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“Gus told me that was why she’d found the scene so eerie before she even stepped into the room. His office had been quiet. She told me that she’d taken to bringing him coffee and beignets after her morning run, at around nine. She said he and your mother were arguing a lot so he’d been spending more time in the office. Gus had been trying to ease him into a routine to help steady him. She was the first person he saw every morning. And he knew that.”
“My father would never have willingly allowed his baby girl to find his body. He loved Gus with all his heart,” Dax said passionately. “He wouldn’t hurt her like that.”
Holland agreed with him. With some cases, the devil was in the details. A good investigator had to know how to ask the right questions of the right people, how to filter through their emotions to find the truth. “I’m going to talk to some people I know on the civilian side. See what they know.”
All she could really do was shake a few trees and see what fell out of them.
Dax eased toward her. “I can’t thank you enough. I knew you would listen to me.”
He was moving in too close. She stepped back, holding up a hand. “I said I would look into it. That means we’re working together, and I don’t date where I work.”
He stopped, holding up his hands to signal that he wouldn’t push the issue. “We don’t really work together and there’s absolutely no reason not to explore this chemistry we have. I’ve thought about you for years. Tell me you don’t feel the same and I’ll back off.”
She couldn’t make herself lie to him. It would be worse than admitting the truth. “I think about you, too. But that’s my rule. You want me to look into this, I do it my way.”
“So I get justice or you?”
So arrogant. “No. Even if I wasn’t investigating your father’s case, I probably wouldn’t date you.”
He stared at her for a minute before the sexiest smile crossed his face. “Yeah, you would. You wouldn’t be able to help yourself.”
“You think a lot of yourself, Spencer.”
When he grinned, he lit up the world. “That’s Captain Awesome to you, sweetheart, and I’ll take your rules. But you should understand that I’m famous for bending the rules from time to time.”
“And you should know I enforce them.” It was pretty much her job.
“We’ll have to agree to disagree about where we stand. For now I’ll make us some coffee.” He stopped, his hand on the doorknob. “Did I say thank you for letting me sleep? I haven’t slept that well in months.”
“I don’t see how you did it. You’re too big for my couch.” His feet had hung off the side. She wasn’t about to admit that she’d thought about waking him up and taking him to her bed. Deeming it too dangerous a prospect, she’d forced herself to walk away.
“I think it was the company,” he replied, his face softening. “I knew I was right to come to you, Holland. I knew you would be a safe haven. I might joke with you, but thank you. No one else is willing to listen to me. I knew you would.”
“Because of that kiss?” Did he really think he had that much of a hold over her?
He shook his head. “No. Because I’ve always known you were the best woman I’ve ever met.”
He slipped back into the apartment, and she was left with the beauty of the sun rising over the French Quarter and his words ringing in her ears.
She could resist the “Perfect Gentlemen” part of Dax Spencer. Even if it might be a bit tougher, she could also refuse Captain Awesome. She wasn’t so sure about the man who’d just shown her his vulnerable, sincere side.
With a sigh, Holland stared out at the city and prayed for strength, because if she intended to resist that man, she was going to need it.
THREE
Dax was feeling unaccountably optimistic as he hopped off the Saint Charles Avenue streetcar and began to make his way home. Well, his parents’ place. He wasn’t truly certain he could call anywhere home. Since the time he’d shipped off to Creighton Academy, home had become a collection of people rather than a place. Home meant his friends, his family.
Seeing Holland again had put him in a reflective mood. Or maybe it was coming back to New Orleans. The last time he’d been in town had been for his father’s funeral. He’d been so angry he couldn’t see or think straight. Time and distance had made him calmer, more rational.
But there was nothing calm or rational about the way he felt when he looked at Holland Kirk. A part of him had hoped that his hunger for her had been a memory, embellished by time and his lingering fondness until the feeling had become too big to be true. Nope. Instead, Dax was more convinced than ever that she was the one. Holland made him want more from life, made him want to be better. She was the one woman for whom he would fold his six-foot-four body in two and sleep on that god-awful couch just to be close to her.
He strolled past tourists staring up at the gorgeous antebellum mansions that made the Garden District an attraction. They came in pairs and trios. Later, the large, guided groups would follow, eager to see a slice of New Orleans history and the beauty of the neighborhood his mother had lived in all her life.
Dax ducked his head and meandered to the other side of the street to give the tourists a wide berth. The last thing he needed was for someone to recognize him. He’d really tried to keep a low profile . . . until his friends dragged him into stupid crap like that date with the anorexic supermodel.
His cell phone trilled and he smiled as he answered it. He’d been on assignment for months without talking to his friends or family. He’d exchanged some e-mails with them, but hearing a friendly voice was a different thing. “My man. What’s going on, super spy?”
