Episode 6: Too Hot To Handle

Episode 6
TOO HOT TO HANDLE

Alex Maxwell’s eyes were hard and cruel and her temper even worse. She wasn’t used to waking up in a strange bed, not to mention with a strange man hovering over her calling her Angel Eyes. She tried not to be too annoyed but considering the circumstances, she didn’t try too hard.

“Hey, Romeo? Are you hearing me? Answer my question and make it snappy!” Alex was in no mood for any crap he may dole out to her. She wanted the hard and straight facts. If she had slept with him, he’d have to get over any wide-eyed notion that there was anything like a forever involved.

Patrick Donovan could only stare at his sister. Had she lost her mind? For minutes he could only stand there and gape. If he didn’t know better, he would say that the pod people had up and kidnapped his sister putting a new, more vicious model in her place.

“Angel Eyes? Don’t you recognize me? It’s Patrick.”

Alex rolled her eyes. “That means absolutely nothing to me, lover boy. Now, where the hell am I and how fast can I blow this pop stand?” She scowled at the man before her and he seemed to visibally shrink right before her eyes.

“You’re... You’re leaving? You can’t leave.”

“I can and I will.”

Patrick seemed more anxious by the minute.

“No, you can’t!”

“Listen to me, buster. There is no reason on God’s green earth why I would or should stay here.”

Alex prepared to barrel past the man and make her way to the door standing open behind him.

“But... But you’re my sister. You told me you had to see me. That it was vitally important.”

***

Nick Boyd wasn’t successful at getting Carrie Hawkins to open up. When she wanted to be a closed book, she had expert ways of shutting people out.

It still nagged at him that Carrie requested this particular case. Three years ago when their killer escaped capture, Carrie vowed never to return to a job she was beginning to despise.

Nick knew Carrie too well. He had spent too much time with her not to see the signs. Whatever her reason for being here, it was intensely personal. And when things get personal, people get hurt. He didn’t want the next victim to be Carrie herself. He was going to find out what was going on even if he had to seduce it out of her.

***

When the men vanished from her doorstep, Kylie Hawkinsattempted to get up from her awkward position plastered on the ground. She quickly discovered her mysterious stranger was not as eager to rise from his hiding place.

A low chuckle reverberated in the back of his throat. “A couple more minutes, sweetheart,” he said huskily in her ear. “And you’ll be free as a bird again.”

“I find that hard to believe.” Her eyes spit fire and fury back at him. “What in the hell is going on? Who were those men and what does this have to do with my friend, Alex?”

***

Carrie’s hand shook as she held the phone to her ear. “Are you sure she isn’t there Mrs. Porter? It’s urgent that I talk to her.”

“Nope, honey. Haven’t seen hide nor hair of that little miss all day. But I do think Howard said he saw her earlier.” Hilda paused in thought. “Looking for that footloose friend of hers, I believe.”

“Thanks, Hilda. I appreciate the information. If you see her, will you tell her to call me?”

“Sure thing, chickie. Anything for one of my girls.”

Carrie didn’t think it was possible but she was even more terrified than before. Something was wrong. Kylie was in danger and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

***

Ten minutes later, Nick found Carrie hunched over herself with her knees to her chest. Her face was paler than he’d ever seen it and the look in her eyes was one he’d only witnessed once before.

“What’s happened, Carrie?”