At the door to her suite, Ethan paused. “Get some sleep. You’ve got another long day tomorrow.” His features were carefully blank, but his eyes were dark and hot, and she knew what he wanted, knew he was thinking about what it would be like if she invited him into her room, into her bed.
The knowledge made her pulse surge, and a feeling of power slid through her. Ethan might not admit it, but he was as attracted to her as she was to him.
When he took the key card out of her hand and slid it through the lock, pushed open her door, and stepped inside, she felt a rush of yearning so strong it made her dizzy.
But Ethan just checked the living room, the bedroom, the closet, checked out the marble bathroom, then returned to the door.
“There’s security on your floor around the clock. This high up, there’s no way an intruder can get to you from outside. You’re safe. You don’t have to worry.”
She swallowed, nodded. “Okay.”
“Good night, Valentine.”
He was using her stage name, reminding her of her job and his, and that they needed to keep their distance.
“Good night, Ethan.”
He stood unmoving for another few seconds, his eyes on her face, waited until she moved back a little and closed the door. She heard his heavy footfalls as he turned and walked away.
Chapter Sixteen
Ethan couldn’t sleep. Desire kept him hot and hard into the small hours of the night. Dammit, he had never felt such a clawing need for a woman, not with Ally or anyone else.
He finally fell asleep sometime after two, tossed and turned, and woke up a few hours later when his cell phone started to signal. He rolled over and checked the red digits on the clock on the bedside table. Six A.M.
Ethan looked at the caller ID, saw a Dallas area code, but didn’t recognize the number. “Brodie.”
“Heath Ford. I’ve got some bad news, Ethan.”
The muscles across his shoulders went tense as he sat up in bed. “Tell me.”
“A woman was murdered last night. Happened sometime between midnight and two A.M. Vic was strangled. Raped. She fought him and went down hard.”
His grip tightened on the phone. “One of the models?” He’d thought they were all in and accounted for, prayed like hell they were.
“No. A stripper. Mandy Gee. At least that’s the name she uses. Stella Davis is her real name. Works at the Tiger’s Eye Lounge.”
Ethan nodded, feeling both relief and regret. “I remember the place. Not exactly top-of-the-line entertainment.”
“Maybe not, but it’s always busy. Mandy left just before midnight. Her roommate found her body when she got back to the apartment around two thirty. The thing is, E, the first detective on the scene found a note. Same style as the one in the photo you showed me.”
A hard knot balled in his stomach. “What’s it say?”
“‘Sinners, sluts, and whores. You can run but you can’t hide.’”
The knot tightened. “Printed note? Different fonts?”
“That’s right. Could be him.”
“First vic wasn’t raped. Death was quick and easy. If it’s him, he’s escalated.”
“I’m heading for the crime scene. I’ll keep you posted.”
“I’d like to take a look.”
“All right, but we need to let the CSIs clear out. I’ll call you later, try to make it happen.”
“Thanks, Heath.” Ethan ended the call. His thoughts went to Val, how badly she was going to take the news. He needed to see her, make sure she was okay. He wanted to be the one to tell her about the murder, not Carlyle or anyone else.