“Seriously? You know that would get me killed if I really was a spy?” Connor shot back, though he was chuckling. “How was your flight?”
“Long and rough.” He’d hitched a ride on a transport plane. It was a long way from the private jets his buddies took. If he’d called Gabe, Bond Aeronautics would have sent a plane for him, but he’d wanted to move as quickly as possible. Mad would have sent him a Crawford jet, but it also would have been filled with Mad, three hookers, and more liquor than anyone should ever drink. And herpes. He was pretty sure Mad’s jet had herpes.
“Ah, you have to love the military. Well, I suppose you’ll have some comfort now that you’re in New Orleans. Tell me you’re staying with your mother and not in some barracks.”
He was kind of hoping that after a while he’d be staying with Holland. Despite what she’d said, he had no intentions of playing fair. If she didn’t think she could handle his lifestyle, he would show her differently.
“I’m staying with Mom. Gus is on a short vacation, too. It’ll be nice to spend some time with them.” He let out another breath. “And I’ve convinced NCIS to take another look.”
Connor paused. “Don’t you mean you convinced Holland Kirk to take another look?”
He hadn’t mentioned that he would be seeing her again, but he should have known Connor would figure it out. “Yes.”
“Good. I just want you to be careful with her. She’s not a good-time girl.”
He’d never once thought she was. “You’re right. She’s an intriguing woman and I’ve been serious about her for years. You know, I wish just once someone would warn her about hurting my tender feelings. She’s the one who walked away.”
“I’ll be sure to tell everyone,” Connor said, sounding terribly amused. “Now, I’ve got good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?”
His mother’s house was another block down, but Dax slowed his pace. He wasn’t talking about his father’s death in front of his mother or Gus unless he had a reason. As far as they knew, he was in town to work on the new training manuals and spend some time with family. He didn’t want to get their hopes up. “Give me the bad news.”
“The girl is a ghost. I can’t find a trace of her anywhere. Amber Taylor dropped off the face of the earth roughly thr
ee weeks after your father was killed.” Connor was one hundred percent on Dax’s side. None of his friends referred to his father’s death as a suicide. “She never went back to her high school after winter break. Her mother apparently told the administrators she would be home schooling after the new year. I’m trying to track the woman down. The house they lived in has been rented to someone else. The landlord said the mom and her daughter walked away one day and left everything behind. He hasn’t seen her since.”
Another dead end. “Keep trying.”
“I will, but I have to put this on the back burner for a little bit. I’ve been asked to look into another matter. It’s important, Dax. You know I wouldn’t let this lie unless it was.”
If Connor said it was important, then it likely had something to do with national security, and Dax couldn’t argue with that. “I do. Don’t worry about it. I’m here now and I’ve got Holland. We’ll work it from this angle. Do what you need to do. Are you going to be out of touch?”
“Yes. It could be a while. I’m sorry,” Connor said over the line.
“Don’t be, buddy. You have a job to do. Go and get it done.”
“And now the good news . . . I hope. I didn’t leave you to your own devices,” Connor continued. “I wasn’t sure you should look into this by yourself and I didn’t know you would recruit Holland. I thought you needed some backup.”
Dax stopped in front of the massive house that had been in his family since before the Civil War. “What do you mean, backup?”
The front door opened and his jaw dropped.
Maddox Crawford held a bottle of champagne in one hand and waved at the tourists shuffling behind him with the other. “Hello, lovely ladies. Welcome to New Orleans. The first drink’s on me.” Mad glanced at a group of older women, who started fluttering like teenagers when he winked their way. Mad flirted regardless of age, beauty, and in some cases sanity. He gave Dax a broad smile. “My brother, welcome back! We expected you in hours ago. I guess someone got lucky last night. By the way, your mother is still as hot as she was when we were teenagers. And she’s making us breakfast. Well, she told the housekeeper to make us breakfast which is totally the same thing.”
“Don’t hate me,” Connor said in his ear. “I’m sure they’ll be helpful. Well, one of them will. Mad will be fun. Gabe, however, has a file for you, which should help. I’ve spent weeks putting that together. It’s everything we know about the case including my thoughts on where we should continue the investigation.”
It was a good thing he’d left it in Gabe’s hands. Mad would likely use it for writing down the phone numbers of women he would never actually call. Still, Connor had meant well. “Thank you for everything. And stay safe wherever you are.”
“Later, brother.”
“Sooner, I hope,” Dax said as he hung up.
Life had been so much easier when they all shared a house while attending Yale. Most of them could have afforded their own places, but it had been so much more fun to live together. They’d all grown up since then, gone about their own lives. It would be good to spend some time with a couple of his best buddies.
Still, having Mad around for anything other than a party seemed like a bad idea now.
