ToServeAndProtect (23 page)

“Lucky for us she does.” She pushed her sunglasses up
on the bridge of her nose.

“I know. We’re running out of leads.” A particularly
disconcerting notion to the detective. He would’ve preferred having a peek
inside Roslyn’s house, perhaps even pillaging through her trash for a while.
With the CIA living next door, he’d have to wait for the cover of darkness.

* * * * *

Dawn stretched and blinked against the bright, summer
sun streaming through Tyson’s bedroom window. She immediately became aware of
two things, she was naked and she was starving. Slipping on Tyson’s discarded
dress shirt and her panties, she went in search of sustenance. Passing through
the living room, she turned on the stereo and danced her way to the kitchen.

Opening cupboards, she searched out any kind of
sweetened cereal. She found a box of bran flakes and a cylinder of instant
oatmeal. Neither sounded very appealing. “At least he has coffee,” she said as
she scooped grounds into the brew basket.

While the coffee brewed, she made buttered toast out
of whole wheat bread with sunflower seeds. Then opened the patio doors and had
her breakfast in the sunshine. Closing her eyes, she sighed heavily. A few
moments passed and she realized she wasn’t alone.

“Any morning after regrets?” she asked and cracked her
eyes open.

Tyson stood at the door watching her. “Only that
you’re not still in bed.” He sat in the chair next to her.

“You’re out of cereal. All I found was some bran crap.
If the old saying is true that you are what you eat, you’re in trouble, pal.”

“It’s not or you’d be munching piss and vinegar.”

She stood with her cup. “Coffee?” He nodded and
followed her into the house. “I had fun last night,” she said while pouring him
a cup.

Tyson sat at the table. “I enjoyed myself.”

She put the coffee in front of him. “Good, then we’ll
do it again sometime.” Gravitating to the heat in his eyes, she stepped between
his thighs.

“Tonight?” He cupped her buttocks in his palms.

“Okay, but we need to go to the grocery store. I eat
cereal for breakfast. You can pick. Cocoa Puffs, Frosted Flakes, Captain
Crunch, I don’t care.”

He put his hands on her waist. “Don’t you worry about
getting fat?” His fingers slid inside her panties, touching her heat, then
parting her wet sex.

“You can help me work it off.” She put her hands on
his shoulders letting her lime green colored fingernails run along his thick
muscles.

“Are you going to ask me where I went this morning?
Women usually get curious when a lover abruptly leaves.” His finger slipped
inside to the first knuckle.

She moaned, and he plunged all the way in. “Oh, god.”
Her head fell back, and her hips thrust forward. “So you’ve had experience
leaving women in bed?”

“I think we’ve both got a fair amount of experience
with the fine craft of dismissing a one night stand.” A second finger worked
into her tight, wet core.

“So now I’m a one night stand?” Her rapid breaths
matched his stroke. “I thought we had chemistry.”

“Yeah, enough chemistry to blow ourselves up.” He
curled his fingers, searching for the sweet spot to make her come. He grazed
his thumb over her clit. Faster, yet keeping his touch to her nub gentle. Cream
slicked his fingers.

Her nails dug into his shoulders. She widened her
stance and bucked against his palm. “Oh, shit.” She careened into her orgasm.
Internal spasms milked his finger, sucking him deeper. She rode a tide of
ecstasy, smiling as she came.

“Oh, baby.” He plucked her nipple with his lips
through the thin fabric of his shirt. Tyson’s name floated on her lips as she
floated back to earth.

“Oh, that felt good.” She bent forward and kissed him.
Lips parted, and his velvety tongue slid against hers.

Then he pulled away. “So do you want to know what I
know?”

Dawn stepped away and sat in the chair. “You wouldn’t
be offering information unless it has something to do with Dustin and Mickey.
Damn it, Tyson, you’ve been home ten minutes. Tell me!”

“Good news or bad news?” he said, knowing she would
get angry.

“Do you enjoy watching me fire up?”

“Yes. You’re sexy when you’re pissed. A hot little bitch.”

