Passion's Price Read online

  “Thanks.” He went to his room, packed what he’d need for three days and came back to the den, where Jessie was polishing furniture. “You have my private number in case you need me. I’ll be in touch.”

  “Yes, sir. I sure hope it’s air-conditioned where you gonna be.”

  “I’ll be comfortable. See you.” After he got behind the wheel of his silvery gray SUV, he wished he’d remembered to ask Jessie which supermarket she usually went to. He stopped at the first big supermarket he saw, bought the items on his list along with two six-packs of beer, two bags of Cajun-style corn chips and a bag of his favorite candy bars.

  “If I’m gonna be held hostage by temptation, I may as well have something to divert my attention,” he said aloud while storing his purchases in the trunk of his car.

  “That was pretty fast,” Cody said when Mike returned after less than two hours.

  “Stay for a cup of coffee, Cody. Mike makes wonderful coffee,” Boyd said. He looked at Mike. “I hope you remembered what Darlene likes for breakfast.”

  He didn’t like being put on the spot in Cody’s presence, so he shrugged to give the appearance of disinterest. “I bought what you asked me to buy.”

  “Good,” Boyd said. “Will you make us some coffee?”

  Mike wondered, not for the first time, if Boyd was really mentally challenged or very shrewd. He could tell Boyd to make the coffee himself, but he’d hate the taste of it. “Sure. As soon as I put this stuff away,” he said. He quickly stored his stuff in one of the spare bedrooms, then made the coffee. Boyd relieved him of the job of serving it.

  “If I have to have police protection, I hope Mike stays with me, because he is such a kind and considerate gentleman,” Boyd said to Darlene.

  Cody cleared his throat. “Yeah, he is that, provided you don’t break the law or otherwise get on the wrong side of him.”

  Mike knew Darlene was deliberately refusing to look at him. What had happened to her rambunctious behavior? Was this show purely for Cody’s benefit? Mike wondered if Darlene the hellion would reappear the moment his partner walked out the door.

  “This is really good coffee,” Darlene said to Mike, interrupting his thoughts.

  “Thanks. All I did was put coffee in the filter, put it over a coffeepot and pour boiling water over it. No sweat involved.”

  “It’s good,” she said, looking at Boyd.

  Just then, Cody emptied his cup and stood. “Good stuff, man. If you need me, you have my number.”

  “Is he coming back?” Darlene asked Mike.

  “Not tonight. I’ll be here tonight.” He looked at Boyd. “We’ve decided to stay inside for a while, instead of outside in the car. If the people who are after you don’t see one of us sitting out there, they may decide to show their hand.

  “Nothing’s stopping them now. They could walk in just as Darlene did,” Boyd responded. “By the way, won’t they see your car out there? They’ll know you’re still here, won’t they?”

  “I changed cars. They won’t recognize this one.” He looked at his watch. “It’s six twenty-five. Why don’t we watch the evening news?”

  “When do we eat dinner?” Darlene asked them. “I’m getting hungry.”

  “I guess you are,” Mike retorted. “You barely touched that stuff you ordered for lunch. Are you on a diet?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m not.”

  “And you’re not taking any medicine, either?” When she shook her head, he became concerned. “I suspected that.” He softened his voice so as not to annoy her. “You seem subdued, and I’m not sure I like that. You’re a fighter. What happened while I was gone?”

  “I’m tired,” she said, but he didn’t believe her. He went into the kitchen, ostensibly for more coffee, and called Boyd in for a private conference. “Did Cody and Darlene have a problem while I was gone?”

  “Well, she managed to tell him that she didn’t like cops, and he told her he wasn’t going to babysit a smart-mouthed woman and that if she said anything else to him, she’d be in jail before you got back here. Then he took out the handcuffs and put them on the coffee table. I think she got the message.”

  Mike couldn’t help feeling her pain, but he knew that, if pushed, he would do the same. He poured a second mug of coffee, added milk and took it to her.

  She looked up at him, and smiled. “Thanks so much. I wanted some, but I didn’t feel that I should ask.”

