She eased out of Reese’s arms and slid out of bed. Moments later, after slipping one of his huge T-shirts over her naked body, she tiptoed into the spare room she used as her artist’s studio. The only light she needed was the moonlight coming in through the windows and the night-light shining from the hallway. She gathered her brushes and paints, and tried to capture the image in her mind.
She wondered if Reese had realized that she was painting a portrait of him sitting on a horse. She didn’t need him to pose, since his likeness was so deeply rooted in her mind. The portrait captured the very first time she realized she’d fallen in love with him. That was the year her grandmother had died and she had no place to call home. Reese had invited her to spend the summer with him at his parents’ home in Texas. It was that summer that she first saw Reese’s skills as a horseman, watching in total fascination as he and his brothers easily handled the horses.
That was the same summer he and his brothers had taught her to ride.
The moment she’d fallen in love with him was the morning they had ridden out together. Trotted was more like it, since her horse had been so docile and moved rather slowly. Once they reached their destination—a lake on his parents’ land that connected to his grandparents’ land—she had turned to tell him just how beautiful the landscape was when she was awed by the sight of him on the horse next to her, wearing a Stetson and a beautiful smile on his lips.
In that instant, she’d known two things: that image would be etched in her memory forever, and that she had fallen in love with him. The hopelessness of the latter hit home when they’d returned to the ranch and were greeted by Sandra Adams, who’d been Reese’s girlfriend at the time. She had looked beautiful, radiant and stunning in a way that Kenna knew she never could.
Kenna ended her reverie, and a half hour later she was satisfied with what she’d accomplished on canvas and began putting away her paintbrushes. Once she was finished, she stretched her limbs, walked over to the window and looked outside. It was pitch black, with a full moon shining bright overhead.
She was about to turn away from the window when movement below caught her eye. She pressed her face against the glass and peered out and saw one of Reese’s men returning to the ranch. Her expression softened. Evidently, she and Reese weren’t the only ones having late-night rendezvous.
She studied the man, and when the moonlight cast a glow on his face, she recognized the new guy. Evidently he was a fast worker, since he already had a girlfriend. She chuckled, thinking of Reese. Not only was he fast, but he was thorough.
She turned away from the window and decided that she would greet Reese with a steaming hot cup of coffee this morning.
Chapter 19
“H
ey, Kenna, Steven is out today. Do you want to tag along with me for a while?”
Kenna glanced up and smiled at Lynette. “I’d love to.”
She gathered up her purse and in no time she and Lynette were heading out the door toward the patrol car. It didn’t seem like she’d been working at the station for two weeks, but she had. She had gotten to meet a lot of the detectives and had even interviewed a witness in an attempted burglary.
Lynette, Steven and Shaun had turned out to be her regular lunch buddies, and she found there was never a dull moment with them around. She really liked them, and had even met Lynette’s four-year-old daughter, Aleena, when Lynette brought her into the office one day. Like her mother, the little girl had a head full of curly red hair and beautiful green eyes.
Kenna knew that Steven was happily married and a proud father. He was active in his sons’ Little League games as well as involved in activities at his sons’ school. According to Steven,
his wife was a paralegal. They’d met in college and had gotten married five years ago.
Shaun, on the other hand, was a piece of work. He was a flirt, but Kenna wouldn’t necessarily call him a ladies’ man. For whatever reason, he wanted to give the appearance of being a womanizer, but for the life of her she couldn’t figure out why. She was used to womanizers. Although Reese’s now-happily-married cousin Blade could probably write a book on the subject. Blade’s two close friends—Tanner Jamison and Wyatt Bannister—were even worse. Kenna wondered if perhaps Shaun was trying to come across as a Lothario for Lynette’s sake. And if so, why?
Although Lynette never said much about her private life, Kenna knew that besides being a single mother she was also the oldest of eight—six girls and two boys—and her youngest sibling was still in middle school. She joked about the fact that her parents still had an active sex life.
