Body Heat

CHAPTER TWELVE

HE’D ACTUALLY HANDCUFFED Brianne. And guilt lay like lead in Jake’s stomach. He took the elevator down to the lobby. He waved to the doorman who followed him out, holding the door open as he exited the building. Jake turned right at the corner and headed for the subway, but the entire time his conscience and his heart told him to go back. So did the niggling in his brain that had begun when Vickers called and told him Ramirez was turning himself in.

Jake shook his head at his thoughts. He was just preoccupied with Brianne, as usual looking for any excuse to put her before this case. He couldn’t believe she wouldn’t do something as simple as promising him she’d sit tight. And he reminded himself she wouldn’t be tied up now if he’d been able to trust her. Stubborn, headstrong woman. She’d already proven she’d take dangerous risks, given the right incentive.

The right incentive. Jake paused at the top of the steps leading down to the subway. When I love someone, I stick by them. Her words came back to him-Brianne’s incentive for making that trip to The Eclectic Eatery. When I love someone…

His heart squeezed tight in his chest, and Jake slapped his hand against the hard metal railing. How the hell had he let those words slip by him unnoticed? Because for the first time since meeting Brianne, he’d been a cop before a man. A detective before the man who loved her in return.

He’d turned a deaf ear to her words and her pleas. He’d cuffed her to a chair and left her alone…so he could watch Ramirez walk himself into a police station and willingly give up?

Not likely. Jake shook his head as reality reared its head. There wasn’t a chance in hell Ramirez would willingly admit defeat and surrender. No possibility at all. Which meant…the phone call to the cops had been a setup.

“Shit.” Jake turned and hit the street at a dead run. He only hoped he wasn’t too late.

A few minutes, but what felt like hours later, he re-entered the building-and the doorman was nowhere in sight. A quick glance behind the desk confirmed Jake’s worst fears. The man lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. The whoosh of revolving doors sounded in his ear, and he turned around in time to see an unfamiliar couple walk in the door.

“Where’s Harry?” the woman asked.

Jake didn’t think she’d like his answer, so he dug into his pocket and flashed his badge instead-a move that stopped both people cold and had them exchanging wary glances.

Jake reached behind the desk for the telephone and pulled it onto the high counter. “Call 911. Give the police the address and tell them it’s the penthouse,” Jake called over his shoulder as he ran for the elevator.

During the silent ride up to the apartment, Jake’s life passed in front of his eyes. It was a cliché he’d heard other cops describe, but it was real. And everything he saw, everything he wanted now and in the future, included Brianne-if Ramirez hadn’t hurt or killed her already, he thought fearfully.

Moving on autopilot, he removed his sneakers in order to maintain the element of surprise. He positioned himself flat against the side of the enclosed area, a place that he hoped hid him from immediate view. At last, the elevator doors slid open. A quick glance told him Brianne and Ramirez weren’t in the open entryway.

Gun in hand, he crept silently into the apartment. He knew better than to call out, but damn he wished he knew where to check first. Though he’d left Brianne in the kitchen, it seemed unlikely Ramirez would keep her in the open, unlocked room. Then again, he’d have to move both Brianne and her chair, something Jake knew Brianne wouldn’t allow. Not without a kicking, screaming fight.

He started toward the kitchen, just as Norton ran into the room, doing his infamous run-and-skid routine. The dog normally saved the bit for Brianne. Norton being happy to see Jake when Brianne was around was unusual, and the knot in Jake’s stomach tightened.

He knelt down beside the excited dog. “Come on, boy. Where is she?” he whispered.

Norton nudged Jake’s leg and started running. Jake mentally took back any bad thing he’d ever said or thought about the dog. In Jake’s book, loyalty to Brianne counted for everything. The dog led him to the kitchen. As Jake got closer, he heard the sounds of a scuffle.

No matter how much he wanted to storm into the room, he had to know what was going on first. Jake paused alongside the wall to the left of the entry and looked around the corner and into the room where he’d left Brianne. He nearly lost control at what he saw.

Ramirez loomed over Brianne. Her blouse was torn, and Ramirez rested his hand, which held a gun, on her shoulder, while his free hand hovered over her breast. Fury and a possessiveness unlike any he’d ever known ripped through Jake, but the other man’s gun kept him silent. He knew he didn’t have a clear shot at Ramirez as long as the thug stood in front of Brianne.

Taking a gamble, Jake walked into plain view and leveled his gun at the other man. “Let her go, Louis.”

Ramirez rose to his full height and turned, but kept his weapon on Brianne’s shoulder, aimed at her head. “Welcome home, Detective.”

Jake’s aim didn’t falter, either. “Drop the gun.”

“As if you’re in any position to be giving orders.” A smirk pasted on his face, Louis cocked his weapon.

