Protected Read online

  She shifted her focus and snapped more images. “What is it about this area and this woman that was killed?” she muttered to herself. She took a seat on the picnic table and looked around with her elbows on her knees. “There has to be something I’m missing.” She had never been very good at investigative reporting, but she knew when things were wrong and when they were right and this was something that was definitely wrong. She felt it in the pit of her stomach.

  Tapping her fingers to her lips, she watched the birds as they swooped down and took bits and pieces of bread and leftover food that had been littered on the ground. “Why her?” Vivian asked softly. The young woman’d had a full life ahead of her, and yet it had been snuffed out like she wasn’t even worth her next breath.

  She turned her gaze when she heard movement and saw two impossibly large men walking into the area. Holy crap, they’re huge … and, wow, impressive. The men were beyond handsome, and she found herself wanting to reach out and touch the larger one with dark hair. He looked yummy.

  His head turned, and their eyes met, clashing even in the distance. He stopped dead in his tracks. His friend kept moving and talking, then turned after a few feet before coming back to him. The other man glanced back and forth between her and her dream guy.

  The taller one shook his head after a moment and frowned at whatever his friend was saying. The expression quickly turned into a menacing look that the slightly shorter man seemed to take as a hint, because he jogged off. But he was laughing as he did so, loud enough she could hear him clearly. Then the taller one came toward her, slowly, as if he were stalking her, his gaze intent on her as he approached with long-legged strides.

  “Uh, hello?” she said when the man stopped practically between her knees. “Do you mind?” She put her hand on his chest, then bit her lower lip. Holy balls, he’s hard as granite. The electrical shock that moved from her fingers and up her arms unnerved her in a way that nothing ever had before. Even the first time she was praised for her writing she hadn’t felt this amazing, this out-of-body good. Wow.

  “Not at all,” he said. It took her a few seconds to figure out what he was talking about. Then she recalled her question to him. “As long as you keep petting me, I don’t mind at all. Though a name wouldn’t be amiss, little one.”

  “I meant do you mind backing up, please? And it’s Vivian.” She suddenly felt ill. She shouldn’t be there alone. “I should go—” She swallowed hard. “I should go because my husband is waiting.” Oh, I’m such a liar. I have no husband, boyfriend, hell, even lover. “I just need you to move, please?”

  “I’ll move as soon as you admit you don’t have a husband,” he said quietly, though he did step back a little, his eyes never leaving hers. “Be truthful, Vivian, and I’ll get out of your way. I should warn you, though, I will look for you again while I’m in town. And I hope I see you again.”

  “I don’t.” She felt her stomach turning. But her hand once more moved of its own accord to his chest. She found herself needing to touch him and wanting to be closer to him even as her mind warned her of the potential danger. She didn’t understand it at all.

  “I’m not here to hurt you, or anyone else, Vivian,” he said, correctly interpreting her wide-eyed gaze. “My partner and I are investigating a string of murders to see if they connect with some other murders we’ve been working on.” He took another step back, then one to the side. “As promised,” he added.

  “Thank you,” she said, even though she wanted so badly to move in closer to him again. She mourned the loss of the man before her. “So, are you police? Are you detectives? What are you?” she asked when she could think clearly again. The men didn’t look like police officers or detectives, but what did she know?

  “Private investigators,” he answered. “We do jobs that either the local law enforcement is under-manned for, or that other agencies are spread too thin to cover. We tend to take the bizarre ones that leave most scratching their heads. Jason, by the way,” he introduced himself, holding out a hand.

  She took a breath and sighed. “So, you guys are going to figure out why the young woman was killed? Because I have to tell you that I’m scratching my head on this. I’m honestly terrified. The cops have no idea how or why. And if they’ve figured out a connection between the victims, they aren’t saying.”

