Collin Read online

  “Just as long as she doesn’t know,” Noah said. “Knowing I’m checking up on her only seems to push her further away lately. There’s something else, Jace, and this part I’d like to keep just between us if we can?”

  “You got it.”

  “I’m pretty sure she’s turning tricks to support herself…she was arrested for solicitation a while back. At that time she wouldn’t tell me who her dealer or her pimp were…if you were to hear anything like that…”

  “I’d be happy to arrange the introductions,” Jace said.

  “Noah?” It was late Wednesday morning and Noah was in the office. Ava’s voice floated out of the speaker and he closed down the spider solitaire game on his computer, as if she could see what he was doing across the intercom. He had to keep reminding himself that the little green-eyed, red-haired fiery Irish woman was not his boss. It was hard sometimes though, because she was so bossy.

  “Yes, Ava?”

  “There’s someone here to see you.”

  “A client?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, send him in.” He ran a hand through his hair and one across his face. Now, he wished that he had shaved. They hadn’t had a real paying client in a few weeks and he knew that he should be more worried about business than he was, but he was an optimist at heart. Despite the recent slump, he firmly believed that things were going to get better. He also believed that he was the best damned PI in the city of Phoenix, and he could get rich, if only people would realize it.

  He looked up as the door opened and saw Ava. Her long curly red hair was pulled neatly up into a professional-looking bun and she had on a finely tailored navy blue skirt and a crisp white blouse. He was glad to see at least one of them looked professional…especially after he got his first look at the “client.” She couldn’t have been over twenty-five or six and she was wearing an aqua blue silk suit that fit her like a second skin. A strand of gray pearls adorned her long, delicate-looking neck and her eyes were the darkest shade of blue that Noah had ever seen. Her long blonde hair had a glossy shine to it and lay cascaded across her shoulders, reaching just above the swell of her ample breasts. She wasn’t overly tall, but the short skirt she wore emphasized her legs and they seemed to go on forever.

  “Noah, this is Kyla Peterson. Mrs. Peterson, this is Noah Campbell.” Ava introduced them and Noah stood up and took the young woman’s soft, warm hand into his. She wore only one ring and that was on her other hand. It was a simple silver wedding band. Her sapphire eyes met Noah’s brown ones as they shook hands, and he found himself hesitant to let go. Ava cleared her throat, bringing him back to the moment. He didn’t dare look at her face. He already knew which of her disapproving looks would be there.

  “It’s a pleasure, Mrs. Peterson. Please, have a seat.”

  “Thank you. Please call me Kyla,” she said.

  “Do you need me to stay?” Ava asked.

  Noah looked at Kyla and asked, “Would you feel more comfortable with my associate Ava in the room…?”

  “I’m comfortable either way,” Kyla said.

  “I have some work to attend to,” Ava said. “I’ll let you two talk.” She smiled at Kyla and left, closing the door behind her. Noah wondered what “work” she could possibly have to attend to.

  “Please have a seat,” he told the young woman. She sat down in the chair in front of his desk and crossed her pretty legs, drawing the short skirt up even higher. He reminded himself that she was a client and obviously married and he was still staring at her legs. Damn! “How can I help you today, Kyla?” Noah took his seat and realized that it was hard to look directly at her. Her eyes were so intense that they were almost intimidating. The strangest thing about it was that nothing intimidated him. Okay, Ava intimidated him, but that was it.

  Kyla looked a bit intimidated herself, or overwhelmed. Noah either hadn’t been what she was expecting, or she hadn’t known what to expect at all. She finally said, “Have you heard of Carrington Bio Tech?”

  “Yes, of course.” Carrington Bio Tech had a hand in the design of practically every yard in the upper class sections of Phoenix and the outlying areas. They were very rich people.

  “That’s my family.”

  “Oh…hmm…okay…”

  “I need a PI but I can’t hire anyone who might know my family on a personal level.”

  “Okay…Are you concerned about discretion?”

  “Very much so.”