The noise echoed loudly in the room and even louder in Jake’s head. At the offending sound, the blood drained out of Brianne’s face. Her green eyes were wide, yet, at a glance, he saw the hidden strength he’d always known she possessed.

Hang in there. He tried to communicate silent support and a promise. He’d gotten her into this. He’d get her out. His heart rose in his chest, making his throat as raw as his emotions. He couldn’t lose her.

And he wouldn’t, Jake thought, immediately shifting his stare back to Ramirez.

“This is between us. Leave her out of it.”

“He sent me flowers, remember, Jake? I think that makes me part of things,” Brianne said.

Jake muttered a curse and started to sweat. He didn’t know what she was up to, but her odds of escaping safely rose only if she kept her mouth shut. He didn’t want her trying to elicit a confession or making herself even more expendable in Ramirez’s eyes. At this point, they’d have Ramirez on a good number of charges. Jake couldn’t give a damn about the drugs. All he wanted was an easy shot that didn’t put Brianne at risk of taking a bullet at the same time.

“Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman. Did you like them? It galls me to admit it, but you’ve got taste, Lowell. I wanted a bite for myself.” He ran the butt of the gun down Brianne’s cheek, and she stiffened in her seat. “It’s a pity I’m going to have to miss out. Screwing her would have been screwing you at the same time.” Ramirez laughed, the chilling sound a knife in Jake’s gut.

Brianne shuddered with a revulsion she couldn’t hide.

“Come on, Louis,” Jake said. “If you kill another cop, you won’t walk on a technicality this time.” And if he killed Brianne, Jake would make sure he took Ramirez out before going down himself.

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Ramirez said.

Brianne glanced at Jake and silently implored him not to do something rash. She knew he longed for a deadly shot at Ramirez. One that would end things for good. She swallowed over the lump in her throat and refused to look down at her torn shirt.

But she knew, as if she could read his mind, that he blamed himself for her situation. He believed she sat in this chair with Ramirez holding a gun to her head because Jake had cuffed her and disappeared.

She couldn’t tell him now and might never get the chance, but she forgave him. Whether or not he loved her the way she loved him-and the jury was still out on that one since he’d had no reaction to her declaration earlier-she wouldn’t hold it against him. She understood that she’d cornered him until he had no choice but to protect her from herself.

He met her gaze again, and, in those brief moments, Brianne felt an unspoken shift in their relationship. An acknowledgment of emotion that would have to be dealt with-if they got out of this alive.

She gripped the seat of the chair with one hand; the other one was still cuffed to the chair and sore from being held back in an unnatural position. But Ramirez wasn’t allowing her any leeway.

“What about the guard you decked downstairs?” Jake asked, and Brianne realized Jake was trying to keep Ramirez talking and not shooting.

Ramirez shrugged as if the injured man were of no consequence. “How can anyone explain what a burned-out cop will do when he loses it?” he asked.

“You think the cops’ll blame me?”

Brianne remembered her self-defense class and gauged the angle from the bottom of her foot to Ramirez’s groin, but she still didn’t have a good target. And neither did Jake. Ramirez stood too close, partially blocking Brianne and definitely able to get a round off if Jake fired first. She wanted to cry in frustration.

“Ask me if I care,” Ramirez said. “As long as they can’t trace me to this apartment I’m fine.”

And he wore clear rubber gloves to make sure he got away clean, Brianne noticed. She looked around for a way out and saw Norton pacing by Jake’s feet. The dog had been agitated since Ramirez’s arrival, but he was no threat and the man obviously knew it because he’d left Norton unharmed. Thank God. But threat or not, the dog was definitely a potential distraction.

She tried to calculate the last time he’d been outside to do business and couldn’t remember. Her mind was too muddled with fear. Anxiety was only a breath away. Her breathing came in orderly succession only by sheer force of will. She couldn’t afford to become light-headed or pass out.

She glanced at the pooch and prayed Norton was in a complying mood. Brianne cleared her throat. Just as she hoped, the noise got the dog’s attention and he bounded from behind Jake, coming up in front of her and Ramirez.

“Get the damn dog out of here,” Ramirez said, but never dropped his weapon from its perch on her shoulder. “Before I shoot him myself.”

“No!” Realizing she’d yelled at the man holding a gun, she cringed. “I mean, please don’t. He’s harmless, okay?” She watched the dog pace in nervous circles at their feet. “He’s just doing his job. I mean, Norton does his business. He thinks he’s protecting me, don’t you, boy? He’s just doing business.”

Brianne met Jake’s stunned gaze and realized he understood what she was up to. Please don’t let him get hurt, Brianne prayed silently because she’d never forgive herself if anything happened to the dog because of her.

“Enough talking!” Ramirez said, glancing back and forth between them. “It’s time to get this over with.”

And just as he spoke, Norton did what Rina had trained him to do. He lifted his leg and did his business on Louis Ramirez’s leg and shoes.

