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  She gives me a weak smile, Buddy barks and my heart just about bursts.

  Thank God.

  “Did you get a look at the shooter?” I let her eyes search mine before I take her into my arms and hug her tightly.

  “No. I called 911 from the ridge. They’ll be here any second.” That was way too close. Whoever is after the dog, has upped his game.

  Sirens sound in the distance and a green jeep tears up the main path to the quarry.

  Damn. The two cops who get out of the vehicle are the same from my surveillance video. I wish I’d waited and called the FBI.

  “A rifle was fired from up on the ridge.” I point above the tree line, where two large gray boulders loom, left by the last ice age.

  The officer glances up the hill then herds me and Lilac toward the park exit. “You should take cover, sir.”

  “He’s long gone. Tall man, gray hair, guitar case. I couldn’t see his vehicle.”

  “Please, evacuate the area. We got this, sir.”

  “Air Force, Special Ops. Captain Slate. Believe me, the guy is long gone. I can show you the casings if you like.” I start up the hill. “You coming or not?”

  Somewhat reluctantly, one cop climbs the incline. He’s out of breath at the top and scratches his head when I point out the metal cylinders on the ground.

  “Doesn’t make sense. You say he shot at you?”

  “The bullet hit the ground at our feet.

  “Damned hard shot to miss.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Did you piss someone off recently?” His head nods in the direction of Lilac. “Is she married?”

  His attitude grates on my nerves but I keep it in check. “She’s a student at Columbia. A professional dog walker. Not married, not engaged…” And not going to be questioned by an idiot like you.

  I run down the slope and put my arm around her while she talks to one of about ten officers who have shown up on the scene. I glance back and forth between her and all the cops.

  “Is there a problem, officers?” I make a point of shaking the hand of one, my USAF tat showing, stating everything that needs to be said.

  The younger, shorter one from the video, glances my way and his jaw tics. “I’m taking her statement.”

  “I just told the officer on the hill what went down. If you need anything more, you can call me. This is my number.” I hold open my phone so he can see it and write it down.

  It also has the name Patten Security on the logo.

  His face pales. “You work for Patten?”

  I nod. “Yes sir. I’m head of their security.”

  The other cop joins us, breathing hard from the jaunt down the hill. “We’re going to need you to come down to the station.”

  I check out Lilac’s pale complexion. “She may be going into shock. I need to take her and the dog home, then I’ll be right with you. Does that work?”

  “Actually, no. Get in the vehicle.”

  “Am I under arrest?” Lilac yanks her elbow from the cop’s grasp.

  The guy takes off his cap and curses. “I got a park full of scared people and no explanation to give to my boss. Surely, you can understand?”

  She steps forward. “Well, you should’ve done a hell of a lot more the last time I called.”

  Apparently, they hadn’t taken her report seriously because an older guy in casual clothes looks surprised.

  I figure he’s a detective when his intelligent eyes narrow and dart to Lilac. “What last time?”

  Ah fuck. She should’ve kept her mouth shut. I almost had us safely at my place. Now, for sure, we’re going to the station.

  The heavy-set cop who was with me on the hilltop pipes in his two cents. “She reported this dog here, brought her a human hand a couple days ago. We searched the area for a while and nothing showed up so we figured it was her over-active imagination.”

  “Did you sample the soil?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And?”

  “I don’t know. Lab report never came back.”

  The older guy curses, spits, and says to me, “We’ll get all your statements, then you can go home. After that, I suggest you stay out of the park for a while.”

  Chapter 16

  Lilac

  The small police station of Upper Saddle river sits next to Borough Hall and across the street from the middle school. Everything else for miles is trees or mansions with multi-million-dollar curb appeal. I can’t help but feel a little homesick for Kennebunkport with a real downtown and an old fashioned Main Street.

  At least the inside of the modern building is brightly lit and clean.

  Officer Shane leads me past a reception area and into a room no bigger than my kitchen. He sits me down in a plastic chair in front of a shiny veneered table. The front wall has a mirror where I’m guessing others can watch the proceedings. Overhead, one fluorescent light flickers in the middle of an industrial drop ceiling.

