McIver's Mission (20 page)

"If you know I've been watching your apartment,
your stalker probably knows it, too," he warned. "And if he's going
to make a move, it will be when my car's not parked in front of your
building."

Arden nodded.

"This is getting serious, Ms. Doherty. You can't
just sit back and wait for him to follow through on his threats."

"We don't know that he will," she said.
"I've been threatened before, and nothing has ever come of it."

"I don't like this," Creighton muttered.

She didn't, either, but she didn't see that there was
anything she could do about it—except wait and hope that the threats were
simply that.

"I'll put in a request for round-the-clock
surveillance on you," he said, "but I don't expect it to be approved.
We don't have the manpower for that kind of thing."

"I'll be okay," Arden said, determined to
hide the fact that she was a bundle of nerves inside.

Creighton nodded and bagged the letter. "Is there
anyone you can stay with until we catch the
perp
?
Family? Friends?"

She shook her head again, more vehemently this time.
If the threats were real, the last thing she was going to do was subject her
family to that danger.

"I'll let you know about the surveillance,"
he said, rising from his chair.

"Thank you."

She followed him to the door, anxious for him to go.
Once he was gone, she could try to forget about the letter or at least put it
out of her mind for a while by burying herself in work.

Unfortunately. Lieutenant Creighton was walking out as
Shaun was walking in. Arden pasted a smile on her face and steeled herself for
the next round of interrogation.

* * *

"What
was Creighton doing here?" Shaun asked without preamble as he stepped into
Arden's office.

She closed the door behind him.

"How do you know Lieutenant Creighton?"
Arden asked.

The fact that she hadn't answered his initial question
confirmed the uneasy suspicion in his mind. "You got another letter,
didn't you?"

She exhaled wearily, nodded.

"What did it say?"

"More of the same. They've just been vague
threats."

"Have the police got any leads?"

"Not yet," she admitted.

He knew the police were doing everything they could,
and it frustrated him that they had nothing to go on. He wanted this to be over.
He didn't want Arden to be afraid anymore.

"How do you know Creighton?" Arden asked
again.

"He's a cop, I'm a defense attorney."

"Professional adversaries."

"I don't have to like him to respect him. He's a
hell of a good witness on the stand. Almost unshakable," he admitted with
grudging admiration. Which gave him a small measure of reassurance. If
Creighton found whoever was writing the letters, he'd put him behind bars.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore,"
Arden said, sinking into the chair behind her desk.

He fought back the surge of annoyance. He knew she
preferred to deal with things on her own, to prove to herself that she could,
and he knew he wouldn't get anywhere with her by forcing the issue. She would
neither welcome nor thank him for his interference. But eventually he would
make her realize that she wasn't on her own.

He walked behind the desk, settled his hands on her
shoulders and started to massage gently. "Do you want to cancel for
tonight?"

"Tonight?" she echoed blankly.

"The theater.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are
Dead
. The tickets I bribed you with to be my date for the Law Ball."
He knew she'd been looking forward to the production, and the fact that she'd
forgotten about their plans didn't so much annoy as concern him.

"Oh." She let her head fall back against the
chair, her eyes closed. "No. I think I need to get out and just forget
everything for a while."

He turned her chair around, tugged on her hands to
draw her to her feet. "Let me help you forget for a while."

He touched his lips to hers, intending to offer her
comfort, and found solace for his own heart in her response.

"Better?" he asked, when he'd at last eased
his mouth from hers.

"Much." She pulled out of his arms and
sighed. "And that's half of the problem."

"What are you talking about?"

She wrapped her arms around herself, something he'd
learned she did when she was nervous or upset about something. "I need to
deal with things on my own."

Her response irritated him. "Fine. But one of the
things you have to deal with is me."

"Dammit, Shaun. This is exactly what I
didn't
want."

"Tough."

"I've changed my mind," she said. "I am
canceling our plans for tonight."

"No."

She whirled back to face him. "What?"

"No." He closed the lid on her briefcase and
picked it up. "Let's go."

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Sure you are. We have a date."

"Which I just canceled."

"I could sue you for breach of contract." It
was, he thought, an inspired argument.

"What contract?"

"Our date."

"A date is
not
a contract."

"
Cummings v. Wilson
. Massachusetts Supreme
Court, 1978."

She frowned. "That doesn't sound familiar."

He made a clicking sound against the roof of his mouth
with his tongue and shook his head. "Rita Cummings sued her fiancé for the
cost of her wedding dress and deposit on the reception hall when he backed out
of their wedding. The court ruled that his proposal was a contract, and his
breaking of their engagement a breach of that contract."

She didn't look convinced. "We're not
engaged."

"We had a date."

"You can't sue me for breaking a date. You
haven't suffered any damages."

"Disappointment, loss of companionship, the price
of your ticket."

"You're trying to blackmail me again." But
she sounded more exasperated than angry.

He leaned over and brushed his lips gently against
hers. "Whatever works."

She exhaled slowly. "Are you that desperate for a
date, McIver?"

"I'm that desperate to spend time with you."

"I'm going to be miserable," she warned.

"I'll take my chances."