  In other words, the weight of her predicament had settled on her. “I hope this will soon be over, Darlene, and you can get on with your life.”

  “There was no way that I could have avoided this, Mike. I need to verify my client’s alibi if I’m going to clear him. The information I have led me here. What was I supposed to do but come here?”

  “I always check things out first. You should have done that before you came to Memphis. Develop a good relationship with a first-class detective and talk to him or her. Investigations require special training and experience, without which you can walk right into a trap.”

  “I don’t know any detectives in Frederick.”

  “There must be someone in Baltimore. This business is too dangerous for a neophyte.”

  He saw that she took in every word he’d said and told himself to back off. Her safety was not his concern. In truth, he shouldn’t have cared whether she was in danger or not. But he might as well admit it: he didn’t want anything to happen to her, he thought to himself.

  “Thanks, Mike,” she said. “I’m the youngest in a three-person firm. How can anyone develop professionally in that environment? I work there, because being a partner in the firm is worth ten times the experience I’d get as a lawyer working alone.

  For some reason he had an overwhelming desire to protect Darlene, but that wasn’t his job. He was there to protect Boyd. “I suggest we order dinner. It’ll be nearly an hour before it arrives.” He looked at Darlene and winked. “I take it you don’t want what you had for lunch.”

  He could see that she bristled. “Don’t remind me of that. I want a soup and salad.”

  “Okay,” Mike said.

  “What are you having?” Darlene asked Mike.

  So she wanted to be friendly. Fine with him. “Probably a burger and fries.”

  “I’ll have what Mike’s having,” Boyd said.

  Mike paid careful attention to Boyd. He wanted to make sure Boyd, who was a witness in a high-profile drug case and in protective custody, made it to trial.

  Darlene had realized that Cody Johnson wasn’t as accommodating as Detective Raines. She had prayed that Mike would soon return. She decided to refrain from annoying Mike so that he wouldn’t call in a replacement.

  “Do you mind if I go to the bathroom and freshen up?” she asked Mike. “I wish I could change. I’m sick of these clothes.”

  “You’ll find a white terry-cloth robe in the guest-room closet,” Boyd said. “Why don’t you take off your shoes and let your feet rest? You won’t mind, will you, Mike?”

  “Check out the guest room,” Mike said to Darlene. “You might be surprised by what you find?”

  She slowly went up the stairs, suspicious that Mike didn’t follow her. In the guest-room closet, she found the terry-cloth robe and a pair of white furry slippers. Unfortunately, they were too small for her feet. In the bathroom, which was painted and tiled in gray, she found the makings of a luxurious bath. She wrapped her hair in a towel, filled the tub, sprinkled the bath salts in the water and stepped in. Enormous bubbles covered her body, and she closed her eyes as the scent of one of her favorite perfumes filled the room. Within minutes, she fantasized that Mike Raines’s strong fingers were stroking her legs. Then they moved boldly to her thighs. She parted them, and his fingers went into her, gently massaging her. She wet her lips and a moan escaped her lips, bringing her to her senses.

  “My Lord!” she exclaimed aloud. “Have I lost my mind?”

  She got out of the tub, dried off, washed her face and dried it with a plush
gray towel. She examined the silver hairbrush on the dressing-room table, decided that it was clean and its bristles strong. She tamed her hair with it, then dressed again in the clothes she had been wearing earlier. She started down the stairs and saw Mike coming up.

  “It hasn’t been forty minutes,” she said when they stood side-by-side on the same step.

  “”I know that.”

  “Don’t you trust me?”

  “Oddly enough, I do.”

  “Then—”

  Without a word he pulled her closer and bent toward her lips. Still hot from her lovemaking fantasy, tremors shot through her and her breath caught short. When she wet her lips, he picked her up and carried her back to the guest room and closed the door.

  “This doesn’t make a bit of sense to me, Darlene, but I want you.”

  “I hoped that you’d come back. I don’t know what I’d have done if it had been someone else for the rest of the stakeout.”

  “Because of Cody?”