  “I can promise you that won’t be a concern here.”

  “Thank you. That’s why I came to you.”

  “You were referred by someone?”

  “Hayden Brandt.” Hayden was Noah’s best friend and his old partner. They’d graduated the police academy together back in the day.

  “Hayden’s a good friend of mine.”

  “Yes, he told me.” The wheels in Noah’s head were spinning. He was trying hard to figure out how in the world Hayden would know a woman like her. Hayden was married and had been since he was nineteen years old. He was the same age as Noah, who just turned thirty-six. They’d known each other since right before his third anniversary. Noah had never known him to cheat on his wife, or even think about it.

  “So Kyla, would you like to tell me what it is you need a PI for?”

  “I think my husband is the Valentine Killer.”

  “Oh.” No fucking way! “I see.” He really didn’t. Why isn’t she calling the cops? “And you want me to…?”

  “Follow him. Find out for sure.”

  “Okay…can you tell me why you would think your husband is involved in this?” The “Valentine Killer” was a serial killer who had been operating in the city for almost five years already. He was partially the reason why Noah was no longer a cop. He was dubbed the Valentine Killer because after he slit the woman’s throat, he would leave a tiny silver necklace wrapped in a tissue behind. The pendant was shaped like a heart with wings. Noah had spent hours trying to track down where the killer bought the necklaces while he was working the case…but to no avail.

  “He leaves the house at night…at very odd hours.” She stopped. Noah really hoped that wasn’t all she was basing her suspicions on.

  “Is that it?” he asked her.

  “No, um…the times that he leaves the house at night correspond to when the bodies have been found. He also doesn’t…I mean he’s not interested in…he can’t get aroused when he returns home.” Noah had to make himself close his mouth. She apparently knew that she was hot. So much so that she believed her husband to be a killer for not wanting her. He was almost impressed by her arrogance. He also didn’t really want to be the one that had to tell her that so far this was sounding like the man was sneaking out and getting lucky. Hot wife or not, some guys stray.

  “Anything else?”

  “He’s just been acting so strange, and he suddenly hates everyone.” She let her eyes run across Noah’s desk as if she was looking for something and then she said, “Can I smoke in here?” His stomach clenched. Ava was going to have a conniption fit.

  “Of course,” he said, as if he had a right to in his own office. She fished a case out of her purse. It was an expensive purse. He knew that for a fact because his former fiancée had one just like it. Noah had paid for it, in more ways than one. She opened the case and took out a Virginia Slim. He realized as she placed it between her lips, how full and plump they were…ripe for kissing…

  “Is that okay?”

  “What?”

  “I’m ready to go on,” she said.

  Damn it! He had been so focused on her lips that he hadn’t heard her say a thing. “I’m sorry, yes, go on.”

  “Ethan works for my family, but even after being married for almost ten years, he hasn’t developed any kind of relationship with any of them.” Ten years? Hell, maybe she wasn’t as young as he thought she was. Maybe he needed to drink some of that water. “He doesn’t have any friends,” she said, taking a long drag of her cigarette and then exhaling. It was a s
ight to behold. “He collects knives…”

  “Noah…” Ava opened the door and stopped in her tracks. She was staring at Kyla and the long, and if he had to add, sexy, cigarette dangling from her lips.

  “Yes?” Noah tried to play it off casually. Ava narrowed her eyes at him and said:

  “I’m so sorry to interrupt. Can I see you in the outer office for just a moment?”

  “Hmm, I’m a little…”

  “Now?!”

  Trying hard not to roll his eyes like an insolent teenager, Noah looked at Kyla and smiled. “Would you mind excusing me for just a moment?”

  “Not at all,” she said. She smiled at Ava. Ava gave her a tight-lipped smile back. He followed his receptionist, who believed she was his boss, back out the door. She closed it behind them, and then it was on.

  “She’s smoking in your office? There are ordinances in this city against that. I could sue you for having to work in a hostile environment…or something like that.”