“You want to see hot and bitch? If you’re joking about
bad news,” her fists clenched at her side, “I swear I’ll break every nail
clawing your eyes out.”

“I could arrest you for threatening a police officer.”
He caught her hands as she lunged for him. “Now you can add assault.” The shirt
she was wearing fell open. “Nice.” He held her wrists together with one hand
and ripped the shirt open with the other. “With this body, try me. I’m
bribable.”

Dawn became pliant in his clutches. When she felt him
loosen his grip, she brought her knee up and aimed for his groin, making
contact with his inner thigh.

“You are a little bitch!” he said and then laughed,
toppling her to the ground. He pinned her to the carpet, holding her down at
the wrists. “I must be sick,” he said, shaking his head. “Why is it I want you
most when you’re mean and nasty?”

“Because all your other women think you’re a god
because you can make them come. I’ve had better.”

“Bullshit.”

“You’re full of shit.” She struggled and squirmed
against him. “Tell me about Mickey.”

“We’re no longer investigating the princess for her
dad’s murder. She’s off the hook.”

Dawn’s breath caught and her chest tightened. Tears
burned her eyes. She turned her head away, and Tyson let her go.

“Unless we get some new evidence—”

“You won’t find anything incriminating Mickey,” she
interrupted, then furrowed her brows and slugged Tyson in the shoulder. “So
what’s the bad news?”

“Dustin’s going to have company. The Marino brothers
want to have a little talk with the princess. Only the Marino’s aren’t known
for talking. I left a message on his cell, but he hasn’t returned the call.
Have you heard from the princess?”

“Not since she arrived in LA.”

He grabbed Dawn by the ankle and pulled her closer. “I
need you to tell me the truth. This is serious, Dawn. I know you’ve no qualms
about lying to my face.” He ran his hand up her calf. “Did McKenna know what
Elliot was up to?”

“No,” she said emphatically. “I swear.” Using her
finger, she traced an X over her heart. “Cross my heart. She’s wanted to be
honest with Dustin from the beginning. I’m the one who convinced her to lie,
and now she’s invested.” She smiled. “Mickey hasn’t been invested in a lonnng
time. If you know what I mean?”

“You think they’re screwing?”

Dawn smirked. “Where have you been? She packed thong
underwear.”

“Shit.” Tyson ran his hand over his shaved head.
“Dustin hasn’t had a date since Trish left him. You know what that means?”

“Yep, sappy love so sweet it makes me sick.” She
slipped the shirt from her shoulders. “I like my love a little rougher.”

“Love or sex?” He cupped one breast with his palm.

Her head fell back. “Don’t talk, Tyson.” The phone
rang. “Let it ring,” she said while his mouth moved across her skin. “Maybe
it’ll be one of your girlfriends. You should be doing naughty things to me when
the machine picks up.” She gently urged him farther down.

The machine picked up, and Dustin’s detached voice
filled the house.

“Shit.” Tyson scrambled to his feet ran for the phone.

Chapter
Fifteen

McKenna flipped through the channels in the hotel
room. She had never been one for television. Watching now, she wondered how the
old woman next door to Roslyn Meadows stood it. Commercials, soap operas, and
court mediation shows comprised the daytime lineup.

An hour ago Dustin had gone to the hotel business
office because he needed access to a fax, phone, and to the Internet. He’d
asked her to wait in the room with the door locked. “I won’t be long,” he’d
said and then left.

Now standing on the balcony looking at the beach full
of families in the hot July sun, she thought,
why not
? and put on her
bikini. Even if the Marino’s discovered she and Dustin had come to LA, it
wasn’t as if they knew where they were staying. And what could happen on a
crowded beach. Logically, surrounding herself with people was safer than
remaining isolated in the hotel room.

She scratched a note to Dustin on the hotel stationary,
giving him a clue as to where he could find her, left the balcony door open,
and giggled. Finally, she grabbed a towel from the bathroom, her sunscreen,
glasses, one of the pillows from the bed and headed out the door.

