On the Prowl Page 14

  And that wasn’t good.

  All sorts of new inclinations were bubbling up inside her. Roger Thorton and Professor Winston had certainly stirred the brew. It all added up to trouble with a capital “T” and she knew what that meant.

  Consequences with a capital “K”.

  She shivered as she remembered the detective’s hard, angry body.

  Where was he right now? What would his next move be? Was he still as outraged with her as he’d been last night?

  She picked fretfully at a walnut in the banana bread. She hoped he hadn’t grilled Roger too much. The thought of those two together…discussing her…analyzing her behavior… The muffin crumbled onto the table and she pushed it away.

  Raking a hand through her hair, she tried to get herself to settle down. She had to stop this. Obsessing was not going to help. It would just make her a nervous wreck and elevate her to the top of everyone’s suspect list. What she needed to do was lie low. Keep her head down.

  She forced thoughts of the detective to the back of her brain. She knew he wouldn’t stay there but the best way to handle him was to continue with her life as normally as possible.

  And today, “normal” meant… She glanced at the calendar. Oh, hell and tarnation. Today, she was supposed to host a field trip visit from Mrs. Tuttle’s third grade glass.

  Twenty-three eight-year-olds were about to invade her shop.

  She dropped her head as fatigue pressed on her like a two-ton weight. Twenty-three loud, rambunctious children. Lord help her.

  She rubbed her temple. Maybe she could reschedule. She groaned. She couldn’t back out; the visit had been on her calendar for a month. She’d promised to talk to the kids about history and antiques. Besides, she knew she didn’t deserve a break. This could be her penance for her crime.

  As normal as possible, she reminded herself.

  Muscles aching, she pushed herself away from her breakfast to go make preparations.

  Sadie still hadn’t shown up when the class arrived, so Talia made do on her own. The youngsters’ kinetic energy made her head spin but their interest in collecting was contagious. When she finally got them gathered in the showroom away from the pricier items, she heard all about their baseball cards, race car collections and dolls. In return, she showed them toys, kitchen gadgets from the 1900’s and a collection of bottle caps. Each item had a story behind it and she had a rapt audience.

  She felt a second wind come over her as she worked with them. That was the way it always was with kids; when they were interested in something, they became totally absorbed. That was why she loved them so much.

  She’d just turned the class loose to explore when she heard the back door open. Turning, she saw her assistant. “There you are,” she called. “I was starting to get worried.”

  Sadie hung her coat on the rack and hurried into the room. “I’m sorry. It took longer than I thought it would.”

  It. Talia looked at her assistant blankly until the lightbulb went on inside her head. At once, she felt guilty. She’d been so wrapped up in her own issues, she’d neglected her friend’s problems. “Your meeting with the judge! I forgot.”

  Sadie looked around at the chaos. “That’s understandable. I meant to be back before the rug rats arrived.”

  “They’ve been fine.” Talia reached out and straightened her friend’s collar. She hadn’t needed to rush. Work should always come second to family. “What did he say?”

  For the first time since her son had gotten into trouble, Sadie looked encouraged. “He thinks having Linc help with the charity auction is a good idea and he’ll allow it to count as community service time. Little does my son know, but he’s going to start working this afternoon as soon as he gets home from school.”

  Talia had insisted that Sadie begin leaving work early so Lincoln wouldn’t have those late afternoon hours to get into any more trouble. Her assistant had been reluctant about the arrangement but she hadn’t seen any other solution. Until Linc fulfilled the terms of his probation, he couldn’t be left alone. It wasn’t as if Sadie was sloughing off her duties. She was working on the auction’s preparations at home. It was more than an even trade and well worth her full-time pay.

  Sadie shoved her purse under the counter and patted her hair to make sure it was in place. “So, about the auction… Did you get buy-in from the la-di-da crowd? How did the dinner party go?”

  The dinner party. Talia felt her face flush. She was going to have to tell her friend everything that had happened, but not here. Not now. “We’ll talk later,” she said.

  “Why? What happened?”