  “At the moment, we are, but if it turns out not to be the killer we’re after, we’ll have to turn our information over to the police and leave it to them. We have to remain on our current job, unless we’re asked to assist, which rarely happens.” He dropped his hand and stuck it in his pocket, then dug into another and held out a card with a number and nothing else. “I should get back to my friend and see what he’s come up with. I hope to see you again, Vivian. Be careful out there, little one.”

  Viv watched the man as he walked away. She felt … bereft. She took a deep breath and headed to her car. Once more, she looked over her shoulder at the men and gave a small wave to the one whose touch she craved. And crave she did, desperately.

  * * * *

  The latest murder was much like the two previous. This time, it was a young woman again. Considering one of the victims had been a man, that particular detail didn’t give them anything new to go on. The age range, though, might be the key—the first, second, and third victims had all been in their early twenties. Unfortunately, that was a large number of the population and didn’t seem to help them narrow down what was going on.

  The only plus from this one was the fact that it was recent. The other two had been a week and a half, and five days before their arrival, respectively. With the current scene, they were able to get more information, as it was still marked up and freshly taped off.

  After Vivian had left, Jason’d had to endure some harassment from James. Nothing new there. It had hurt to watch her leave, and he’d had to fight himself from chasing her down. Somehow, he’d resisted the urge. Not as easy as he’d assumed it would be, though.

  They’d photographed the area, taken some samples, and found some evidence that suggested it wasn’t a human killer. They would have to wait on the results from what he’d shipped back to the Mountain, but he was pretty sure the latest had been an attack by an evil one.

  Back at their hotel, he’d showered and changed clothing. Now all he could do was pace around his suite. He should have gotten her number. She was important to him. He knew it. He just didn’t know why.

  Closing his eyes, he sucked in a breath as he remembered her scent. It was fresh, airy, with a hint of bite to it. Her red hair, though, was what had caught his eye in the park. When they’d arrived there, he’d felt something from the medallion under his rib cage. It had seemed to hum, almost. Or maybe vibrate was a better word for it.

  The vibrations had grown stronger the closer to the park he and James had walked. Once they’d broken through the tree line, her hair had caught his attention. Then it was all downhill from there. He’d been unable to stop himself from moving toward her, needing to be close to her in an almost desperate way.

  James had bugged him until he’d noticed her, too. He’d teased Jason about the fact she didn’t look his type. James was right there, and yet, so very wrong. Vivian was built as a woman should be, with curves and a roundness to her hips that proclaimed her all feminine.

  He’d walked right up to her, invaded her personal space even, then came to a shuddering halt when she’d touched him. Even now, pressing his hand to the spot, he nearly moaned aloud. He could still feel the gentle pressure of her fingers and the warmth of her skin. Had he not wanted to miss a moment of seeing her that first time, he might have closed his eyes to enjoy it more, but he couldn’t. Not then.

  In that instant, he’d needed to absorb everything about her—the soft curl of her dark red hair, the sculpted features of her face, and hazel eyes that seemed to war between green and brown. She had soft-looking skin that he wanted to touch. It was pale, with a hint of a tan to it, and a smattering of light freckles were sp
rinkled over her nose and cheeks.

  It made him wonder if she had them other places—more interesting places—perhaps on her shoulders, chest, or even the upper curve of her breasts.

  His fists clenched as he recalled the willpower he’d exerted to keep from reaching for her and yanking her against him to feel the press of those glorious breasts. Even in the clothing she’d worn to stay warm on the cool day, he could tell she was generously proportioned. Large enough to fill a man’s hands.

  Shoving his fingers through his hair, he opened his eyes to peer out the window of his hotel room. Damn it, Jason. Get a grip. She’s your soul mate. You know she is. She’ll be drawn to you as much as you’re drawn to her. Give her time. Modern women are independent and need to come to such realizations on their own.

  Not exactly what he wanted to hear, even from his own head, but true, nonetheless. He had to be patient. It wasn’t like in his time, when he could just grab her up and declare she was his by right and might. With a strained laugh, he dropped his hands to his hips. But I sure as hell wish I could scoop her up, take her back to my place, and tear her clothes off.