"Fine."

He bit back a smile as he followed her to the door.

* * *

As
much as she hated being maneuvered, Arden had to admit that spending time with
Shaun was just what she needed to get her mind off the letter she'd received
that afternoon. The play had been entertaining and enjoyable, and she'd managed
to lose herself in the action onstage for a couple of hours. Afterward, they'd
gone to
DiMarco's
for a late dinner, then Shaun had
taken her home.

"I'm glad you decided not to stay mad,"
Shaun said.

"I'm not still mad," she agreed. "But I
do have a question."

"What is it?"

"
Cunningham v. Watson
. Was there ever any
such case?"

"Of course," he said.

She shook her head. "And
Cummings v.
Wilson?"

She saw him flinch as the trap she'd set neatly
ensnared him.

"I'm not good with case names," he hedged.

Arden laughed softly, but she let it go. How could she
stay annoyed with a man who went to such lengths to spend time with her?
Especially when all she wanted was to be with him, too.

Chapter
12

«
^
»

"
Y
ou're
a difficult woman to catch up with lately," Nikki said as she tucked her
feet beneath herself on Arden's sofa Wednesday night.

Arden knew she should have been prepared for the
third-degree. She and Nikki had always been close, and it was only a matter of
time before her cousin clued in to the fact that there was something going on
in Arden's life. In fact, she was surprised it had taken Nikki this long to get
around to her interrogation, and yet she still didn't know what to tell her
cousin. She didn't want to lie to her, and anything less than the truth would
be a lie. But how could she tell Nikki that she'd had the most incredible sex
of her life with Nikki's brother-in-law?

"I've been busy," she hedged.

"Obviously. I tried calling you all
weekend."

"I was away."

"Really?"

Arden couldn't blame her cousin for sounding so
surprised. It wasn't like Arden to go out of town without letting Nikki in on her
plans.

"By yourself?" Nikki prompted.

Arden sighed. "No."

"Hmm."

"Don't 'hmm' me," Arden muttered. "I
can practically hear the gears in your brain clicking away."

Nikki grinned. "Then you must know that I'm happy
to see you happy."

"I can't talk to you about this."

"I'm not asking any questions."

"That only makes it harder," Arden told her.
"If you were badgering me for details, I could tell you to mind your own
business. But you're just sitting there with that smug smile on your face, and
I feel like I'm deceiving you."

"Why?"

"Because I haven't told you who I was with this
weekend."

"I'm guessing it was Shaun," Nikki said
easily.

Arden felt her jaw drop open.

Nikki shrugged. "Did you really think I didn't
know?"

"Well … yeah."

Now her cousin smiled. "I'd have to be blind not
to see the vibes that have been passing between the two of you lately."

"Are you … okay … with this?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because I spent the weekend—" and both
nights since then "—having wild sex with your brother-in-law."

Nikki's smile widened. "Wild, huh?"

"You're missing my point," Arden said dryly.

"I don't think so. The only thing that matters is
that you had a good time."

"It was amazing," Arden admitted.
"But—" she blew out a breath "—I just don't know what's going to
happen now. Where things are going from here."

"What do you mean?" Nikki demanded.
"Did he imply that it was over? Thanks for a good time and so long?"

"No. Of course not." Arden was anxious to
divert any potential tirade on her behalf. "But we've just kind of been
taking it one day at a time, and this was a big step for me. For us. And…"
She smiled again, still awed by what she'd found with Shaun. "I never knew
making love could be like that. So … everything."

"It is when it's with the right person,"
Nikki said knowingly.

Arden's smile slipped, and she shook her head.
"Don't start thinking about orange blossoms and wedding gowns," she
warned.

"I just want you to be happy," Nikki told
her.

"I am happy."

"Then I'm happy," Nikki said. "Although
I can't deny that I am a little worried, too."

"I can handle this," Arden said, not certain
whether she was trying to convince her cousin or herself.

Nikki nodded. "I know. I'm worried about
Shaun."

"Shaun?"

"He's the sweetest guy I know," Nikki said.
"He puts it all on the line. If he's not already in love with you, he will
be. And I don't want you to hurt him. If you're not willing to follow through,
to see where this goes, tell him now."

"He knows what I want from this
relationship," she said. At least, as much as she herself knew.

"I'm not suggesting you've been dishonest,"
Nikki said gently. "I am concerned that he'll think he can change your
mind. That he might be thinking forever, while you're thinking for the next few
months."

"I care about him," Arden said. "I
wouldn't have gone away with him this weekend if I didn't."

"I know." Nikki sighed.

Arden knew her cousin was still going to worry, which
made Arden worry. She wouldn't regret the weekend, but she was once again
reminded that nothing this good could last forever. And she hated to think that
Shaun might get hurt when everything fell apart.

* * *

While
Arden was being interrogated by Nikki, Shaun was subjected to a similar, if
slightly more subtle, questioning from his brother. He endured it graciously,
only because he knew Colin's questions were motivated by his concern for Arden.

"I don't want any details," Colin said,
helping himself to a bottle of beer from his brother's refrigerator. "I
just want to know if the two of you are still on speaking terms."