Over the past few weeks, there hadn’t been any more Shoe Killer slayings, but a lot of groups were organizing to teach women how to protect themselves. One group had met at Sisters, a local nightclub and restaurant in Houston that was popular with women. Drake Warren’s wife, Tori, who was a former CIA agent and a friend of the Madaris family, provided free self-defense classes at a local high-school gymnasium to a huge turnout. No one was taking chances. Although it seemed the killer was lying low, to law enforcement that meant nothing.
“Where’s Shaun today?” Kenna asked Lynette after getting into the patrol car.
“He’s working undercover. The chief decided to put some officers on the street after dark as a precautionary measure, especially since there’re no other major crimes. The men’s bodybuilding competition at the civic center is tonight and a lot of people are expected to attend. Next week I’ll be going undercover at the Astros baseball game.”
Kenna nodded. After stopping at a fast-food restaurant for coffee they idled in the parking lot.
“I hate to admit it, but I miss Shaun,” Lynette said, taking a sip of her coffee.
Kenna chuckled softly. “I’m sure you do.”
Lynette frowned as she glanced over at her. “What do you mean by that?”
Kenna was suddenly aware that Lynette was a little ticked off. Moments later she decided to be honest. “You like him, don’t you?”
Lynette shrugged. “Of course I like him. I consider him a friend.”
Kenna wondered if she’d overstepped her boundaries in light of Lynette’s defensiveness. She didn’t want Lynette to think she was getting into her business. “Sorry I said something.”
“That’s okay. But I’m curious as to what made you think such a thing.”
Now it was Kenna’s time to shrug. “Because I have a friend who I secretly cared for a whole lot more than I let on, and there’s something about the way you act around Shaun that reminds me of how I used to act around my friend.”
Lynette didn’t say anything, and for a while Kenna thought it was best to just let it go, but something wouldn’t let her. She glanced at Lynette. “Well?”
Lynette looked back at her. “Well, what?”
“Nothing.”
Moments passed. “Okay, maybe,” Lynette murmured. “Maybe I do like him a little.”
Kenna couldn’t help but smile as she met Lynette’s gaze. “A little?”
Lynette grinned. “Okay, okay, I like him a whole lot. I hate that I’m so transparent.”
“You’re not. Like I said, I’m in the same boat, so I can pick up on it.”
Lynette smiled. “So does your guy know how you feel?” she asked faintly.
Kenna shook her head. “If you’re asking if Reese knows just how crazy I am about him, then the answer is no. But as best friends he knows I adore him and wouldn’t trade him for all the tea in China.”
“Reese?”
“Yes,” Kenna said, smiling.
“Nice name.”
“Nice guy” was Kenna’s response before she took another sip of her coffee.
“And do you think the two of you will ever move from being friends to being lovers?”
Kenna chuckled. “We’re working on it, testing the waters so to speak. I was reluctant at first, since I would be devastated if things didn’t work out. It’s not like things can go back to the way they used to be.”
Lynette nodded as she gave her a sympathetic look. “Scary, isn’t it?”
“Yes, very.” It was quiet for a moment. “So, does Shaun have any idea how you feel?” Kenna asked.
“Heck, no! You’ve gotten to know Shaun. He’s a ladies’ man. He probably doesn’t see me as his type. Hell, he’s hit on just about every woman in Houston, except me.”
“Probably because in his eyes you’re special.”
“Whatever.”
Kenna smiled. She knew just how Lynette felt and just what she was thinking. She’d been there and done that. In a way, she was still there. She just hoped testing the waters wouldn’t threaten her friendship with Reese.
“I hope things work out between you and your guy,” Lynette said softly.
Kenna took a long sip of her coffee. “Me, too, and I hope things will eventually work out for you and Shaun as well.”
At that moment the dispatcher broke in instructing officers to immediately head to an area on the outskirts of the city. A woman’s body had been found, and from all indications it looked as if the Shoe Killer had struck again.
Reese’s eyes narrowed on the road ahead. His jaw tightened and his stomach clenched. The radio station he’d been listening to had just interrupted its regular programming to announce that another woman’s body had been found. The identification of the victim was being held back until the family had been notified. But from all accounts, it looked like the work of the Shoe Killer.
He drew in a deep breath when his cell phone went off. He clicked on the speakerphone on his dashboard. “Yes?”