  She grimaced. What happened? It sounded like such a simple question. She hesitated before answering. She had no idea what was already floating through the rumor mill. “I would have assumed you’d heard by now.”

  “Heard what? I was too busy scrambling around this morning to hear anything.”

  A little boy came to the counter and Talia smiled at him weakly. “The Thortons had a burglary last night.”

  Sadie’s nimble fingers paused on the register’s keypad. “It happened again?”

  “Can you believe it?” Talia turned away to find a sack for their young customer’s marbles. She didn’t like lying to her best friend and she knew it would show on her face.

  “My goodness. Were you there?”

  She nodded as Sadie handed the boy his change.

  “What happened?”

  “I’m not sure,” she lied. She nervously hooked her hair behind her ear. “I believe that Lydia is missing a bracelet.”

  Sadie rolled her eyes. “I’m surprised that loon noticed anything was missing. She usually isn’t that coherent. Besides, she has more jewelry than I’d know what to do with.”

  “Mm,” Talia murmured. That had been the idea anyway. Lydia wasn’t supposed to have noticed that one little bracelet was missing so soon. Her unusually quick wits had started this whole mess.

  That was, if you didn’t count the theft in the first place.

  A shiver of shame ran down Talia’s spine and she was grateful when she saw the schoolteacher waving at her. She caught Sadie by the shoulder. “We really need to talk after they’re gone.”

  Her assistant’s eyebrows lifted. “Okay,” she said hesitantly.

  Talia wove her way through the crowd and was appreciative when Mrs. Tuttle thanked her for her hospitality. All the same, it was a relief when the schoolteacher indicated that it was time for the class to leave. It had been an enjoyable but exhausting visit. Twenty-three children on no sleep? She suddenly had unending respect for those in the teaching profession.

  The schoolteacher began rounding up her charges and Talia took the opportunity to sit down. Her adrenaline was starting to wane and it wasn’t even lunchtime yet. How was she going to make it through the afternoon? She closed her eyes and reached for the kink in her neck.

  She didn’t get to relax for long. She’d barely begun to work on the knot when someone poked her in the shoulder. Opening her eyes, she found one of her most loyal patrons. “Bobby, I didn’t know you were in this class.”

  The rough-and-tumble little boy smiled broadly, showing the gap where a front tooth had been. “I brought you something.”

  Talia ruffled his hair. The kid might be young but he had a bit of a shark in him. That made him one of her favorites. “What do you have today?” she asked.

  “Something you’ll like.”

  “Stop teasing! Show me.”

  With a grand gesture, he pulled a carefully packaged comic book from his backpack. “The Patroller Number 407—the last issue of Year One. It’s the one where Lady Midnight first wears her blue catsuit.”

  Talia’s eyes widened. Not bad. It wasn’t that old—late ‘80s if she remembered correctly—but it was one in a short series that told how the modern-day Georgina Miles became Lady Midnight. Carefully, she wiped her palms on her skirt and reached for it.

  Bobby laughed at the automatic gesture. “Your hands always
get sweaty when I bring you Lady Midnight stuff.”

  “Really?” said a low voice from a few feet away. “I’ve been wondering what gets her wet.”

  Bobby looked up sharply and Talia froze. She found her gaze drifting up, up, up a very rumpled police detective. Oh, God! What was he doing here?

  Bobby was the first to respond. “She likes Lady Midnight.”

  “Does she now?” Kinkade said slowly. “Isn’t that interesting?”

  Talia quickly pushed herself to her feet but the kink in her neck protested. She winced and reached for the pain. It was all she could do not to flinch when the detective caught her elbow to steady her.

  “My palms are not sweaty; it’s the proper technique for handling comic books. The oils on your hands can interact poorly with the ink,” she said. She shrugged away from his hot touch. “Besides, I should be excited about this issue. Lady Midnight is a popular villain.”

  “Really popular,” Bobby said, piping up. “I should get ten dollars at least.”

  Talia looked nervously from one male to the other. Great, she had a shark and a wolf preying on her. At least all the little one wanted was money.

