Ghostwalker 03 - Night Game

dated Joy? They went out twice. She called it off when he gave her a black eye for looking at another man.”

    Anger churned close to the surface. “How the hell did you find that out? If Wyatt had known he would have been gunning for Vicq.”

    “Word is, everyone is afraid of the man.”

    “I’m not.”

    “Which is why I was baby-sitting you.” She sent him a look of censure. “Just because you’re enhanced doesn’t mean you can’t be killed. You dismissed him because he isn’t combat trained. He’s dangerous, Raoul, and you should have known that. I could see it in his eyes. He likes violence and he gets away with it. I’ll bet he’s very abusive toward women as a rule. He’s going to beat his wife and children and he’ll have fights all the time hoping to hurt or do worse to the men he picks the fight with. He likes it. He likes hurting people and probably animals as well.”

    “How’d you find out he went out with Joy?”

    “I talked to her mother. She told me Joy came home crying and had bruises on her face.
    They didn’t want her father or brothers to find out because Vicq has such a bad reputation. Joy’s mother mentioned it to the police but they didn’t even question him.”

    “It wasn’t in the police report, I read the report myself.”

    “What a shocker. You said Vicq’s last name was Comeaux. Did you notice the police officer’s last name on the report? Everyone is related to everyone.”

    Gator swore softly in Cajun. “I should have caught that. So Vicq Comeaux is actually a suspect. You haven’t tried to question him, have you?”

    She frowned at the sharpness in his voice. “I’m not that stupid. I don’t think anyone would get anything out of him by questioning him, and certainly not a woman. The best way is for someone to get drunk with him and talk trash about women. He’s going to brag.”

    “You know a lot about people, don’t you?”

    “It’s a survival technique. I learned it early on. Whitney was a hell of a teacher.” She turned her face away from him, but not before he caught the glimpse of pain in her eyes.
    “My bet is on the boyfriend. Parsons’s son,” she continued, leaning her head against the wall and stretching her right leg out in front of her. “Something isn’t right about him.”

    “I had the same feeling. Take the jeans off.”

    Her gaze leapt to his, held there. “You said you weren’t going to try anything.”

    “I’m not. For God’s sake, woman, you’re beautiful, but don’t flatter yourself. I’m not after your body. I’m after your leg. That’s a single body part.”

    “You are too after my body. There’s heat in your eyes and”—she waved her hands around—“ evidence elsewhere.”

    He leaned close until his breath was warm on her lips. “I’ll let you in on a little secret, cher . I’m a man. When I get near you, there’s going to be a lot of evidence that I want you. Now get rid of the jeans. I want to see your leg.”

    “I’m not showing you my leg.”

    “Do you have any idea how stubborn you can look? Our children better never give me that look, although I won’t mind if they give it to you. You’d deserve it.”

    “Where’s my motorcycle?”

    He groaned and leaned back, hands behind his head. “Don’ be askin’ me questions that are going to get you all riled up. You’re tryin’ to get out of strippin’ for me and it won’t work. I’m going to look at your leg so you might as well just get it over and take the damned jeans off. They’re too big for you anyway.”

    “I don’t have anything else to wear. My clothes were on Burrell’s houseboat.”

    The little catch in her voice made his stomach flip. “Don’ start crying again. I can’t take it.”

    “You just got through telling me it was good for me.”

    “I was being manly and comforting you. Now it’s just plain self-preservation. I’ll buy you clothes tomorrow. You can get ten pairs of jeans for all I care.”

    A faint smile curved her mouth. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

    He continued to look at her pointedly.

    Flame heaved a sigh. “I don’t have any underwear on. I wasn’t going to wear your brother’s. My leg is sore. I kicked the driver to make him wreck. Well,” she hedged, “I was hoping to break his neck and eliminate him altogether.”

    He reached for the waistband of her jeans. “We’re going to have to do something about that temper of yours. You can’t go around killing