  “No. Because I wanted you. I can still feel your hands on my body easing me through that window. I can—”

  His tongue slid along the seams of her lips and frolicked there for a second before she opened her mouth and sucked him in. He tasted and tested every crevice and every centimeter of her mouth, until she felt the warmth ease down her leg as she undulated her body against him. He pulled her closer, and she feasted on him as more heat plowed through her. She rocked against him. Frantic for more of him, she grabbed his hand and rubbed it against her aching nipple. Mike plunged his hand into the neckline of her blouse and tortured her nipple. When she moaned aloud, he lifted her, braced himself against the doorjamb and sucked her nipple into his greedy mouth. She held his head to her and let him feast until the feel of his arousal brought her to her senses.

  She pushed against his chest. “Oh, no. I’m sorry, Mike. I didn’t mean for this to happen, but I was still… I mean I’d been thinking… Oh, I don’t know what I mean.”

  He set her on her feet, adjusted her blouse and caressed her cheek.

  “I can’t believe I went crazy like that, Mike. I’ve never in my whole life felt like that. I’m—”

  “When were you thinking of me? Just before you met me on the steps,” he whispered.

  She could lie or she could get mad at him. She did neither. “A few minutes before you met me on the stairs. How did you know?”

  “Because your face blushed with color, and you wouldn’t look me in the eye. What do you mean you never felt that way before?”

  “I haven’t.”

  “I see. Is there a man in your life now?”

  She buried her face in the curve of his neck. “No one.”

  “There’s a strong physical attraction between us, Darlene, and I think we ought to see where it takes us. What about it?”

  “I don’t know. I live in Maryland, and you’re here. Besides, I’m not sure I want a guy who can make me do what I just did.”

  He stepped back and stared at her. “I hope you’re kidding. You want to be with a man who can’t fire your passion? That makes no sense to me.”

  “Come on,” she said. “Let’s go downstairs before Boyd decides we’re up to something. Besides, won’t he sneak out?”

  “No. He’s afraid to do that. You never answered my question.”

  “But we don’t know each other, Mike.”

  “Right. And I’m asking that you give us a chance to get to know each other. I want to know what makes you happy, what ticks you off, angers you, saddens you, your hobbies, your joys, secrets, likes and dislikes. Are you a Republican or a Democrat?”

  “Don’t insult me by even suggesting that I could be a Republican.”

  “At least I know that much.” He put an arm around her. “Our food should be here any minute. Come on.”

  He paid for the food, and she neither objected nor questioned him about it. The three of them ate before sitting down to watch a movie. At about nine o’clock, Boyd announced that he was going to bed.

  “You take the guest room, Darlene, and Mike—” said Boyd.

  “I’m sleeping down here on the sofa.”

  “Sure,” Boyd said. “The sofa opens into a double bed. See you tomorrow morning. Good night, Darlene. I’m sorry you have to be here, but in a way, I’m glad you came. You brighten the place.”

  Darlene watched as he climbed the stairs—almost jauntily, she thought.

  “He seems happy,” Darlene said to Mike when they were alone.

  “I think he is. He likes you a lot. You’re gracious and…well, gentle with him.”

  “So are you.”

  “I’m just being myself. A woman expresses gentleness quite differently than a man. Besides, he doesn’t want me fussing over him, but your little pats on his arms and his shoulders make him feel cherished.”

  She walked over to Mike and gave his shoulder a soft caress. “Did that make you feel cherished?”

  His eyes darkened, and his nostrils flared. “Unless you want to spend the night on this sofa with me, get up those stairs.”

  She cocked her head to the side and exhaled deeply. “Nobody orders me around, Mike. I’ll go up the stairs when I get ready.”

  “If you’re trying to see what I’m made of, you’re moving in the right direction. I want to make love to you, and if you don’t get up those stairs now, I will.”

  “Don’t be so sure.”

  “I know the music that makes you dance, and I’m skilled at playing it.” He walked toward her, but she stepped backward until her back touched the arm of the sofa. The next minute she was lying on her back, and he was standing over her. “What will it be, Darlene? This isn’t a time for teasing.”

