EIGHT
Kurt boiled with anger as he sat downstairs in the bar, waiting for Brittany to join him. He didn’t want to imagine what she andRomeowere doing upstairs in his penthouse suite. Kurt was able to listen to their conversation until about the time they started arm wrestling. Something must have happened to have the earpiece fall out of her ear, because after that, all he heard was muffling sounds. At first, he thought about going upstairs and making up some kind of story of why he needed to interrupt them, but when he heard them laughing at different times throughout the evening, he realized she was not in any harm.
Grumbling under his breath, he grasped the beer bottle and lifted it to his lips. He knew his partner well, and by now she was having doubts about Reeder being the perp. Men like Reeder knew how to sweet talk women. Men like Reeder were perfect liars. Their good looks, their charm—but mostly, their money—would turn any woman’s head.
Not for one second did Kurt believe Reeder was innocent. Unfortunately, he needed to find proof, because Brittany would demand it. Brittany would be hard to sway, especially if she allowed Reeder to kiss her.
He tightened his fingers on the neck of the bottle, wishing it was someone’s throat instead. If it was the last thing Kurt did, he’d show Brittany that Reeder was the murderer. Of course, sitting here, wallowing in his pity wasn’t helping matters. But he couldn’t do anything until he knew she was all right. He had to make sure she didn’t spend the night in thepenthouse of love…
There had been nothing but silence on the other end of his earpiece, and that worried Kurt. That could only mean one thing. She and Reeder were kissing…or possibly more.
He swore and took another gulp of beer. He raked his fingers through his hair, feeling the urge to plow his fist into someone’s face. His mind pictured Reeder, and it would bring satisfaction to Kurt if he busted up that man’s perfect nose and chin, and cut his lips, and give him a black eye—or two.
The bar wasn’t very full tonight, but the waitress and the bar tender were flirting at the counter. The girl’s giggles nearly drowned out the country singer’s voice booming from the overhead speakers as he sang about losing his love, his dog, and his truck…and not in that order.
Thankfully, Kurt still had his dog, and his truck, however, he never really had a true love. Strange, but for the past year, he hadn’t dated that much, either. He thought it was because he was focusing on his job. But now he realized it was because of Britt. The women he’d gone out with weren’t as adorable as Brittany Russell. They couldn’t make him laugh like she could. They couldn’t make him feel like a man, as Britt could. He could be himself around her, but those other women, he felt as if they wanted more out of him.
Closing his eyes, he tried to get the images of Britt out of his head from the other day when she was wearing that sexy red dress. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d seen her so beautiful. She was a lovely woman, however, when Brittany was all dolled up like that…she was aknock-out!
What he wouldn’t give for one moment with her, to take her in his arms, and to kiss her passionately, just to see what it would be like. Yet, every time the thought crossed his mind, he pushed it away. They made great partners. They could practically read each other’s minds. Did he really want a girlfriend like that?
Most definitely!
In the year they’d been partnered together, he couldn’t think of a time when he’d felt this much jealousy. He hated this emotion, but he didn’t know how to make it leave.
From over the strong aroma of the beer, another scent touched his senses.Roses…like Brittany’s perfume.
Quickly, he snapped out of his thoughts and swung around. Brittany stood by his side with her arms folded over her bosom as she tapped her toe. Her irritated expression told him she expected an explanation soon.
He motioned to the empty chair. “Want to join me?”
“Not here.”
“Where?”
She sighed heavily. “In the car. Now!”
Without waiting for his answer, she turned and marched out of the bar, heading toward the double glass doors of the hotel. He fished in his pocket for the tip, slapped it on the table, and hurried out of the bar. By the time he reached her, she was climbing in her car. He moved around to the passenger side and climbed inside.
The clock on her car’s radio read 11:30 pm. He cursed under his breath. She’d been with the perp for four and a half hours?
“Let’s get one thing clear,” she said with an edge to her voice. “When you’re in my ear, you need to stop trying to carry on a conversation with me.” She finally turned her head to look at him. Her gaze pierced right through him. “Your main purpose is to take notes. I’m assuming you were recording it, right?”
“Yes. I was recording it.”
She released a heavy breath and her shoulders relaxed. “Kurt, do you realize how hard it is to carry on a conversation with someone when someone else is in your ear trying to talk, as well?” She shook her head. “It’s hard to focus. It’s hard to think, and I really needed to think of what to say next to Austin. We still don’t know if he has an alibi for Sunday morning.”
He toyed with the gearshift on the console between the bucket seats. His head swam from the alcohol he’d consumed tonight. How many bottles of beer had it been? Two? Four? In four and a half hours, it could have been much more than that. The sports station on the tv inside the bar, and the popcorn, just hadn’t satisfied him.
“So what happened after the arm wrestle?” He raised his gaze to her. “Your voices were muffled, and I couldn’t hear what you were saying. The only thing I heard,” his voice turned harsh, “was when you two laughed.”
He studied her face, and when crimson spread across her face, he fisted his hands. They had kissed! She didn’t have to tell him. Her expression said it all.
“I’m sorry for losing my earpiece. While we were arm wrestling, Austin started tickling me, and well, I fell to the floor. That’s when my earpiece fell out. I quickly grabbed it before he noticed. I didn’t dare place it back in my ear and risk him seeing, so I stuffed it in my pants pocket.”
He nodded. “I figured as much.” Leaning closer to her, he took her hand. “But now you have to understand something. We are partners. We are in this together. We are supposed to watch each other’s backs, so if you don’t let me in your ear, what good am I going to be?”
She sighed. “Kurt, all I’m asking is that you not try to carry on a conversation with me while I’m trying to talk to someone else. I get distracted so easily, and I can’t think of what I’m going to say next.”