  Slate told me not to say anything until his lawyer arrives but I have nothing to hide. The wisdom he shared before I was separated from him rings ominously in my mind.

  There’s plenty of innocent people wasting away in jail.

  “Coffee?” The officer is apparently the good cop.

  “Sure. Green Mountain. Cream, no sugar.” His brows raise so I add, “I couldn’t help but notice your machine on the way in.”

  “Be right back.” He winks.

  Are you fucking shitting me?

  When he leaves, I check myself in the mirror. Damn, no one looks good in this lighting. I pull my hair out of the pony tail and brush the leaves onto the carpet.

  “Here you go.” He sets the aromatic cup on the table.

  Before he can sit, I ask, “Can you get me a sweater or turn off the AC?”

  In truth, I’m a bit self-conscious in my running shorts and sports bra, not to mention it must be sixty degrees in here. It takes only a minute for him to return with a sweatshirt. It’s got orange USRPD letters prominently displayed on blue cotton.

  “Thanks.” I put it on, pulling the sleeves over my frigid hands and the hem below my thighs.

  “So, are we all comfy, now?” His dark brows mime fake concern and remind me of the Muppet anchorman.

  I smile as saccharine-sweet as I’m able, Miss Piggy in mind. “Sure, we are.” Buster.

  “Great.” His chair scrapes the wood floor as he plops down. “Start at the beginning. What happened the day you saw the hand?”

  Now? Now he wants to know about the dead body part? What about coming with a backhoe and believing me before? Jerk wad.

  “Sorry. But I can’t talk without my lawyer present. You know how it is.”

  “You’re not in any trouble, Miss Starwood. We just need to know a little more about what happened, to keep you safe. And you should know. Alexander Slate isn’t all he appears to be. He’s on suspension for almost getting Grayson Patten killed. Did you know that?”

  I lean over the table. “It’s Starbird. Feathers? Remember? I really appreciate your concern, I really do, but I need to wait for my lawyer.”

  “You don’t need one.” The smile fades and his jaw muscles tic.

  “Are you refusing me my rights?” I blink twice, eyes wide and innocent.

  He reaches under the table and I assume he is turning off a recorder. “You might want to change that attitude, missy.”

  “Are you threatening me, officer?” I say this loudly, so people on the other side of the mirror, if there are any, can hear.

  Cursing, he leaves the room and I exhale.

  I wait and pace the small room with nothing to think about except how close the bullet was when it hit the ground in front of my feet. Despite the sweatshirt, I begin to shiver uncontrollably.

  By the time the door opens again, I’ve jogged up and down, recited all the bones in the human body and have begun to draw the human endocrine system on the lined paper they left in front of me.

  I look up as a handsome man in an expensive suit ent
ers the room. He’s got this crisp white shirt and a silk tie that matches his incredible blue eyes.

  He slicks back a blond lock before extending his hand, “I’m your lawyer, Andy Quinn. You’re Lilac Starbird, right?”

  “Right.” Oh my God. If I wasn’t so into Slate, I’d think I was in love.

  He pulls a plastic chair from the corner of the room, brushes crumbs off the seat, and unbuttons the lower button of his suit.

  A pure gentleman, he pulls out my chair before sitting, himself. Sapphire orbs resembling his brother Chance’s, capture my gaze. He’s way too handsome for a lawyer. “This is going to be really simple, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “Before you answer any questions, you wait for me to nod. Just keep your eyes glued here.” He points to his face.

  “Don’t you want to hear what happened?”

  “Not here and not now. We good?” He shoots me this confident smile that could advertise toothpaste.

  I can’t help but return it. “Sure.”

  He puts his manicured hand over mine while we wait for at least another fifteen minutes. Finally, a gray-haired officer with bars on his uniform enters and sits at the far side of the table.

  “I’m Sergeant Polis. I’m turning on the recorder now.” He recites the date, time, and case number before looking at me. “Please state your name and address.”