The hotel had an exit leading directly onto the cement
walkway that stretched the length of the beach. She laughed when she looked
down at the pink flip-flops on her feet, remembering how they’d looked on
Dustin. Hot sand fell between her toes. She walked halfway to the water and
glanced back at the hotel. The shirt she left hanging from the balcony of their
room swayed in the breeze. She hoped it wouldn’t blow away. Satisfied that
she’d be in Dustin’s direct line of sight when he looked for her, she laid out
the towel, and dropped her supplies.

McKenna shimmied out of her shorts and lifted off her
T-shirt. She fidgeted with the straps of her bikini, then sat on the towel.
After she squeezed a big mound of coconut-scented sunscreen into her palm, she
liberally smeared it on her body.

Enjoying the music from a few families down, she
pushed her glasses up, settled back against the pillow and cracked the binding
of a new paperback she’d picked up in the hotel gift shop. Oh, yeah, this is
much better.

* * * * *

Dustin waited for the D.M.V to fax him the make and
model of Roslyn’s car. Then he flipped through the phone book. Defeat
momentarily took the punch out of his excitement. There was no listing for
Bradford Moving Company. Information didn’t have a number or record of the
business either. He tapped his fingers on the table.

A hotel employee sat at the counter in case anyone
needed assistance with the equipment. The nametag on her lapel said Carrie.
“Looks like I’m going to be in here for a while longer,” he said. “Care if I
bring a cup of coffee in?” The sign on the door explicitly stated no food or
beverages.

“Ask Rhonda to put it in a cup with a lid, and we
won’t tell anyone,” she said, sweetly.

Dustin returned with a cup for both of them. “Our secret,
Carrie.”

She sighed. “I’m not busy right now. Can I help?”

The five inch thick telephone book landed hard on the
counter. “Normally I wouldn’t ask, but since you’re offering—” He left his pen
in the yellow pages at M, for movers. “Start with A,” he said. “Any company
that sounds remotely like Bradford’s, highlight.”

“You mean like it might start with a B and end with
D?”

Dustin nodded. “Exactly.”

The fax machine buzzed behind Carrie. She retrieved
the paper and handed it to Dustin. “Finally.” He read it quickly, then picked
up his phone and called Tyson’s cell, disconnecting when the voice mail picked
up. He dialed Tyson’s home phone. Great, another machine. A beep followed
Tyson’s best attempt at sounding suave. “Tyson, it’s Dustin. You’ll never guess
who drives a dark blue Dodge Stratus?”

“You’ve got perfect timing.” Tyson inhaled deeply and
calmed his rampant heart. Any news on the case had his blood pumping. Not to
mention the woman in the other room heating his flesh with her touch.

“Good, you’re home.”

Either Dustin didn’t hear or didn’t care that there
was an irritated edge in Tyson’s sarcastic tone. But he did need to speak with
Dustin. “Before you go on, the Marino’s are in LA and Baird is frothing at the
mouth. You need to watch your back and get your ass back here.”

“Understood. Now listen to this,” Dustin continued.
“Roslyn Meadows drives a Stratus. Looks like we’ve got another suspect to add
to the board.”

Tyson returned to the living room. He held up a finger
to Dawn, mouthed Dustin while keeping the cordless phone pressed to his ear.
“Good chance she’s the one who the neighbor saw the night of the murder.” Tyson
sat on the couch and patted the place next to him. Dawn arched her back, her
naked form causing instant arousal. Then she crawled like a cat across the
carpet.

“I’m going to do a little B and E tonight. See what
Roslyn left in her apartment. The lead on the moving van is going to take
longer than I thought. Neighbor must have remembered the name wrong.”

Tyson listened unable to open his mouth to speak. Dawn
had her head buried in his lap. He leaned back into the cushions. A moan broke
from his lips as she curled her tongue around the crown of his shaft.

“Are you listening? Tyson, you’re breathing heavy. You
didn’t answer the phone while you’re balling Becca? Christ Tyson, this can wait
if you can’t.”