Max
Chapter 23
Max jumped at the knocking sound on his car window. He hadn’t been expecting anyone to catch him. After he’d clicked the unlock button, she slid inside and closed the door.
The tantalizing scent of strawberries filled the space.
“You’re out of your element, Counselor,” she said as she picked up the extra pair of binoculars sitting on the dash.
“I’m just watching things,” he said with a shrug. He had been in the same spot for the last thirty minutes. He glanced in the rearview mirror and spotted Gwen’s car. “No smoke screen or backfires from your sister’s truck. You really are being covert.”
She rolled her eyes. “You couldn’t have been here long. Have you seen Kilnery?”
“Not yet. There’s not even a motorcycle in the driveway.” Either Paul hadn’t slept in his own bed last night or he’d gotten an early start. Max’s money was on the late night out. Paul Kilnery’s file was full of bar fights and arrests for drunk and disorderly. “We might have better luck finding him passed out at the bar.”
“If he’s not home, then maybe the sister will know where he is,” Gwen said, climbing out of the car. She leaned back in to look at him. “Stay here, Counselor.”
He opened the car door to have it slammed shut again. Gwen had moved around the car and leaned into the window. “You’re a suit. She’ll view you as a threat. She won’t talk to you.”
He raised his brow and opened the door. “Like to make a wager on that, Gwen?”
She rested her hip against the car. “What do I get if I win?”
“What do you have in mind?” he asked, sliding out of his suit jacket. He unbuttoned the shirt cuffs and rolled up his sleeves.
Her gaze lowered down his body before meeting his eyes again. He couldn’t read her mind, but he had a pretty good idea it was in the gutter. “I’ll have to think about it.”
He shrugged. “Okay, if I win, I want you to take a vacation with me, not because you have to or for work, but because you want to.”
She scrunched her nose and rested her hand on her hip. “I was sure you’d say you wanted to have sex.”
Her bluntness always seemed to catch him off guard. He gestured to Rena Kilnery’s house across the street.
They jogged across the street and walked up the sidewalk to the door. “Somehow, I don’t think your charm is going to work.”
He smiled as he knocked on the door. “You’re proof my charm works just fine, Gwen.”
She outright laughed. “Don’t kid yourself, Max. The only thing I prove is quid pro quo. You had an island, and I needed access.”
“Right, well…”
His words were cut off as the door swung open. A petite woman stood on the other side. Her hair and makeup were perfect, and the apron covering her clothes gave him pause. The bump in her belly caught him by surprise. This woman looked like she was ready to pop. He stepped back and glanced at the house number again.
“Can I help you?” Rena asked. Her slow methodical panting didn’t sound promising.
“I’m Gwen Bennett, and this is Max Pierce. We’re looking for Paul. Is he home?”
Her gaze went from Gwen to Max and back again.
“He’s at work. He promised me he wouldn’t violate the terms of his parole. What did he do?” She opened the door and gestured for them to come in.
“Nothing yet. We’d just like to ask him some questions,” he said, glancing around the cozy living room. The television was on the afternoon news. Throw pillows were on the flowered couch. The yellow walls were bright and cheery. This didn’t look like a place a killer would live unless the frilly frou-frou drove him to lose his mind.
She panted again, and her face turned ashen.
“Ms. Kilnery, are you all right?”
“Braxton Hicks. This is the third time,” she said. Her worried look didn’t soften. “What type of questions?”