  She raised her right hand to him. “Please help me up. I want to kiss you good-night, but I’m scared to.”

  He helped her up and wrapped her in his arms, but before she could return the caress, he pressed a quick kiss to her lips and released her. “Sleep well, baby. By the way, I forgot to give you this travel-size toiletry pack. I bought it at the supermarket.”

  Her arms went around him. “You’re so sweet. It’s just what I needed. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said, his voice rough and shaky. “Now, go on upstairs.”

  She parted her lips over his and took his tongue into her mouth. “Night.” She ran up the stairs. He didn’t know it, but, as mad as he made her sometimes, she didn’t see herself ever forgetting about him.

  Mike opened the sofa bed and smiled. He had expected to have a miserable night’s sleep on a sofa with his feet hanging off it, but the large mattress guaranteed comfort. He took a shower and headed back downstairs as quickly as possible, carefully avoiding the room in which Darlene slept. For whatever reason the woman was temptation personified. But not even the thoughts of her soft and willing body tight in his arms was going to make him violate his official oath—to serve and protect. Bad enough that he’d kissed her while on duty, but he was not going further than that.

  He checked the front and back doors, turned off the lights and slipped between the sheets, irritated that for modesty’s sake, and in the event of an emergency, he had to sleep in pajama bottoms. He loved the feel of his naked flesh against cool, clean sheets. He closed his eyes and told himself to sleep—a routine that usually guaranteed he’d doze off quickly. But instead of sleeping, he spent the next two hours tossing and turning, half-awake. Exhausted, he sat up and turned on a light. He knew the symptoms had to do with Darlene and his sexual frustration. What had caused him to think such a thing? After drinking a glass of warm milk, he got back in bed and was soon asleep.

  He awakened, groggy and tired. “Wake up, Mike. I brought you a cup of coffee,” Boyd said. “It’s not as good as yours, but it will wake you up.”

  “Thanks, Boyd. What time is it?”

  “Seven-thirty, and I just heard Darlene upstairs, so you’d better get dressed.”

  He sipped the coffee. “You’re improving. This is good.” He got up, dresse
d, made the bed, closed the sofa bed and drank the remainder of the coffee. What had Boyd Farmer been like before his life was turned upside down by the witness protection program? The question had begun to bother him. Boyd was no different than any other person minding their own business only to have their life turned upside down after witnessing a murder. After washing up, Mike walked into the kitchen, where Boyd stood peeling a pineapple.

  “Mind if I ask you a question or two, Boyd?”

  “Nope. I may not answer, though,” he replied, continuing to cut the fruit.

  “Who are your close relatives—for example, people you would want to be contacted if you got sick?”

  Boyd stopped peeling the pineapple and looked directly at Mike. “I have two nieces, a nephew and a cousin, and I don’t want any of those vultures near me.”

  Mike’s mouth dropped. “What? But—”

  “Surprised you, didn’t I?”

  “Absolutely. You mean if you died, you wouldn’t want your relatives to know?”

  “Right. They wouldn’t care. Do you know how to make pancakes?”

  “Yeah. I take ’em out of the box and pop ’em in a toaster.”

  He hadn’t heard Boyd laugh before, and the sound of it surprised him. “I was hoping for some homemade.”

  “I wondered where you two were. Good morning,” Darlene said.

  “Good morning,” Mike responded. “Did you sleep well?”

  “You bet I did. That bed is pure luxury. How’d you sleep down here?”

  I fought the sheets half the night trying to deal with my passion for you, he said to himself. “Fine,” he said, and made himself grin.

  “Have you ever made pancakes, Darlene?” Boyd asked. “I’d love to have some.”

  Darlene rolled up the sleeves of her blouse. “Give me flour, baking powder, eggs, milk, salt, butter and fifteen minutes.”

  Mike stared at her. “I wouldn’t have thought you could boil water.”

  “I’ve been known to burn it,” she shot back. “Boyd, do you have any maple syrup?”

  “Oh, yes. I’ll fry some bacon.”