QR Code Killer (9 page)

When Maddie’s second, third and fourth shots
went wild, Erik smiled down at her. “You’re a good sport, Maddie.
Keep practicing and you’ll get there.”

“Thanks,” Maddie said, grasping for ideas to
keep Erik’s arms around her and not coming up with any. “Maybe you
could help me practice.”

Erik smiled a warm, genuine smile that
started at his generous lips and went all the way to his eyes.
Maddie knew she was about to break her promise to herself to never
get involved with another man. Instead of getting lost in the look
Erik was giving her, she turned, carefully loading the gun.

Lifting it up and aiming at one of the
targets, she buried five shots into it, all dead center.

When Erik looked at her in disbelief, she
grinned. “I can shoot a gun just fine, but I think I’d like more of
your lessons. Are you game?”

Erik laughed, placing his hands on her waist.
“You are just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

“More than you can imagine,” she said, quite
pleased at catching Erik by surprise.

“Where did you learn to shoot like that? And
don’t tell me it was out here just shooting in your spare
time.”

Maddie decided now was the time to tell Erik
the truth about who she was and what she did. Taking his hand, she
led him over to a couple of hay bales and sat down. He sat beside
her, waiting.

“Erik, there’s something I need to tell
you.”

He placed his hand on top of hers and gave it
a gentle pat. “Sure, Maddie. What’s up?”

“I… um… wanted to tell you about my job.
About where I learned to shoot like that.”

“Okay. What about your job? Zach said you
work in Seattle.” Erik didn’t like the fact that Maddie’s face was
so unreadable. It was like she had pulled a shutter over her eyes
and closed herself off to any emotion. That was definitely not a
good sign.

“I do work in Seattle. I love my job. Some
people say I’m even pretty good at it,” Maddie said, still hesitant
to tell him everything.

“And...” Erik was curious about what she did
and how she had gotten hurt. He knew it wasn’t his place to pry and
assumed when Maddie was ready, she would tell him.

“Erik, I’m a cop. A detective, actually.”

“Oh. Well, that explains your talent with the
handgun,” Erik said, processing this bit of information. He was
surprised by Maddie’s career, but not shocked. Her attitude,
physical shape, and demeanor alluded to her profession. It
certainly explained her ability to shoot like a professional
marksman. “I think it’s great you are in law enforcement but I get
the very distinct idea there is more you need to tell me.”

“Yes, there is.” Maddie took a deep breath
and stared out across the field. Why was this so hard? The problem
was when she told Erik about Zeus, she was afraid he’d pack up and
leave and she would never see him again. That was what made her
hands tremble and her heart trip. “Erik, I’ve been working on a
case for three years and it has gotten pretty intense. In fact,
this person that I’m chasing seems to have a personal vendetta
against me. He’s the reason I’m home on leave.”

“What happened to your arm?” Erik asked.

“He sliced through my vest and sank his knife
into my shoulder, twisting it a few times to make sure I got the
message he wasn’t pleased with me.”

“Maddie,” Erik said in a low voice, beginning
to understand the strength the tiny woman beside him possessed.
“I’m so sorry.”

“He killed my mother and my partner, and
countless others. Some we’ll probably never know about.” Maddie
shivered, but felt compelled to continue. “His name is Zeus and he
is one of the most evil and demented psychopaths I’ve ever come
across. He sent a threat to me a few weeks ago that Aunt Lena is
next on his list.”

Erik sat up, his brow wrinkling in concern.
It was one thing for some nut-job to be messing with Maddie in
Seattle where she had the entire police force for protection. It
was something else entirely when she was out on the farm with mile
after mile of open space and no witnesses. A sudden need to protect
and shelter her rose up in him.

“What does that mean? Is Lena in danger?”
Erik finally asked. “Are you in danger? Are we all in danger?”

“Actually, we are. Anyone on the farm. Anyone
associated with me. We haven’t been able to track down any leads
that will help us catch him, yet. So now we are basically waiting
for him to make the next move. If you want to leave, I understand.
I don’t want to put you into any more danger than I already have.
I’m worried about what he might do to you.”

Erik let out his breath, trying to keep his
temper in check. “How could you not tell me about this Maddie? Were
you afraid I was the bad guy? Were you convinced I’m not
trustworthy? It is more than unfair of you to put me into a
position like this.”