  I keep my gaze pointed at my handsome lawyer to make sure he nods. “Lilac Starbird. 12a Old Post Road, Upper Saddle River.”

  “Are you living with Alexander Slate?”

  Andy Quinn shuts that down real fast. “Don’t answer, Ms. Starbird.”

  The officer’s veneer slips for a moment and he curses real softly under his breath. “Are you staying at Mr. Slate’s cottage on his estate?”

  “I believe she already answered the question, sergeant.” My lawyer adjusts his gold cufflinks and smiles, pearly whites showing.

  “God damn it counselor, we’re not in court, here.”

  “But we may be. Please continue.”

  Holy shit. This is intense. I grip my lawyer’s hand under the table and watch as these two men glare at each other across the table.

  Sergeant Polis is the first to break eye contact. “Ms. Starbird, did you report you saw a human hand?”

  My lawyer nods at me.

  “I did.”

  “Where did the hand come from?”

  “A dog dropped it on my doorstep.”

  “Did you call the police at that time?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  I look to Mr. Quinn and he says, “You don’t have to answer.”

  “But I would like to, if I may.”

  My lawyer’s lips purse for a moment. Then, he leans over to speak in my ear. “If I press your hand, stop talking.”

  I nod, take a deep breath, and exhale it all out. This is my chance to set the record straight. Those officers should not have treated me like they did. “Because I didn’t have any evidence.”

  “I don’t understand.” The cop’s brows furrow, he crosses his arms, and leans back in his chair.

  “I’m not a liar and don’t like to be treated like one.” I start to stand but Andy Quinn puts his hand on my shoulder and I calm.

  “Don’t you? Make shit up?” This cop is like a dog with a bone. Oh shit.

  Suddenly I remember the ring I never gave them and the man in the park who I thought was following me.

  The cop must see my eyes flicker. “What? What did you just remember?”

  “Nothing.”

  For the next four hours, I answer questions about the dog and the hand but whenever they bring up the rape, my lawyer steps in to shut it down.

  The officer brings it up one more time, Mr. Quinn stands, and motions I should as well. “Thank you, officer. I hope the record will show my client cooperated fully but she’s showing some signs of breaking out in poison ivy. We need to get her to a clinic. Any more questions, give me a call. He hands them a card and waits for the red-faced man to open the door.

  Slate is waiting there and I collapse into his arms while he hugs me close. I had no idea being questioned by the police after a shooting was scarier than being shot at.

  He exchanges a worried look with Andy and we all walk out into the sunshine.

  “Thank you.” I take both my lawyer’s hands in mine and he genuinely smiles, blue eyes sparkling.

  “You’re very welcome. Call me if they try to question you again and good job, Ms. Starbird. You guys need a lift?”

  “Yeah, thanks for asking.” Slate puts his arm around my shoulder, gives me a peck on the cheek, and ushers me into the back seat of the Beamer.

  Once we’re buckled up inside the sedan, Slate clears his throat and taps Andy on the shoulder. “We need to talk.”

  “I guessed as much.”

  “Lilac found a ring near the hole where the puppy buried a bone. I did some researching and found it belongs to an arms dealer, supposedly working in Bolivia. I’m pretty sure the hand belongs to him and he’s the dog’s owner.”

  “No worries. I’ll take care it.” The rest of the way I explain exactly what happened and when.

  Back at the house, Slate hands him the class ring and writes down a phone number. “This is my contact at the FBI.”

  Much later, I sit on the arm of Slate’s leather couch in the living room off the kitchen. He pours me a stiff drink and I swallow, the heat burning all the way down.

  For the first time since we heard the gunshot, I stop shivering, unclench my teeth, and sigh heavily.

  “Let’s move this outside in the sun.”

  “Do you think it’s safe?” I view the open deck, thinking of all the places someone could hide and shoot us.

  “I think, if the shooter wanted us dead, we’d be dead.”

