this,” Josh said as he handed Daniel the phone with the picture on it.

Daniel stared at it, then at his brother. “He got close enough to get a fucking picture? When was this?”

“Last night,” Nathan replied and nodded at the phone. “That happened after everyone had left.”

“Why didn’t he just get you then?”

Nathan raised an eyebrow, and Daniel rolled his eyes. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Lenox likes to make his victims suffer. He’ll go after Connelly first, then come after me once I’ve found out about her death. It’s how he did it with Trish. We wanted you here because he may mistake you for me.”

“Perhaps you should go back to New Orleans, Daniel,” Josh said.

Daniel shook his head stubbornly. “Hell no. My brother’s in trouble. I’m not leaving.”

Chapter Eighteen

Connelly barely made it to the top of the stairs before Lenox caught up with her again. God, what good were all these training sessions if she couldn’t fight this guy off? She reached out and grabbed a vase from the small hall table. She turned and swung, hitting him in the side of the head, shattering the thin glass.

Lenox swung out in anger, catching her in the jaw and knocking her sideways against the wall. Downstairs, the front door opened, and Peter called out, “Hey, Connie. Where are you?”

“Peter!” she screamed. “Help!”

Lenox staggered a couple of steps, then ran down the hall toward the back stairs. Connelly’s legs were no longer able to hold her upright, and she sank to the floor. She wasn’t sure if she was grateful that Lenox ran away or now terrified because that meant he would be coming back.

“Connelly!” Peter yelled as he rounded the top step, gun in hand.

He took one look at her, and his mouth dropped open. “What the hell?” He rushed forward, gun still aimed toward the hall. “Honey. Are you okay?”

“Call 911,” was all she could get out before losing consciousness.

* * * *

Another agent stuck his head in the doorway. “Emergency services just got a call from Connelly’s address. She was attacked.”

Nathan jumped to his feet, his stomach in his chest. “Is she all right?”

“She’s alive is all I know. Her assistant frightened off the attacker. She’s on her way to the hospital now. It was bad enough she needed an ambulance.”

“Damn it,” Nathan said as he headed out the door.

“Where are you going?” Daniel asked.

“To the hospital. Either shut up or tag along.” Nathan glanced at the agent. “Which one?”

After getting the name, Nathan, Daniel, and Josh piled into Josh’s SUV. It was probably good Nathan wasn’t driving. He was too worried. When had he come to care so much for her? He’d known her less than two weeks, for crying out loud. But in those two weeks, they’d connected on a stronger level than he’d ever connected with anyone. He just wished he’d seen this coming.

“I’m going to have to connect with him,” Nathan murmured.

“No,” Josh said. “It took too much of a toll on you last time.”

“I have to. We have to stay one step ahead of him. I can’t let anything happen to Connelly.”

“Leave that to me, Nathan. We won’t make the same mistakes we did with Trish. We know what he’s up to now.”

Nathan shook his head. “No, we don’t. Not really. By taking Connelly into custody, we’ll ruin his plan. He’ll come up with another one, and I have to find out what that is.”

Josh shook his head. “Don’t do anything yet. Seriously, Nathan.”

Nathan didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to stare out the window and prayed that Connelly was okay.

* * * *

Connelly awoke slowly and winced at the pain in her face and mouth. Memories of the attack ran through her mind, and she sat up, glancing frantically around. The room was small, stark white with one window overlooking downtown Atlanta. Where was she? The hospital? How did she get here?

She moved her gaze around too quickly or maybe she sat up too fast, but the room began to spin, and she put her hand to her forehead in an attempt to slow the movement.

“Crap,” she grumbled as her head began to pound behind her eyes.

“You sat up too fast, sweetheart. Lean back.”

Connelly lowered her hand and stared in surprise at Nathan as he raised the bed, then helped her to lean against the pillows. “What are you doing here? How did
I
get here?”

Nathan’s lips twitched. “To answer your second question, your assistant called 911. Apparently, you put up a pretty good fight.”

“Is Peter okay?”

“He’s fine.”

At the memory of the fight and all the hits she’d taken, she reached up to touch her face and then winced. She must look a mess. She started to remove the gauze taped under her nose, but Nathan grabbed her hand and shook his head. “Leave it. Your nose wasn’t broken, but it’s going to be swollen for a day or two.”