Gabe strolled onto the front porch, a sheepish smile on his face. “Sorry. I tried to come alone, but Mad stowed away on the plane. The good news is I tossed off the three strippers he tried to bring.”
“He’s lost all sense of humor since he started working at Bond Aeronautics. Does anyone have orange juice we could borrow?” Mad shook his head. “Screw it. I never liked orange juice anyway. I need something stronger. Bloody Marys all around.”
“Yeah, he’s going to be a ton of fun. Your mother is a gracious hostess, by the way. She gave us each rooms in the east wing. I hope it’s all right. Connor didn’t think you should be alone. He also sent this.” Gabe held out a file.
Mad strode back toward the house. “Hey, Spencer, when is your sister getting in?”
“Leave my sister alone, Mad.” Like that was going to happen. He was well aware that Mad wasn’t the only problem. Gus tended to have a mind of her own and she wasn’t shy about what she wanted.
“I promise only to not make the first move but I never like to let a lady down, you know. God, that bacon smells good.” Mad disappeared behind the door as it swung closed.
“Don’t mind him. Since his dad died, he’s been at Crawford pretty much twenty-four seven. This is the first time he’s taken off since, well . . .”
He knew where Gabe was going. “Since Dad’s funeral.” He was going to cut Mad some slack. Mad had always been there when Dax needed him. “How are things at Crawford?”
“Good as far as I can tell.” Gabe walked next to him up to the house. “The stock is doing surprisingly well. Despite all his bad behavior, Mad has a business degree from Yale. He knows what he’s doing. But there’s a lot at stake. I think he needs to be out of New York for a couple of weeks. I could use the time away, too. I need to be in the boardroom but I’d rather concentrate on research and development. I’ve got all these ideas on how to streamline the new luxury choppers. Sometimes I think I should have followed you into the Navy. At least I would be in the air.”
He likely would have been. Gabe had been flying planes since it was slightly legal for him to do so. He would have made a great fighter pilot.
“I would have loved to see you deal with the training.” Dax slapped his friend on the back.
“Yes, there’s a reason I only think of it from time to time,” Gabe admitted. “So tell me everything that’s been going on.”
He stopped Gabe before they made it inside. “First, you should know I’m trying to keep my mother out of this as much as possible.”
Gabe nodded. “I haven’t said a word, but she’s going to figure it out. And honestly, she’s got information you need.”
“I will cross that bridge when I come to it. I’m trying to walk delicately around her and Gus. Is she really taking that new position at the White House?”
Gabe grinned. “Oh, I think Roman’s insisting on it. Liz is an amazing press secretary, but she’s got to have someone who can run the office so she can worry about Zack and stop playing two roles.”
“It’s hard for me to imagine Gus running something so important. I remember when she couldn’t keep Kool-Aid in a cup.”
Gabe shook his head. “That’s because you still see her as your little sister and not the man-mangling, tear-inducing, mega shark with a perfect blowout she’s become. Everyone at the White House is afraid of her. She’ll keep those damn reporters in line. I heard she made the head of ABC News cry last week.”
“My sister is a sweetheart.”
“She is to you and her family,” Gabe agreed. “She’s a man-eating T. rex to everyone else. But you should know Roman swears he stopped sleeping with her when they started working together.”
“Jeez, I don’t need to know that.” He took the file from Gabe’s hand.
“Yeah, well, you should also know Mad’s hot to see her again. I swear, I’m so happy my sister has zero interest in my friends. Sara thinks you’re walking venereal diseases. Take a look at the notes in the back. Everything else you can go over in your leisure time.”
He flipped to the back and found Connor’s list of recommendations for how to proceed. One name stood out.
“Beau Kirk? I’ve never heard his name mentioned in conjunction with my father’s case.”
“Because you’ve only been working it from the Navy’s perspective. Connor found out the case was largely handled in the civilian world. They only relinquished control to NCIS when it became clear the news was going to explode,” Gabe explained. “Holland’s uncle works for NOLA PD and he handled the civilian side of the investigation. If anyone is going to know how to look into this, it will be him.”
Dax had a name. It was really all he could ask for right now. Though at some point he intended to si
t down with Holland and ask why she’d never mentioned her uncle had kicked off the investigation. “Let’s go get some breakfast. I’m starving.”
For the first time in months, he meant that.
* * *
Holland sighed gratefully as the bartender passed her an ice-cold beer. It had been a shitty day. She’d had to arrest a lieutenant junior grade for beating the crap out of his wife. The whole time the wife had pleaded with her not to take her husband, crying and begging and trying to say the whole thing had been her fault.
The Threat Management Unit usually handled cases like this, but the agent’s partner had called in sick and agents didn’t go in without backup. Holland had agreed to assist, even though she hated cases like this. She hoped the lieutenant’s wife got the help she needed, but the likelihood was she would follow her abusive husband right out of the military.
