CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

" She's a cop. She's not your type. She's a cop, she's a cop, " Nicole murmured over and over. But she couldn't get Jake out of her mind. And each time she saw her, each time she was around her, the pull was harder and harder to resist. And tonight, if Jake had made even the slightest effort to kiss her, Nicole knew she could not, would not, have resisted.

And then there was Cheryl. It was all Nicole could do to make it through dinner with the woman. When she wasn't thinking about Jake, she was silently cursing Irene for thinking that she and Cheryl would hit it off. They had absolutely nothing in common, and if not for the fact that Cheryl enjoyed talking about herself so much, Nicole would have been hard pressed to come up with a topic of conversation. She declined Cheryl's offer of after-dinner drinks, but reluctantly accepted Cheryl's business card with her home number scribbled on the back. She had no intention of ever calling her.

As she pulled into her driveway, hand just inches away from the remote for the garage door, she paused, frowning. Had she left lights on in the house? Maybe in the kitchen, but certainly not in the living room. She stared, the brightly lit window almost mocking her. Well, obviously, she had left the lights on.

She touched the remote and waited while the garage door opened, a frown still marring her features. Something wasn't right. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand out, and her heart raced. Without thinking, she threw the car into reverse and backed onto the street. The motion lights over the garage had not come on. They always come on.

" Calm down, " she murmured, as she gripped the steering wheel hard. Jake's words were haunting her, and she was letting her imagination get the better of her. But even so, she'd seen enough movies to know that she shouldn't go into the house. Can't sit here in the street, Nicole.

She revved the engine a bit, trying to decide what to do. Call Jake.

" Of course, I could call Jake."

She reached blindly into the back seat and grabbed her briefcase. She'd shoved Jake's card in there last week. She checked her watch, wondering if Jake was home already. She dialed the number for her cell, impatiently tapping the steering wheel as the phone continued to ring. After four, she was about to disconnect when Jake's breathless voice sounded in her ear.

" McCoy."

" It's... it's me."

" Nicole? What's wrong? "

" Well, I'm not sure."

" Where are you? " Jake asked urgently.

" I'm sitting in my car, on the street in front of my house."

There was a pause. " Okay. And why? " Jake asked slowly.

" Because there's a light on inside and the motion lights didn't come on when I drove up."

" Fuck! "

" Do you think I should go check it out? "

" Are you crazy? Get out of there! Now! " Jake yelled into the phone.

" Jake, I could have left the light on myself. I'm probably overreacting."

" Listen to me, Nicole. Get the fuck out of there. Just drive away."

" Jake, really, I think it's okay."

" The hell it is! I'm on my way."

" But you don't know where I live."

" Of course I do."

As Jake disconnected, Nicole was sure she saw a shadow cross the windows of her house. Her throat closed completely as she shifted into drive and sped away.

Jake ignored the traffic laws as she sped down the interstate, hands gripped tightly on the steering wheel. Nicole could be right. Maybe they were overreacting. She could have accidentally left lights on, the motion lights could be out. But, better safe than sorry.

" Right? " Jake looked in the mirror, smiling slightly at the sight of Cheyenne as she hung out the window.

Nicole parked two blocks from her house, wishing she'd thought to lower her garage door again. She jumped when her phone rang.

" Hello? "

" Where are you? "

Nicole let out a sigh of relief. " A couple of blocks from my house."

" Good."

" How do you know my phone number? "

" I'm a cop. We know these things."

" I see. And where are you? "

" Speeding down the interstate, trying not to attract attention."

" How much longer, Jake? "

" Ten minutes."

" Okay. I can do ten minutes."

" What's wrong? Are you scared? "

" Cold."

" Cold? "

Nicole rubbed her bare arm and smiled. " You saw what I was wearing tonight."

" Oh, yeah. I saw. I'll be there before you know it."

Nicole started her car again and put the heater back on. The residential area was quiet, even though it was barely after nine o'clock. Nicole glanced into her rearview mirror and gasped. Someone was walking quickly toward her car, a dark figure, all in black. Her heart was pounding as she shifted into drive and sped away. When she looked in the mirror again, she expected to see the man running after her but he had stopped.

" The hell with this, " she whispered as she continued driving, thinking she would go all the way to South Golden Road before she stopped. But then she saw Jake's Land Cruiser rounding the corner and felt an instant wave of relief. She pulled her car to the side of the road, hoping Jake would recognize her. She did.

Jake pulled up next to her, noting the wild eyes, the pale skin. " What happened? "

" Someone... I thought I saw... I mean, I did see... there was someone... oh, shit."

" It's okay, Nicole." Jake got out and quickly walked over. " Just park on the street here. Ride with me."

" Okay. Good. Because I don't mind saying, I'm plenty scared."

" Don't be scared. I won't let anything happen to you."

When Nicole was safely seated in Jake's vehicle, she relaxed a little, accepting the wet kiss from Cheyenne.

" Thank you, " she murmured, as she wiped slobber off her cheek.

" Want to tell me why you're as white as a ghost? " Jake asked, as she drove off.

" When I was parked, I looked in the mirror and there was a man walking toward the car. Not exactly strolling, but not quite running. I panicked."

Jake reached over and took her hand, squeezing once before releasing it. " You did the right thing. It could be nothing, but Nicole, you've got to take this seriously."

" I know. And I'm thinking that your surveillance idea is a really good one."