  Noah tried not to laugh. “She’s a client, Ava. A rich client. We need the business. If she wants to smoke, so be it.”

  “She’s hot. You don’t care about her money or my lung cancer.”

  He did smile then. She was so dramatic sometimes. “I care very much about your lung cancer,” he told her. “And yes, she is hot. Now, can I get back to my client?”

  “No, I mean…I didn’t call you out here to talk about her smoking. Hayden called. He wants you to meet him for lunch and he says it’s about a ‘referral’ he made to you. I’m assuming since she is our only client for the past three weeks, he must be talking about her.”

  “Okay, that might help,” he said. “I don’t think I’m really wrapping my head around what she’s trying to tell me anyways. Maybe Hayden can explain it.”

  “At least when you talk to Hayden you’ll be listening with the head on your shoulders.” He did roll his eyes then. He’d never admit it to her, but she was kind of right.

  2

  Noah left things with Kyla that he would have to do some research on the Valentine Killer case and get back to her. She made an appointment to come back in two days and meet with him again. The truth was, he knew the Valentine case inside and out. Noah had ate, drunk, and slept it for four years, and for the past six months since he left the police department, he had followed every news brief and article about it that he could find. He really wanted to catch the son of a bitch. He didn’t want “them” to catch him. “He” wanted to catch him. His lack of respect for teamwork was frowned upon by the department but his thoughts were that if they wanted him to be part of the “team” they shouldn’t hire idiots. The truth about why he didn’t want to sign any kind of contract just yet with Kyla was because he wanted to talk to Hayden first. He wanted to know exactly what he knew about her and her husband.

  Ava knocked and stuck her head in the door. He wasn’t really sure why she knocked. She never waited for an invitation. “Hey, do you mind if I don’t come back after lunch? I have some things to take care of.” Whatever these “things” were, she didn’t look happy about it.

  “Sure, that’s fine. Are you okay?”

  “I’m great,” she said. Her green eyes looked worried. Ava wasn’t really a worrier. If she was worried, it was bad.

  “Is it one of your brothers? Or your dad?”

  She smiled, “No. The motley crew is all okay. I had Sunday dinner with them all yesterday. My mother and I made chicken piccata for nine.”

  “Nine?” Ava had three brothers. They were all three firefighters and her father had just retired as fire chief after a thirty-five-year stint working for the City of Phoenix. The family “business” had called to them all…with maybe the exception of Collin, who Noah was now realizing might have joined up more out of obligation or pressure than anything else. Noah thought about Collin’s secret and how well it wasn’t going to go over with his family. Ava’s head alone would explode, Noah was sure, and he wasn’t at all comfortable with holding that kind of secret from her. He wouldn’t admit it out loud to anyone, but she scared him.

  “Yeah, Sean and Daniel each brought a date.” Noah did the math in his head. That was only eight. Did Ava forget to tell him that she was seeing someone? That thought grabbed his guts and twisted them into knots although he wasn’t entirely sure why.

  “So who was number nine?” he asked, trying to sound casual.

  “Just a family friend. I have to go. Have fun with Hayden and tell him I said hello. But not too much fun! You need to shave tonight…and if you have time, get a haircut. You look like shit. I think you’re trying to look like those bikers you’ve been hanging out with.” Ava didn’t come right out and say she disapproved of his new friendship with the president of an MC, but she didn’t have to. Noah could see it all over her face.

  “This is why I love you,” he told her with what he thought was a dazzling smile.

  She smiled back and headed for the door.

  “Hey, Ava?”

  He saw her shoulders move up and down as she let out a heavy sigh before turning back around. “Yeah?”

  “Please tell me if you need anything.”

  Her face softened. She was gorgeous when it did that. “I will, boss. Thanks.” He watched her go, wondering why he suddenly felt so lonely.

  When he left to go meet Hayden, he locked up the office and put the closed sign out. He wasn’t going to fool himself. One client today was more than he expected. After lunch he’d probably go see what Jace was up to for a while and watch him work on the bikes that came into the shop. Jace was a wizard when it came to customizing a bike. If his own business ever picked up, Noah really did plan on buying himself a Harley, hopefully one of Jace’s.