  A lightbulb goes on. “Oh my God. He just wanted to scare us? But why?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe he knows the ring is missing. Maybe he doesn’t want anyone to know that Charles Lincoln is dead.”

  “Well, hell, whoever it is can have the ring. Why don’t we just leave it out where he can find it?”

  “Ah, and we would make sure he gets it how?”

  I laugh, composing on the fly. “Dear Mr. Shooter, please take this ring as a token of our appreciation for not killing us.”

  Slate snorts at my sick humor, pours us a double, then says, “Let’s take this to the Jacuzzi.”

  Chapter 17

  Slate

  Relaxing in the hot water with her eyes closed, Lilac seems more like herself. I guess she’s over the shock of someone shooting at us and the inquisition that followed. A lot of women, hell, a lot of men, would’ve folded. She’s a lot stronger than she knows.

  Damn, she’s so funny and so fucking pretty. Yet, up to now, a little shy with me. You could’ve knocked me over with a feather when she stripped naked before sinking into the bubbles of my Jacuzzi. Of course, I did the same but stayed on the other side of the tub, just toes touching. I want to fuck that sweetness more than the air I breathe but she needs to make the first move.

  When she opens her lids partway and smiles, I know I’m hooked. How is that even possible? I’ve only known her a few days but the thought of her leaving at the end of summer makes my gut ache. I need to figure out how to keep this going, whatever this is.

  “What?” Her brown eyes flash at me like she’s reading my mind. “Are you worried about the shooter coming?”

  I send her a reassuring smile, scoot across the water and settle thigh to thigh. “The police have promised to have cruisers pass by every hour.”

  She rolls her eyes and I can’t help but laugh as I put my arm around her shoulder. “I may have called in a couple favors. Believe me, no one is getting onto my estate tonight.”

  Unless I want them to.

  Buddy jumps in the swimming pool, paddles to the edge, climbs up the stairs, and does it all over again.

  Laughing, Lilac exits the Jacuzzi w
ith the body of a goddess, much like that Botticelli painting of Venus De Milo. She dives in after the pup, does a couple strokes, and shouts out to me. “Aren’t you coming?”

  I exit the hot water and dive into the shock of the cooler pool. Then, I clamp onto her thighs and drag her under the surface. She laughs and giggles when I tickle her. Letting go, we surface for air and head to the ladder on the shallow side of the pool.

  Before she can climb out, I turn her and press my chest into hers. I kiss her with the pent-up passion of a man about to lose his mind, crazy in love.

  Buoyant, her legs wrap around me and her arms clamp around my upper arms, hands at my back. She makes me crazy the way she holds me so tight, her sweet cunt just inches away from my swollen cock.

  “You ever made love in the water?” I nibble her ear lobe until she pushes me away, laughing.

  “Want to know a secret?” She tongues my ear and my mouth goes dry.

  “Sure, I do. I want to know everything about you.”

  She whispers, “Other than what happened in the dorm, you were my first.”

  Ah, hell. What can I even say to that?

  “Fuck, Lilac. I am so damn glad you broke into my guest house, otherwise I would’ve never known what I was missing.”

  “I didn’t break in.”

  I snicker. “Whatever.”

  Her lips are willing and soft. She tastes of new beginnings, of hope, and something so primal, I’m way out of my depth.

  “What the hell have you done to me?” With both hands on her soft ass, I can’t pull her close enough and it’s killing me to hold back.

  She must feel the same because she grabs my head with both hands and kisses the living b’jesus out of me until I can’t breathe. My heart hammers as blood runs to my cock.

  “Slate.” Her word comes out like a prayer and I’m not worthy but I’ll try like hell.

  I caress her skin, so soft, and sweet, kissing her over and over. “Never wanted anyone the way I want you.”

  “I think I’m falling for you.” She moans and opens her mouth.

  I thrust in my tongue, pressing her to the tiles of the pool, my tip at her entrance. Putting my hand between us, I groan. Her thick folds are just slick with nectar. I lift her to sit at the edge of the pool, knees on either side of my head. With her legs spread wide, I lap at her juices.