Part 2 (1/2)

Swallowing hard, her keys in her hand by now, she argued with herself inside her head. Tommy had always had a crushed on her. Could he be the one making the calls, hara.s.sing her? It was far-fetched, even more far-fetched if this stalker really was something far more dangerous. Tommy wouldn't hurt a fly.

Then again, what if she left him walk home alone and something happened to him? Could she live with herself then?

”Excuse me,” said a voice from the darkness.

She knew that voice. It sent s.h.i.+vers of recognition dancing down her spine.

Michael, her pale, wild-haired, potent-eyed admirer.

She turned and met his eyes, fell into them, felt her blood heat and her belly tighten. G.o.d, what was it about him that stirred her up this way? She licked her kip and saw his gaze shoot to them and stay there. ”I... suppose you need a ride, too,” she said.

Part of her was hoping he would-and arguing with the part of her that hoped he wouldn't.

He nodded. ”Only...five blocks.”

Five blocks. He only wanted to ride as far as Tommy was going. Well, Tommy certainly couldn't try and anything with Michael along. And Michael wouldn't murder her in front of Tommy, either. And that was exactly what the stranger intended, wasn't it?

To make her fell perfectly safe? To let her know she wasn't in any danger?

Stupid. He was not some guardian come to watch over her. He wasn't.

And yet she let him. ”Fine. Get in. Both of you.” Tommy looked put out, but he moved toward the car. Michael beat him to the front door opened it and slid in without asking. When Tommy got into the back seat, he almost appearing to be sulking.

”Tommy,” Mary said as she shoved the keys into the switch and started the car, ”this is Michael. Michael, Tommy.”

”Hey,” Tommy said ”Likewise,” Michael replied.

Mary rolled her eyes and backed out of the parking lot. She didn't fasten her seat belt. Some insane primal fear told her she should be ready to throw herself out of the car and run for her life at a moment's notice. A seat belt would slow her down. She drove. Her cell phone bleated. She picked it up without a thought, ignoring all the public service announcements suggesting it was a bad idea. She simply hadn't gotten around to buying a Madonna-mike for her head.

”h.e.l.lo?”

”Are you afraid, Mary? You should be.” The voice was the course whisper of her nightmares, and it was followed by a sharp decisive click.

She jerked the phone away from her head and glanced at the panel, but no number showed on the screen to tell her where the call had come from. She set the phone down.

Michael was looking at her. Those probing eyes staring straight through her skin and reading every thought-she could feel it. He knew exactly what that call had been.

Maybe even heard it through her ears somehow. No. Impossible.

”Mary? Anything wrong?” Tommy asked from the back seat.

She shook her head. ”Wrong number,” she lied.

Oh well. At least the culprit was neither of the two men sitting with her alone, in the dark, of her car.

And then it hit her, and the bottom seemed to fall out of her belly. Because if Michael wasn't the stalker, then he really had no reason she could think of to lie to her.

Did he?

Sure he did, her practical mind argued. Plenty of reasons. Maybe he was trying to make his name as a psychic by meddling in criminal cases. He probably had a connection at the police department, who had put him on to her. Or maybe he just wanted to get into her pants. That would be reason enough to scare her half to death, right?

She shot him a sideways glance. His eyes were right there waiting, and he shook his head slowly left then right. ”Wrong on both counts,” he whispered.

She felt her eyes widen. How in the h.e.l.l...?

”What's that?” Tommy asked, leaning forward. ”I didn't hear you.”

”Nothing We're here.” Mary hit the brake, brought the car to a jerky stop without even pulling over the curb in front of Tommy's building ”Yeah. Thanks for the ride, Mary.” He opened his door, then frowned at Michael's back. ”You coming?”

”Look at that, it's raining even harder now,” Michael said nodding at the tiny beads glistening on the winds.h.i.+eld. 'I only live a block further up. Do you mind?”

h.e.l.l, he wasn't the stalker. But that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous.

Tommy glanced at her as he got out. ”You okay with that, Mare?”

”You should be,” Michael said. ”That stun gun tucked under the side of your seat is plenty to keep me in line.” She jerked her hand back to the steering wheel. She'd been reaching below, just to make sure she could grab the little weapon quickly should she need it. How the h.e.l.l did he know?

”Mare?”

”Fine, Tommy. Go ahead. See you tomorrow night.”

”Yeah, see you.” He closed the door and hurried away.

She glanced toward her pa.s.senger. ”So do you really live a block away?”

He shook his head from side to side ”I'm going home with you.”

She closed her eyes. ”Oh, for G.o.d's sake-”

”No, Mary. For your sake.”

She sighed, gripping the steering wheel until her knuckles were white. ”So what is it, Michael? An I supposed to think you're some kind of knight in s.h.i.+ning armor?

Maybe leap into bed with you to thank you for rescuing me from the evil phone call guy?”

He lifted his eyebrows. ”He's more than an 'evil phone call guy,' Mary. He's a killer. He's struck before-I can prove it to you, if you'll give me an hour. I brought evidence.” He patted the shoulder bag that hung over his worn gray trench coat. ”And he'll strike against unless we stop him. But he's not going to get you.”

She thought he was finished. He sounded reasonable, convincing and fairly sane. He also sounded like a man who only wanted to watch over and protect her.

Which meant he was too good to be true.

Then he sent her a knowing smile and added, ”how you choose to think me, on the other hand is entirely up to you.”

Chapter 3.