“Reese, this is Joe. Kenna isn’t home yet. You told me to expect her around four and she isn’t here. I don’t like it, especially since that serial killer is out there somewhere.”
Reese didn’t have to ask Joe why he was concerned. He knew. Everybody in Houston knew. There was a serial killer out there somewhere. Besides, he didn’t have time to figure out why Kenna would be late getting to the ranch.
“Reese?”
“Did you try her cell phone?” he asked. When he’d been working on a project downtown last week, he had driven Kenna to work twice. But since then, he’d been on another side of town, miles away.
“Yes, I did that before calling you. She didn’t answer.”
He frowned. It wasn’t like Kenna not to answer her cell phone. He glanced at his watch. It was close to six and it would be getting dark soon. The hairs on his nape stood up. Any other time he would have told Joe to chill and that Kenna was fine. She’d probably stopped somewhere and would be back at the ranch fairly soon. But not this time—not since the Shoe Killer.
“I’ll call the police department and see if perhaps she was
detained. Maybe she’s in a meeting or something. I’ll call you back.” He knew Joe cared about Kenna. All his men did. And the thought of not knowing her whereabouts right now rattled him.
He racked his brain trying to recall the names of the officers she’d mentioned. Maybe they knew where she was. He pulled into a gas station to dial directory assistance and was immediately put through to the HPD.
“Yes, I need to talk to LaKenna James. She’s a sketch artist there,” he said.
“Hold on,” the officer said and clicked off the line. He came back moments later. “She already left.” Before Reese could ask him anything else, the officer hung up.
Trying to quell his anxiety he called back. He remembered one of the officers Kenna usually had lunch with was a woman name Lynette, although he didn’t know her last name. Hopefully the person who answered the phone would. He re-dialed the police department.
“Houston Police Department.”
“I’d like to speak with Lynette,” he said.
“I need a last name.”
He gritted his teeth. “I don’t know her last name, but this is important.”
There was a pause. “Who’s calling?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to snap back and say,
Who wants to know,
but he was at the mercy of the officer on the other end of the line. “Reese Madaris.”
“Madaris?”
“Yes.”
“Are you related to that Madaris? The one who’s married to the actress Diamond Swain?”
Reese would have smiled if he hadn’t been so agitated. “Yes, my uncle Jake is married to Diamond.”
“Wow!”
Reese chuckled. Years ago his uncle Jake had married former movie star Diamond Swain. Since then, she had traded in the bright lights of Hollywood for being a stay-at-home mom and rancher’s wife. Occasionally, she would appear in a movie, but she much preferred her solitude at the Whispering Pines ranch.
“I think you’re probably looking for Lynette Cummings,” the man said, interrupting his thoughts. “You’re in luck. She’s usually out on patrol, but she’s back now. Hold on. When you see Diamond Swain again let her know that Devin Crawford loves her to death—in a respectful way of course.”
Reese shook his head. “I’ll tell her.”
He waited to be transferred to Lynette’s line. Reese glanced around. It was getting dark. Panic was beginning to seize him. What was taking so long for this Lynette person to come on line?
“This is Officer Lynette Cummings, may I help you?”
“Yes,” he spoke up quickly. “I’m a friend of LaKenna James and I’m trying to reach her.”
“Don’t you have her cell number?”
Reese tried retaining his cool. He knew the question was to be expected. “Yes, I have her cell phone number but she isn’t answering. She didn’t mention that she had any plans or stops to make. And considering everything that’s been happening around here, I’m a little worried.”
There was a pause. “And what’s your name?”
“Reese. Reese Madaris.”
“Oh, yes,” Lynette said, sounding thoughtful. “She’s mentioned you before.”
Thank God for that,
Reese thought. “Did she say if she was going somewhere before heading home today?” he asked.
“Yes. She said she was going to stop by and check on her condo, to see how it was coming along. I think someone called
her and said they needed her to check out something with the lighting she’d ordered.”
Reese was already putting his truck in gear and backing out of the parking lot. “Thanks.”
Kenna tried to keep panic from pushing her over the edge, but she was worried. How could she have been so stupid and not called Reese to let him know just where she would be? And now her cell phone battery was low, all the construction workers had left and her rental car wouldn’t start.