Ramirez glanced down, and fury filled his already hate-filled face. “Fucking dog.” He jumped back and kicked out his leg to get Norton away.

In the split second the gun wasn’t trained on Brianne, she leaned back, lifted her foot and kicked Ramirez in the groin. The force of the movement toppled her chair backward. When her head hit the floor, she thought she heard the sound of a gunshot rent the air. Jake’s gun? Ramirez’s?

She didn’t know, and from her awkward angle, she couldn’t see. She attempted to roll and lift herself up, but her arm was caught at an awkward angle; if she moved, she was afraid she’d break it. Her heart pounded in her chest, and Brianne shut her eyes tight, praying that the next voice she heard would be Jake’s and not Ramirez’s.

“Brianne?”

Jake. Emotion swept through her as quickly as the bullet had flown through the air. “Are you okay?”

He didn’t have a chance to answer. A herd of footsteps sounded from across the apartment, and, within seconds, the room filled with police.

“I WANT BOTH of you downtown first thing tomorrow morning, you understand?” Thompson ordered.

“Yes, sir.” Jake glanced over his lieutenant’s shoulder at Brianne.

She stood in front of the high windows in the living room overlooking the city. She’d picked up Norton and perched him on the wide windowsill and was running a hand over his head. Wasn’t that like Brianne? Reassuring the dog when no doubt she was in need of reassurance herself.

Jake hadn’t had a word alone with her since the cavalry had arrived. He wasn’t sure why Thompson was giving him the night’s reprieve before taking statements, but he had a hunch the older man’s soft spot was showing.

“Why are you being such a human being about this, Lieutenant?” This being both Jake’s need to be alone with Brianne and Thompson’s unspoken understanding that Jake had officially quit the force.

The Ramirez case was over. Unable to walk, Louis had been taken out of the penthouse on a stretcher, after being read his rights with no error. Accompanied by Duke and Vickers, he was on his way to the hospital, courtesy of Jake’s bullet. When Brianne and Norton had made their move, Jake had had milliseconds to push the memory of the man’s hands on Brianne out of his head, and take his one shot. Ramirez had dropped before he knew what hit him.

But a lot had happened since then, Jake thought. Recalling the tense minutes in the kitchen, every nerve in Jake’s body now screamed for release-the kind of release only Brianne could provide. But she hadn’t said two words to him since, and, though he’d like to blame her silence on the commotion following the police raid, he had a gut feeling she was still furious over the handcuffing incident.

“Shit, Lowell. You’re not listening to a damn thing I have to say,” the lieutenant muttered, his gaze settling behind him on Brianne.

“Maybe because she’s better looking than you are, sir.” Jake grinned despite the uncertainty surrounding his future with Brianne.

The lieutenant frowned, but Jake saw the humor there as well.

“Ten o’clock tomorrow, Lowell.” Thompson left, taking the rest of the cops with him.

The kitchen was a shambles, taped off for further investigation. Nothing needed Jake’s attention now, except Brianne. Nothing and no one else was more important.

But when the elevator doors slid shut and they were alone, words failed him. What did he say to the woman he loved? He’d left her alone and defenseless, at the mercy of a cop killer. He wouldn’t blame her if she still wanted to join her brother in California and put Jake and their entire summer interlude behind her. But he planned to do his damnedest to talk her out of it.

BRIANNE FELT JAKE come up behind her. He was warm and masculine and overpowering in his intensity. But he didn’t frighten her. Not even after the episode with Ramirez.

She picked up the forty-pound lug of a dog and placed him on the floor before turning to Jake.

“I’m sorry.” His voice was gruff with emotion.

“I forgive you.” She stood with her hands behind her, her eyes meeting his serious, penitent ones. “I even understand why you felt you had to do it.” She shook her head and laughed wryly. “Like you said, it’s not like I gave you a choice.”

He inclined his head, his eyebrows lifted in surprise. “That’s pretty generous considering you never bargained for this when you accepted Rina’s job offer and place to live.”

“Life’s full of surprises. I learned that young.”

“And you wanted nothing more than to banish those surprises in favor of a little stability.” He brushed a lock of hair out of her face, his callused fingers lightly abrading her skin.

A tingle of sexual awareness started immediately. She wasn’t shocked. There were few things in life she could count on, but Jake and their overwhelming chemistry were two of them.

“I think I had a naive view of the world.” It was something Brianne had discovered since moving into the penthouse and becoming a part of Jake’s life.

“I take it I’ve broadened your horizons?” A crooked smile touched his lips-lips she longed to kiss and possess, but not just yet. There was too much unspoken between them.

“You broadened them all right, in ways I never imagined.”

And probably hadn’t wanted to, Jake thought. Fear gripped his heart as he composed his next thought. He didn’t want to put ideas in her head but he needed to lay things on the line, and soon. He couldn’t take the uncertainty, not where Brianne was concerned. “I’m surprised your bags aren’t packed and ready to go.”