  Biting back a groan, he paced away from the window. The thought had him wondering if she had curls on her mound the same shade as on her head, or if, like so many of her modern counterparts, she kept it waxed.

  He couldn’t bite back a moan at that thought. All that pale skin, soft and bare, laid out before him. Now there was an image that very well might kill him before he could find her again.

  A knock sounded at the door. He knew it was James, since they were going to have dinner down in the hotel restaurant together. Just great. The man’s timing is impeccable. Here he was, sporting an erection, and he had to step out in public with another man. If that wasn’t enough to bruise even his impressive ego, Jason didn’t know what would.

  “Coming,” he hollered out.

  Chapter Two

  Since Vivian had met the man from the park, she’d done nothing but think about him and their strange encounter. She wanted to know what color his eyes were. She wanted to know what color his hair was. She also wanted to touch him again. That was a surprise to her. Viv had never felt that intensely for a man, ever.

  She had bathed and thought of him. She had done her preliminary write-up while having her contemplations turn back to him time and time again. She wished she had asked his name. Instead she had all but felt him up.

  After realizing that she wasn’t going to be able to get her mind in gear enough to actually work, she made her call to her sister, then decided to go out to dinner. She needed food, especially with as late as it already was. Then she would worry about everything else. Right now, she wanted to forget about everything. She needed to give her mind a break. Pulling her hair up into a braid, she grabbed her keys and headed off.

  Walking into the restaurant twenty minutes later, she knew he was there. She didn’t know how she knew, but she could feel it in every fiber of her being. Taking a slow look around, she saw him as he stood. His attention was riveted on her. What are the odds?

  “Vivian,” he purred. “This is a pleasant and unexpected surprise. What are you doing here?” He sported the smallest of smiles on his lips.

  Vivian moved toward the large man and grinned. “I’m afraid that I forgot to ask you your name when we met earlier.” The urge to touch him was back. She found she wanted to have him closer. How weird am I?

  “I did give it to you, but you were a bit distracted at the time. Jason,” he said, holding out his hand. He watched her with a small amount of amusement on his face. “I don’t bite. Not unless you ask. You can shake my hand, you know.”

  Viv felt her cheeks heat, and she shook her head. “Sorry. You must think I’m a complete idiot.” She held her hand out as well and felt a rush when he took it.

  “Not at all,” he told her. He squeezed her fingers gently and tugged her a step closer to him. “If you’re dining alone tonight, why don’t you come and join us? We just ordered appetizers, so you have plenty of time to play catch up with us.”

  “Are you sure?” Vivian looked between Jason and the man with him. “I don’t want to intrude.” She smiled and held out her hand to the second guy. “By the way, hello. I’m Vivian, and you are?”

  “James. A pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” James shook her hand firmly, then let go. “It’s never any trouble to have a pretty lady join the table. So, please. You were at the park earlier today, weren’t you?” he asked in a slow, southern drawl. Jason held out a chair for her.

  Vivian nodded. “I was. I’m a reporter, and I’d heard about the murders. Something doesn’t sit right with me. I don’t do this sort of story, normally.” She shrugged as she took the chair that had been offered. “So, I was looking in on it, but I didn’t get anywhere, sadly. I’m just not made out for sleuthing, I think.”

  “Maybe you’re just looking at it the wrong way,” James said to her. Both he and Jason took their seats once she was in her own. The waitress popped up then to ask her if she’d like a drink.

  After placing her order, Viv turned her gaze to James. “What do you mean?” She wanted to know what this man’s thoughts were, because if there was another way to look at this, she was more than willing to do just that. “What is it that I’m missing?” She propped her chin on her fist, watching him with care.

  “I mean that, maybe if you’re getting nowhere banging into it head-on, you need to come at it from the side. If the obvious doesn’t fit right, then maybe you need to look for what’s not clearly obvious.” He grinned at her and shrugged. “I could tell you more, but where’s the fun in that, ma’am?”

