“There has to be another way,” Mark said, his face etched with stress.
“Mark, this is a great opportunity to catch this guy before he kills again. God, every time I think about this thing being pushed under the rug and an innocent man being jailed, I get more and more livid.”
Steve eyed Lindsey. “You think it was Greg’s famous hunt for the U.S. District Attorney’s seat?”
“Oh, yeah,” Lindsey said firmly. “To think I almost married the man.”
Steve sighed. “Figures. Anyone who cares about his political career more than catching a killer has a dark side himself.”
* * * * *
Her apartment had smelled like her, all soft and sweet. He’d needed to feel close to her. But it just hadn’t been enough. He needed more. He needed her. He couldn’t wait much longer. It had been far too long, this time they had spent apart.
She was the only perfect one. Her ivory skin, her green eyes. Ah, her eyes. He couldn’t wait to stare into them, and see her respond to him. And respond she would. She would be the only one who saw him for what he was. Who knew he was special. Because she was his everything.
No. He couldn’t wait. The darkness was too intense, too consuming. He had to have her. She would make him better. Right. Even alive.
It was time.
* * * * *
It had been a long, sleepless night.
Lindsey stepped into her office dressed in a black skirt and a sheer floral pink shirt with a matching pink belt. Far more casual than usual, she didn’t have many options considering most of her clothes were dirty, and crammed in her suitcase. Work attire was out of the question since she hadn’t taken any professional clothes with her to Vegas.
Mark had meetings all morning, and Lindsey resigned herself to do phone work rather than her preferred method of hitting the pavement. Midmorning Steve called and confirmed her suspicions. The Hudson DNA had indeed been hair.
Hanging up with Steve, she struggled with a deep feeling of anger. So many dead women. Two innocent men punished for horrendous crimes they didn’t commit. Publicly these men had been annihilated, labeled as killers. Shoving her chair back, she pushed to her feet. She was going to see Greg, damn him and all of his political agendas. In her book, he was a killer himself. People died because of his greed.
Grabbing her purse, she rushed through her door and bumped smack into Maggie. “Oh, sorry,” Lindsey said. “I didn’t see you.”
“I’m fine, dear.” She glanced at Lindsey’s purse.
Lindsey followed her gaze. “I’m going out for a while.”
Maggie’s expression filled with a combination of surprise and concern. “Is that wise?”
Lindsey rolled her eyes. Mark had been wagging his tongue. “I’ll be fine. If Mark asks, tell him I went to see Greg.”
Not giving her time to say another word, Lindsey made fast tracks to the elevator. Once she was in the lobby, she waited impatiently for a taxi. The doorman was struggling. Fearful Mark might come chasing after her, Lindsey took off on foot, with her destination the subway. Once there, she found herself more nervous than she wanted to be. She sat in a corner, searching the other riders’ faces, looking for signs they might be the killer. She couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.
“Damn it,” she mumbled under her breath. Mark was making her crazy. He was so damn nervous, he had her on edge. She’d end up afraid of her own shadow if she wasn’t careful. She’d dealt with plenty of criminals.
The car screeched to a halt, and Lindsey hopped to her feet, eager to escape confinement. She walked through the subway station, refusing to give into the urge to glance over her shoulder. Pausing as she stepped onto the street, she let out a sigh of relief. The sun was bright, blinding in fact, but its warmth signaled wide open space, and her escape from below.
Determination in her steps, she walked towards Greg’s office. She wanted the truth and she intended to get it.
* * * * *
Mark ran a hand through his already-tousled hair as he approached Maggie’s desk and handed her the documents he’d edited. “I’m sorry Maggie, but I made more changes.”
Maggie smiled with her normal good nature. “Not a problem.”
Mark gave her a half smile, stress etched in his features. Being away for several days had loaded him down. But it was well worth it. “Thanks Maggie. You’re a doll.” He started to turn away.
“Mark,” Maggie said, her voice a bit hesitant.
Mark registered the oddness of her voice and turned to face her again. She was wringing her hands together, looking everywhere but in his eyes. “What is it, Maggie?” he encouraged gently. “You know you can tell me anything.”
She nodded. “I know. I just hate to get the middle of things. Lindsey—”
Mark stiffened. “Lindsey what?”
She let out a long breath. “She went out—”
“What?” Mark demanded, suddenly so tense he thought he might explode.
She gulped. “Yes, and she told me to tell you if you asked, but I didn’t think I should wait.”
“Where?”
“To see Greg.”
Mark said a choice curse word under his breath. It took him several seconds to calm down enough to think straight. Damn, he didn’t have time to chase her all over town. But she could be in danger. He cursed again and focused on Maggie, his mind made up. “Cancel my appointments.”
Maggie sighed. “I’ll do it. Sorry, Mark.”
Mark grimaced. “You did the right thing by telling me.”
Chapter Thirteen
Lindsey stood silently in Greg’s door.
Greg was sitting at his desk, head tilted down as he studied a file.
Lindsey stood silently at his door, assessing him. He was a handsome man, there was no question. His sense of style was classy, his body muscular, his shoulders broad. But there was something empty and cold about him.
Delicately she cleared her throat. His head jerked up and his eyes narrowed. She watched him closely. His expression went from calculating to welcoming. Funny how she never noticed his tactics before, yet they had to have been visible.
“Lindsey,” he said, waving her forward. “What a surprise.” He pushed to his feet and rounded the desk, his eyes making a quick perusal down her body.
He rested his hip on his desk as she moved, putting a chair between them. He was already too close for comfort.
His eyes were shrewd. He knew what she had done. “So, what do I owe the pleasure of the visit?”
Never one to mince words, Lindsey went for the jugular, just as she had in the courtroom. “I went to Vegas, Greg.” She watched for his reaction.
He didn’t even blink. “Oh?” he said. “I’m surprised you managed time for play while running the firm.”
Lindsey shook her head from side to side, disgust lacing the action. “Please don’t insult my intelligence by playing games, Greg. We both know what I found while I was in Vegas.”
If it weren’t for the muscle that jumped in his jaw, she would never have known how angry he was. The man was made for politics. “The only games I want to play with you, Lindsey, are between the sheets.”
His words were meant to rattle her. A sorry method, low down and dirty. Lindsey almost laughed, despite the flashbacks to their past. “I can only be thankful those days are over.” The words were out before she could stop them. She felt them with so much intensity they had simply spilled from her lips.
An evil smirk appeared on his lips. “I don’t believe you. You liked it, and you know it.” His eyes traveled down her legs in a slow, penetrating gaze that made her skin crawl. “I’ve always had a thing for leggy blondes, darling, and you certainly fit that bill.”
His crudeness floored her. This was a new side of Greg. She ignored his comment. “You knew the Vegas murders were connected to the local cases.”
“I knew no such thing,” he said, but his arms crossed in front of his body. A defensive stance.
Her tone alone accused. Her words were like knives. “It didn’t serve your political agenda, so you covered up the connection.”