  She dreaded to think what the big one wanted.

  “Ten?” she said, raising one eyebrow. As normal as possible, she reminded herself. As normal as possible. “I know you’ve done your homework. This issue is worth five, tops.”

  “Oh, come on. Give me eight. It’s in fine condition. Very fine, even.”

  She tried not to show her impatience. She wasn’t up for this today but, for the detective’s benefit, she had to pretend. Carefully, she pulled the comic book from its protective sleeve and laid it flat in her palm. Ever so gently, she thumbed through the pages. “It’s very good plus, maybe fine if I stretch it a bit. The corners are blunted and there’s some creasing on the cover. I’ll give you seven,” she said firmly.

  Haggling was usually a game between the two of them but she couldn’t have any fun with the detective looking on. Her voice was too high and her movements were stiff. She wished she hadn’t jinxed herself by wondering where he was. His unexpected appearance was making her distinctly uncomfortable.

  “All right. Geesh.” Bobby sighed in disgust. “Seven bucks.”

  “Deal,” Talia said. She used the opportunity to escape behind the counter. “Hold on, I’ll get your money.”

  The detective wasn’t ready to let it go so easily. He turned to Bobby, surprising her. It was the first time since they’d met that he’d paid more attention to somebody else in the room than her.

  “So, kid. What makes Lady Midnight so popular?” he asked.

  “Patroller likes her.”

  “Likes her how?”

  “Duh.” Bobby rolled his eyes. “Like a girlfriend.”

  Kinkade crossed his arms over his chest, considering that new bit of information. “But The Patroller’s a good guy. I thought Lady Midnight stole things.”

  “She does but she’s not totally evil,” the boy explained. “She doesn’t hurt people and sometimes she helps Patroller.”

  “She helps Patroller,” Kinkade said softly. “Wouldn’t that be nice?”

  Talia patently refused to acknowledge the detective’s insinuations. She marked down the transaction in her record book and retrieved the money from the cash register for her young client. She loved the kid but it was time for him to go. “You better hurry, Bobby. I think the bus is about ready to leave.”

  “Thanks,” he said as he stuffed the money into his pocket. He turned to hurry away, but stopped long enough to look over his shoulder at the detective. “You should read it sometime.”

  “I will, kid,” Kinkade said. He stuck his hands deep in his pockets and watched the last of the kids get on the bus. Only once they were all aboard did he finally turn to face her.

  Talia suddenly wanted the energetic crowd back. Without the kids as a buffer, she and the detective were too alone—even with Sadie still in the room. Her stomach tightened when he emphasized their intimacy by leaning toward her. He settled his elbows on the glass countertop and eyed her speculatively.

  Suddenly, she found it hard to breathe. The room seemed to close in on her and she took a step back. He was too close for comfort. She didn’t like having him here in her territory. She was supposed to be safe here. He watched her reaction closely. “Why don’t you just wrap that up for me?”

  “Wrap what up?”

  “Lady Midnight.”

  The way he said it was unmistakable and it unnerved her even more. Was that the real reason for this visit? Was he here to wrap her up in handcuffs and cart her off? Had he found evidence against her?

  “What are you doing here?” she blurted.

  “Buying a comic book.”

  She gave him a long, hard look. A five o’clock shadow emphasized his ragged, tired look but she knew better than to let down her guard. His temper might be reined in but his frustration was still running wild. She could see it in his eyes.

  He was here about last night.

  He was here because of Roger.

  Her fingers curled into fists. Why couldn’t he just let it go? The man was as bad as a dog with a bone. The robbery, she could understand, but he had no business prying into her private affairs. She wanted him out of her shop and out of her life. “That will be ten dollars,” she said impatiently.

  “Ten? What the…” He suddenly stood upright and pointed at the door where Bobby had just left. “You just told him it was worth five.”

  “What can I say? Inflation is an evil thing.”

  His eyes narrowed. “I’ll give you seven-fifty. That way you make a profit.”