  She laughed and sat back, her stare once more falling on Jason, unable to move away from him for too long. Before she could stop herself, she asked, “What color are your eyes? I’m color-blind, and they intrigue me. They look like they’re caught between a light and a dark color.” He was an utterly spectacular man, handsome in a way that she had only seen in movies.

  “They’re as dark brown as you can get before hitting black,” he said. “I’ve heard that in certain light, there are flecks of something you can see, but I’ve never noticed one way or another. Yours, on the other hand, are a very lovely hazel, perfectly balanced. Yet, I have a feeling they can go either way on the color scale.”

  “I wouldn’t know.” She leaned back in her seat when the waitress brought her drink. “My sister tells me that my hair is red. I don’t know, so I guess she’s right.” She had never thought anything of not being able to see color, not until Jason. Now she wanted to see every single part of him, vividly.

  “Your hair is definitely red. Not brassy, though. Richer. Not quite a wine color, but a more vibrant step up. It’s very pretty,” he told her with a smile. “Your eyebrows are a couple of shades darker, and your lashes are brown. You also have these really lightly colored freckles all over your nose and cheeks. An amazing package all around, I’ll admit freely.”

  Vivian began to pleat and fold her napkin. “Sweet of you to say. I think you might need to have your eyes examined, though, because I’ve never had anyone give me anything so much as a glance.” She had dated, but no one had ever gone into such intricate detail about her looks or made her feel as special as this man did with just a few sentences.

  “I don’t need glasses,” Jason said with amusement. “I’m just stating facts. James, back me up here—have I spoken untrue?”

  “Not at all. He didn’t even go into the finer details, like the exotic tilt of your eyes. The unique tone of your skin that seems to hover on the edge of a tan, yet still has a hint of milky paleness to it. Hell, ma’am, he’s actually leaving out a lot.”

  “I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable,” Jason muttered, with a glare at his friend.

  Viv turned her face down and smiled, cheeks heating again. “You’re both too sweet,” she said. “James, your accent is very southern.” She had to change topics or she was going to burn up with as much as she was blushing. �
��Where are you from?” She found herself reaching out to place her hand on top of Jason’s.

  “Well, ma’am,” James grinned, “I’m a good old southern boy. I was born in Illinois but did most of my growing up and living in the deeper south. Jason here is all Greek, though he’s been around us Americans enough that we’ve gotten rid of most of that prissy sounding accent. Not all of it, though.”

  Vivian laughed at that. She couldn’t help herself. “Well, you don’t sound like you’re from Illinois. Seriously, you don’t.” She shook her head. “This is nice. I miss having company for dinner,” she admitted. Typically, she and Sophia dined together. However, they may not see or talk to each other at all in the space between.

  “You mentioned a sister,” Jason said. He leaned back while the waitress set out the appetizers. “Younger? Older? What does she do?” He sounded genuinely curious.

  “Sophia is younger than I am by two years. She’s a true free spirit.” Viv smiled but lost it quickly. “She’s survived a lot more than anyone should have to. As for what she does…” She nodded to the massive painting that hung on the wall behind them. The scene was one from ancient times. The perfection of the field of daisies was magnificent. It was pure, untouched. “She’s a painter.”

  Both men spun to look. As they turned back, she noticed a look pass between them. “She’s very good,” James told her. “You can practically feel the heat of the sun and the breeze coming across the meadow.”

  Viv beamed proudly. “She’s a complete sweetheart, too. She’s one of those rare people that you meet and you want to stay around, one of those people who draws others into their orbit without even realizing it. She’s off on Vashon Island right now, doing a mural for a couple that was finally able to get the adoption they’ve been working on for years. They’re marvelous, and so that’s her gift to them and to the girl that they’re bringing into their home.”

  “Wow. Well, good on her,” James said with a grin. “I’m sure it will be amazing, especially if it’s for a little girl. Your sister definitely has some impressive talent. Be interesting to see what all she comes up with.”