“I know and I’m sincerely and truly sorry. I
had no right not to tell you, but I just wanted to make sure I
could trust you first.”

“Can you, Maddie? Can you trust me?” Erik’s
eyes had grown dark and cold.

Maddie studied Erik. He had every right to be
angry at her. If he walked back to the bunkhouse, packed and left,
she couldn’t blame him at all. “I know I can trust you. But I
wouldn’t blame you if you leave and never look back.”

Erik leaned back and tried to digest what
Maddie was saying. It was hard to shift gears from thinking he was
flirting with a pretty girl to having a conversation about a madman
on the loose with his gun pointed in their direction.

Sending up a quick prayer for patience and
guidance, Erik once again took Maddie’s hand in his. “I’m not going
anywhere, Maddie. I care about you and your family. But you’ve got
to be honest with me and let me know what I can do to help. Walking
around waiting to be blindsided isn’t exactly my style.”

“I’m sorry, Erik. I should have told you
sooner. I just didn’t… I,” Maddie gulped in air. Feeling way out of
her comfort zone, she wasn’t used to sharing what she was thinking
and feeling with others. “I didn’t want you to leave. I didn’t want
to lose you before I had the chance to know you.”

Erik’s heart thudded in response to what
Maddie said. Giving her a warm smile, he squeezed her hand, his
temper cooling considerably. “I appreciate you telling me that.
Now, let’s talk about what we need to do to keep safe.”

“That’s the thing, Erik. Zeus is
unpredictable. He’s violent and thinks nothing about shooting
someone in cold blood. Just like he did my mother. He warned me to
back off the case and when I didn’t he hunted her down and shot her
in her car on the way home from town. The back seat was full of
groceries. Then he sent me pictures of it so I could see what he’d
done.”

Erik groaned. No one should have to see
something like that. No one.

“We had a set up with one of his men. It was
the perfect scenario, but something tipped him off and he ran. My
partner chased him down to the waterfront. They both went off the
end of the pier and neither one of them was ever found. Another
good man lost his life trying to find them. He was Danny’s
partner.”

At Erik’s look of surprise, she offered a
crooked smile. “Danny isn’t really a cowboy or a hired hand and he
most certainly isn’t from Texas with that ridiculous twang. He’s
here to help keep us safe. His partner Glen tried to save my
partner, Devin, who was shot right before he went in the water.
That was the last time I saw him. We got a tip in May about a deal
going down with Zeus and almost had him. I could have shot him
between the eyes if I hadn’t hesitated for just an instant.
Instead, he pulled a knife on me, dragged me down the alley, and
then gave me a scar that will forever remind me that he is a
mentally unbalanced, evil scumbag. Danny and I are committed to
ending this with Zeus, but we don’t know how long it is going to
take. I told Zach what is going on. I realize we need to tell Dad
and Lena for their own safety’s sake, but I wanted to tell you
myself. Alone. To give you the opportunity to walk away.”

“I won’t walk, Maddie. If and when I decide
to leave, I’ll be sure to let you know,” Erik said, leaning closer
to her. “But right now, I’m staying.”

“I’m glad,” Maddie whispered.

“First, I think we need to find this Zeus,”
Erik said, putting his hands on his knees and studying Maddie
intently. “Now tell me everything I need to know.”

Maddie filled Erik in on the case details she
could share. It was a great relief to finally be honest with
Erik.

“I’m really sorry, Erik. By the time I knew I
could trust you, I… um… was…” Maddie stuttered, trying to find the
right words without sounding like a complete dolt.

“You were what?” Erik didn’t cut her any
slack. “Blown away by my charm? Astounded by my good looks?
Overwhelmed by my witty conversations?”

Maddie laughed. “All the above. And your
muscles. Don’t forget your muscles.”

“What about them, Madelyn?” Erik kept his
voice teasing although his temperature was on the rise and his
heart was pounding.

“They can be pretty impressive. Sometimes,”
Maddie said with a shy glance that made her look way too
enticing.

Erik flexed his arm and made her laugh. “Only
sometimes?”

“Most of the time,” Maddie said, blushing.
How had the conversation taken a turn this direction? She was so
disconcerted, she could hardly think.