  He left his car in the garage and walked to the little bar where Hayden wanted to meet. It was only about four blocks from the office and in a much nicer neighborhood than Sirens, the bar the Skulls had bought recently. This one was called simply “911”; it was a favorite hangout for most of the emergency personnel in the city. Cops, firefighters, paramedics…and “Siren Bunnies” as they called them…those were the women who loved the uniform. Noah had begun to meet some of the girls that hung out at the Skulls’ club recently, and these bunnies reminded him a lot of them. Those girls were attracted to the kutte, and the Harley…and, Noah was finding out, to any man who hung around them as well.

  He walked in and stood near the door for a minute, waiting for his eyes to adjust. The sun was bright outside and it was dark inside the bar. As soon as he could see again, he regretted it.

  “Well, look who it is, Dick Tracy himself.” Michael James was a dick, plain and simple. He’d been a cop for twenty-five years and he was still working at a lower pay grade than most rookies because he was a lazy son of a bitch. Noah also suspected more than once that he was on the take. He hadn’t been able to prove it, or the son of a bitch wouldn’t still be carrying that gold badge. He hated Noah because of some suspicions he had raised during one of his investigations that the killer might actually be a cop. That was okay, though, because the feeling was mutual.

  “Sergeant James…you’re still a sergeant, right?”

  “Fuck you, Dick.”

  “I know it’s probably been a while for you…if ever…but I’m just not interested.” James snorted and walked away. Noah saw Hayden in a booth in the far corner of the room and thought, This must be serious. Hayden never sat anywhere but at the bar. On his way over, Noah saw Collin. He waved at Hayden to let him know he’d be right over and Hayden pointed at his watch. Noah rolled his eyes and went over to talk to Collin anyway. Collin was Ava’s brother and Noah was the only one he had entrusted with his secret desire to become a Phoenix Skull.

  “Hey! There’s my sister’s boss. What’s up, Noah? How are you? Long-time no see.”

  Noah mentally rolled his eyes. He’d just seen Collin on Sunday morning at the Skulls’ clubhouse. Collin acted like someone would know that, if he didn’t act like they hadn’t seen each other in a whi
le. But Noah played along, “I’m getting by, Collin. How are you?”

  “The same, buddy. Is my sister treating you right?”

  “She’s meaner than a snake,” Noah told him. Collin laughed.

  “No truer statement has ever been made.” Noah turned serious then and said:

  “Hey, she said you were at Mom’s for dinner last night?”

  “Yep, the whole flam damily.”

  “Did you bring up…?”

  Collin’s green eyes widened and he looked around before he lowered his voice and said, “Hell no! You didn’t tell Ava, did you?”

  Noah was sure his own eyes were just as wide as he said, “Hell no.” No way was he going to be the one to deliver that news. He was half afraid he’d somehow get blamed for it when it came out.

  Collin chuckled. “Good. I’m not ready yet.”

  Noah nodded. “Okay, your secret is safe with me. About Ava, though, did she seem okay to you?” That was all it took. All of a sudden Collin wasn’t the “fun-guy” or the wannabe biker guy or even the fire-guy, he was Ava’s big brother.

  “Why? What happened?”

  “No…nothing happened. She’s fine, I think. She just seemed a little down today, that’s all.”

  “I’m gonna kick his ass.”

  “Who?”

  “Sean brought a friend to dinner last night. Some dude named Brian. Turns out, he and Ava dated when she was in college. Sean didn’t know…but things were a little uncomfortable at first. Ava finally seemed to come around, but right after she left, that little prick left too. If he upset her…”

  Noah put a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, I don’t know that it has anything to do with him. It might not be anything at all. Let me feel her out about it and I’ll keep you posted, okay?”

  Collin smiled all of a sudden. “You’re afraid she’s gonna kick your ass for meddling in her business, aren’t you?”