She swallowed hard. “Is that what you want? For me to leave?” Her green eyes were huge, and she seemed to back away, closer to the window-farther from him, when he wanted nothing more than to be as close as was humanly possible.

“Hell, no.”

He’d never wanted any woman as badly as he wanted Brianne, never wanted any future as badly as he wanted one with her. And he’d never had so much to lose before. His heart beat out a rapid rhythm.

“That’s not really telling me much, Jake. You don’t want me to go now or you don’t want me to go-”

“Ever.”

She bit her lower lip, watching him warily. She’d heard the word, but she obviously didn’t believe him. “You said you weren’t looking for a long-term relationship.”

He grinned, feeling on stronger ground. “You said it first. I thought it prudent to agree. I probably meant it-at the time. But then, you said you wanted to move to California.”

She nodded. “I said it and I meant it-at the time.” Her smile grew wider, matching his. “Marc is old enough to go without me. He never wanted his big sister going along, anyway.”

As long as he’d pushed this far, Jake figured he might as well go all the way. “You don’t want a life with someone who takes risks.”

She glanced down. “I don’t. I don’t want a relationship with someone who’ll put himself in danger for the fun of it, who puts risk above his feelings for me.”

Jake held his breath. For all the light teasing, he knew this subject was deadly serious. His future with Brianne hinged on her answer, for as much as he loved her, being a detective of some sort was in his blood.

He might forgo law enforcement in favor of becoming a private investigator-something he’d considered after hiring David. His career wouldn’t change, no matter who he answered to. Brianne had to accept that. She had to accept and be able to live with him or-

“I watched you with Ramirez today.” Her soft voice cut off his thoughts. “You never acted foolishly or without thought. You never tempted Ramirez to take a shot at you instead of me, not even when you walked in and found him tearing at my…blouse.” She choked over the word and the memory.

He grabbed her forearms and his thumbs stroked her soft flesh, wanting to replace the bad memories with more pleasant ones. “But I wanted to. I wanted to shoot first and question him later. I wanted to throttle him with my bare hands, choke the life out of him and then shoot him again for good measure.”

A sheen of moisture filled her eyes. “But you didn’t and that proved something to me. Something I should have known about you all along.”

“What’s that?” He tipped his head down and their foreheads met and touched.

“You aren’t in it for kicks. Whatever you do, it’s justified and honorable. I can live with that.” She stared up at him. “If you want me to.”

If he wanted her to. Jake shook his head and looked at the woman who held his heart in her hands. The irony was, she didn’t even know it. “Sweetheart…”

Brianne held her breath. She’d laid her heart out to him again, only this time Jake didn’t have any place to run off to. No excuse not to answer. The grim look on his face didn’t bode well for her hopes and dreams, but she forced herself to meet this last challenge with her head held high.

She’d deal with the pain of losing Jake when she was alone. After all, she’d agreed to a short-term affair. It was unfair of her to change the rules now.

She’d reached the point of no return, though, Brianne thought. Or maybe that had come the night Rina made her generous, albeit manipulative, offer. The woman had altered the course of Brianne’s life. She now had both frightening and wonderful memories that she’d have to learn to live with. Even if memories were all she had.

“What is it, Jake?”

He ran a hand through his already messed hair. “I live in a one-bedroom apartment on the West Side.”

That wasn’t the response she’d expected, and she narrowed her eyes in confusion.

“Between us, we can probably afford two bedrooms, unless, of course, you want to move out of the city. Or if your heart is really set on California, once Rina’s back and I know she’s okay, we can consider that, too.”

Brianne laughed, her heart suddenly lighter than any time in recent memory. “The only thing I’m understanding in that sentence is the word we. And after all that’s happened, I’ll take it.”

He grinned and wrapped his arms around her neck, holding her tight. “I love you.” He nuzzled his face into the side of her neck, his breath warm on her skin.

Brianne’s heart was full. She had all the security and love she’d ever wanted in life. “What about that family you once wanted?” she asked a little breathlessly.

“Sweetheart, I want that more than anything. With you. And if we happened to miss that time in the whirlpool, I’m more than willing to start trying right now. I love you,” he said again, his lips hot and moist against her neck. “I should have told you before I walked out earlier.”

She swallowed over the lump in her throat. “I love you, too. I always have and I always will.”

“I’m sorry I cuffed you.” His hand slipped beneath the new shirt she’d changed into after the police had freed her, and slid over her back in a hot caress.

“How sorry?” She tilted her head back and smiled coyly.

Jake didn’t miss the mischievous glint in her gorgeous eyes. “How sorry do you want me?”

She brought her hand out from behind her and dangled his handcuffs in front of him. “I want you contrite. I want you shackled.” Her eyes darkened to a stormy green. “But most of all, I want you mine.”