“Well, I won’t let it go to my head,” Erik
said, flexing his biceps and wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Maddie put her hands on the bulging muscles,
squeezing lightly. She knew she was playing with fire, but couldn’t
seem to stop herself. Erik tugged her onto his lap, capturing her
lips in a kiss that was unlike anything she had ever experienced
before. The very air around them felt charged as heat snapped
between them.

When Erik finally set her on her feet, he
stood, took a step back, and grinned. “I know I shouldn’t have done
that but I can’t seem to muster up an ounce of regret.” With that,
he turned and walked back to the work waiting for him.

<><><>

Running the swather and watching hay fall
into neat windrows behind him gave Erik a strong sense of
satisfaction. No matter what else he excelled at or was challenged
by, he did know farming. It was something he could do in his sleep
and quite often did in his dreams.

Watching dust fog down the narrow lane from
the house, he was surprised to see Maddie park the four-wheeler at
the end of the field.

When he got to the end of the row, he turned
the machine around, killed the switch and climbed down.

“Hey, Maddie, what are you doing out here?”
he asked, trying to sound friendly and lighthearted, even though
he’d rather brood. They hadn’t had any time alone for days and he
still was trying to work through his feelings. He was overcoming
guilt for his interest in another woman. Erik knew it wasn’t
rational, but part of him felt like he was cheating on Sheila by
even looking at Maddie. He was still a little miffed that she
hadn’t trusted him sooner. Then there was the fear of being stalked
by a madman.

It all boiled down into a really confusing
mess of emotions. For now, though, he was glad to see Maddie and
surprised she had come all the way out here to check on him.

Taking off his gloves and ball cap, he
stuffed them in his back pockets before running his hands through
his hair, creating a tousled mess that Maddie thought was entirely
appealing.

She grinned and held up a paper sack. “Aunt
Lena made chocolate chip cookies and said you were partial to them,
so I brought you out a couple along with some iced tea.”

“You didn’t have to do that, but I appreciate
it,” Erik said, leaning against the four-wheeler and taking the
sack from Maddie. Biting into a still-warm cookie with chocolate
chips melting like little lumps of decadent lava, he closed his
eyes and enjoyed the experience.

Opening them, he locked gazes with Maddie.
She stood unmoving, watching him, falling into the pools of hot
amber honey that stared back at her.

She wasn’t sure what had gotten into her
today, but as soon as Lena mentioned that Erik liked chocolate chip
cookies, Maddie could hardly wait for them to come out of the oven
so she could take him a few. She knew he was swathing hay on a back
section of the place and decided it wouldn’t hurt to ride out and
make sure all was fine. Danny was working at the shop and would
keep an eye on the house and Aunt Lena while Zach and her dad had
gone off to a farm sale.

Unwilling to closely examine her motives or
reasoning, she filled an insulated jug with iced tea and a sack
with the cookies and took off before she could talk herself out of
it.

Now that she was out here, she was very glad
she came. She hadn’t been able to spend much time getting to know
Erik, but what she knew about him piqued her interest in a way no
one had for a very long time.

Everything Maddie needed to know about Erik
could be summed up in the way he treated Boone, his dog. He was
gentle and kind with the dog, making sure the animal’s needs were
all met. He never let the dog get into a position where he could be
hurt, yet gave the dog plenty of opportunity to play and have fun.
Erik would have been a wonderful father and most likely was an
amazing husband.

Considering him as husband material caused
Maddie’s heart to pound. Before she could think about what she was
doing, she reached up and wiped a bit of melted chocolate from the
corner of his mouth, letting her finger graze along his bottom
lip.

Just for a moment she forgot where they were.
Why she was here. Who was most likely watching them. Just for a
moment she was a lonely woman very attracted to a solid, good
man.

It was in that moment that Erik watched the
emotions tumble across Maddie’s usually unreadable face and saw a
reflection of his own wanting there. Keeping his stance relaxed, he
set down the sack of cookies then slowly reached out and put his
arms around Maddie’s waist, drawing her to him. Waiting for
resistance that never came, he lowered his head to hers, tasting
her lips gently, softly. They were even sweeter than he dreamed.
Feeling Maddie run her small hands up his arms and tug down on his
neck, he deepened the kiss, pulling her flush against him.
Explosions of heat and fire sizzled in the fraction of space
separating their bodies. When Erik finally pulled away, they both
stood catching their breath, unsettled by the intensity of what had
passed between them.