  “Nine.”

  “Nine?” He raked a hand through his hair. “Ah, hell. Here’s eight bucks.”

  He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and plopped the money down on the counter. “I’m here to apologize, damn it.”

  Talia blinked. The words sounded so foreign coming off his lips. “Apologize?” she said at last.

  “Yeah, I was out of line last night.”

  He was serious. She looked at him in disbelief and felt her defenses waver. He couldn’t be nice to her. She couldn’t fight him if he was nice to her. He reached up to rub the back of his neck in a gesture similar to her own and the tense ache in her belly slid dangerously lower.

  “Can we talk alone?” he asked. He nodded toward Sadie who was watching them unabashedly.

  Alone?

  Talia looked over at her assistant. She wanted desperately to keep her around for moral support but this was one discussion she didn’t want Sadie to overhear. She still hadn’t told her friend the abridged version of what had happened last night and she certainly didn’t want to confess her flirtation with Roger with the detective prodding her in the back.

  She closed the cash register drawer. “Let’s go in the other room.”

  He led the way and she followed him apprehensively. It didn’t matter why he was here; the man just plain made her nervous. He was too big, too curious. Too…too male.

  For all their intention to talk, once they entered the more private room, they both fell silent. Kinkade stuffed his hands into the pockets of his trench coat and Talia folded her arms across her chest. They eyed each other carefully.

  He looked as rumpled as she felt. His brown hair was mussed, his raincoat was wrinkled and dark circles underlined his eyes. As unwise as she knew it would be, her fingertips itched to touch him.

  She’d never seen him look so dark and sexy.

  “Listen,” he finally said. “Last night wasn’t a good night for either of us. I don’t usually work the night shift, so I was cranky to begin with. Then I had to deal with that über-bitch, Lydia Thorton. I figured I’d drawn the crap job of the night.”

  His dark gaze suddenly met hers dead-on. “But then I found you there. I wasn’t ready for that.”

  Talia swallowed hard. He was doing it again. Remorse and shame weighed upon her heavily. “I wasn’t expecting to se
e you either.”

  “No shit.” He looked away and a muscle ticked in his jaw. “Once I found you on the premises, I had to treat you the way I did. I’m not apologizing for doing my job. I’m sorry about what happened at your car.”

  The honesty in his words surprised her. He meant it. As far as apologies went, it wasn’t the sweetest she’d ever heard but she doubted Riley Kinkade apologized for much. “You had no right to talk to me like that,” she said quietly.

  “I know.” His pockets bulged as his hands curled into fists. “It’s just that the thought of you with that old guy hacks me off.”

  The proprietary tone made her toes curl. “Why? My love life isn’t any of your business.”

  His look nailed her where she stood.

  That look said everything she needed to know. He wanted her, case or no case. Her knees went weak. This man was dangerous to her in every possible way.

  Because she wanted him back. Desperately.

  She just couldn’t let herself be susceptible to him. He was a cop, through and through. She couldn’t let him get to her. If she did, he’d take her straight to jail.

  “Fine. Whatever.” She waved her hand in front of her face as if it didn’t matter. “I accept your apology. Go home with a clear conscience.”

  Her nonchalance backfired.

  “Damn it, woman!” he suddenly exploded. “You make me so crazy.”

  He came at her and her self-preservation instincts flared. If he touched her, she was a goner. Her resolve simply wasn’t that strong. She bolted but he caught her by the arm before she could escape. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. She was too tired and vulnerable for this. She struggled when he caught her chin but the look in his brown eyes made her resistance melt.

  “I’m trying to say I’m sorry,” he said gruffly. “Let me, damn it, or I won’t be able to sleep at all.”

  His face just made her ache. He was so tired, he looked haggard. His eyes were bleak and dark whiskers covered his chin. Everything inside her screamed at her to invite him upstairs. She was tired, too. “Haven’t you been home yet?”

  “No, I had to go back to the station and start on the report.”

  The police report. Her stomach dropped. “Did you have to put me in there?”