Jake smiled, but her eyes were scanning the dark street, looking for movement. She slowed when she approached Nicole's house. It was dark. Except for the lights over the garage door.

" It's closed, " Nicole whispered.

" What? "

" The garage. I left it open. And the light is off in the house now."

Jake pulled into the driveway and stopped. She took a deep breath before asking the question she knew she had to ask. " Nicole, are you... are you sure there was a light on inside? "

Nicole glared at her. " Jesus Christ! Of course I'm sure there was a light on. You think I imagined the living room lit up? Just imagined that these lights weren't on out here? Or I imagined the shadow that walked across the window? Or the damn man running behind the car? " she asked loudly, her voice rising with each word.

Jake turned in her seat and grabbed Nicole's arm and shook her lightly. " Calm down. I'm sorry, but..."

" I know. You probably get a lot of crazies in your line of work. But I'm not one of them."

" Okay. Sit tight. I'm going to check it out."

" What? The house? No, you're not."

" You'll be fine. Lock the door after I leave." Jake handed her keys to Nicole. " Push the panic button if anything happens."

" No, I mean, I don't think you should go in there. Shouldn't you call your partner or... or backup? "

" And tell them what? "

Nicole nodded. " I see." Her eyes locked on Jake's. " We could just leave, " she suggested.

Jake smiled. " You're worried about me? "

" Yes. Don't take it personally."

" I'll be fine. Whoever was here is gone. But I need to make sure. Then you'll have to come in and look around, see if anything is disturbed. Can you do that? "

Nicole nodded. " Just be careful."

Jake raised an eyebrow.

" What? "

" Key to the front door? "

" Oh. Right." Nicole opened the tiny, black handbag she carried and pulled out her keys. Then she looked at Jake, brows drawn together. " The alarm. Why didn't the alarm go off? "

Jake sighed. " He must know the code. What is it? "

" Pound key, then one, zero, five, two, eight."

She took the keys from Nicole's hand and opened the door, then ruffled Cheyenne's fur. " Look after her."

Nicole watched as Jake lifted her sweatshirt and pulled out a gun, holding it in front of her as she walked. Nicole swallowed with nervousness, her eyes glued to the woman. She was... magnificent. Long legs covered by loose-fitting jeans, dark sweatshirt that hugged her upper body, she moved with the grace of a panther stalking its prey.

Jake's eyes never stopped moving, and Nicole waited anxiously as she disappeared inside.

" Why doesn't she put a light on, Cheyenne? "

Finally, long minutes later, lights came on, and Nicole relaxed. Then Jake came jogging back, gun again tucked away. Nicole unlocked the door and waited.

" All clear. I need you to come inside now."

" Okay. Cheyenne, too? "

Jake shook her head. " No. She'll be fine."

" Did you find anything? " Nicole asked as she followed Jake to her house.

" There's... there's something in your bedroom."

Once inside the house, Nicole stayed close to Jake. She'd lived in the house over six years and only one time previously had she been afraid. But she was nearly terrified now. She was grateful when Jake took her hand.

Looking around the living room, nothing seemed disturbed, but Jake didn't stop long enough for Nicole to be sure. Jake led her down the hallway to her bedroom at the back of the house. There on the bed lay dozens and dozens of wilted roses, some of their shriveled red petals tossed about haphazardly on the pale carpet.

" There's a note, " Jake said.

" What... what did it say? "

" Be careful. I'm watching you, " Jake quoted.

Nicole met Jake's eyes, frowning.

" He's just fucking with you, " Jake said. " I've called Rick and the crime lab. We might get lucky on some prints, although I doubt it. If he's savvy enough to know your alarm code, then most likely, he left without a trace."

" And the lights? "

" I think he knows you. Knows you wouldn't come inside if something was out of order. Again, he's playing you."

" So what do I do now? "

" You're coming home with me tonight. Tomorrow we'll decide about surveillance."

" Well, don't think I'm going to argue with you. There's no way I'm staying here tonight."

" Why don't you pack a bag? Get enough clothes for a couple of days."

Nicole nodded and moved past Jake, pausing to squeeze her arm. " Is this normal? "

" Normal? "

" You taking a scared lady home with you? "

Jake grinned. " No. Normally Rick does that."

" Thank you, Jake. I know this isn't exactly procedure. If you'd rather, I could call someone."

" No. I'd feel better if you were with me. That way, I won't spend the whole night worrying about you."

Nicole went into her closet to get an overnight bag, ignoring as best she could the decaying roses. They seemed to be everywhere. She heard voices and recognized Rick's. Jake walked back in with three guys. They immediately went to work, and Jake motioned for Nicole to follow her.

" Let's get out of their hair, huh? " Jake took the bag from Nicole and led her into the living room where Rick waited.

" Dr. Westbrook, glad you're okay."

" Thank you, Detective."

" Jake's left me in charge of locking up the place after we're done. I also have your alarm code. I'll be sure to set it when we leave."

Nicole looked at Jake. " My car? "

" Someone will bring it by my place tonight. Is that okay? "

" Yes. I'm suddenly very tired."

" I know. Come on." Jake looked at Rick and nodded. " Thanks, buddy."

" Wasn't like I had anything else to do tonight."

" Don't forget. We're checking with Nichols's PO in the morning."

" Right. You want to just meet at his office? "

Jake nodded. " See you then."