It's You That I Need Read online

  Something in the tone of her voice gave him pause and had his heart pounding in alarm. He glanced at the time. It wasn’t quite seven in California. Kyle started to call her back, but changed his mind. They didn’t have another training scheduled for a few weeks, so he had some time. He called the airline, booked a flight for early the next morning, packed, then called Troy.

  “What, you changed your mind about hooking up with Colleen and need her number?” Troy asked with a chuckle when he answered.

  “Melissa left me a message and wanted me to call her. Something’s wrong and I’m going to San Jose in the morning. I’ll be back in about a week if everything gets settled by then.”

  Troy’s voice turned serious. “What happened?”

  “I have no idea, but the sound of her message has me worried.”

  “Does she know you’re coming?”

  “No.”

  “I see,” Troy said slowly. “You said she wanted you to call her, yet you’re flying across the country… unannounced. Sounds like you’re planning to do more than just help her.”

  “You might be right.”

  “Wishing you luck. Keep me posted.”

  “Will do. Later.” Kyle disconnected and smiled.

  Chapter 2

  Melissa woke up Saturday morning and tried to swallow her disappointment that Kyle hadn’t called back. But what did she expect since she had been the one to abruptly end their relationship? She regretted ending things as she had, but there hadn’t been any other way around it. Finding out about Alan Norris’ betrayal had done a number on her, so a friends-with-benefits relationship worked perfectly in her world. That way there would be no broken promises, no waiting around for a ring and a house that, in the end, had been given to someone else. Shaking off the bad memories, she got up and decided to go over to the center to check on Mrs. Brown.

  Sandra greeted Melissa with a smile and shake of her head. “What are you doing here today? I swear you put in almost as many hours as I do, and this is my job.”

  “Good morning to you too, Sunshine,” Melissa responded with a laugh. “I just came in for a few minutes to check on Mrs. Brown and her children.”

  “Well, you’re in luck. Her sister-in-law just arrived. Mrs. Brown is gathering up her things now. Come on.”

  Mrs. Brown’s eyes lit up when she saw Melissa. “Ms. Tucker. I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “How are you?”

  The woman looked over at her children, then back to Melissa and let out a long breath. “Well, I think we’re going to be all right. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for what you’ve done, especially keeping Darren safe.” She swiped at the tears and reached for Sandra and Melissa’s hands. “Thank you both so much.”

  Melissa gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You’re welcome. Please let us know how you’re doing.”

  Sandra handed her a card. “If you ever need anything for you or the children, be sure to call us.”

  “I will.” She turned to her sister-in-law. “We’re ready, Maxine.”

  Maxine nodded. “I’m sure my brother would want his family safe.” She turned to Sandra and Melissa. “You know he’s facing up to a year in jail and a fine because of the assault charges. Don’t know how he’s going to be able to keep his job if he’s in jail.” She shook her head and added with a rueful smile, “I’m sorry for going on and on. I just wish he’d made better choices. And, like I said the other night, he has to pay for what he did. Thank you for helping my family.”

  Melissa and Sandra shared a quick look, knowing since this wasn’t the man’s first offense, and with the current assault charges, he more than likely would serve some time.

  Sandra said, “I truly wish Mr. Brown the best.” They led the family out and went back to Sandra’s office.

  Sandra closed the door. “Okay, was it my imagination or did Ms. Fletcher seem a little upset by the fact that her brother may have to do some extended jail time?”

  “You caught that edge in her voice, too,” Melissa said. “But then she made the comment about him having to pay for his actions and thanked us. Strange.”

  “Agreed. I’m glad to see that the bruise is gone from your face. Anything else going on?”

  She hesitated before confessing that another note had been left on her car.

  “Oh, Melissa. Did you call the police?”

  “No. The note was typed just like the other one so they’re probably going to tell me the same thing.”

  “But this one was an actual threat. I would think that changes things. Have you thought about hiring a private investigator?”

  “Actually, I called Kyle.”

  Sandra’s eyes widened. “Kyle? I thought you two… um… how will he be able to help you? You need someone who knows what they’re doing. I don’t think teaching safety training qualifies.”

  “It does if the trainer is a former police detective.”

  “You never mentioned that, missy.”

  Melissa smiled. “You never asked.”

  “Well, what did he say?”

  “I left a message for him yesterday, but he hasn’t called back. Not that I can blame him because of the way I ended things.”

  Sandra came and put an arm around Melissa’s shoulder. “Even if he was upset about that, I can’t see him not responding to a request for help. But what will you do if he doesn’t?”

  “I already decided that if he doesn’t call me by tomorrow, I’ll go to the police.”

  “I don’t like this.”

  “Neither do I. The good thing is whoever this person is doesn’t know where I live. Yet.”

  “You need to be careful. If necessary, you’re more than welcome to stay at my house for a while.”

  She chuckled. “I don’t want Joe accusing me of interrupting time with his baby.” Sandra’s husband, Joe, doted on his wife and everyone around them knew it.

  “Girl, please. We have plenty of space in that house, and I’d put you in the guest bedroom downstairs, far from our room. That way you wouldn’t hear a thing.”

  Melissa laughed. “Okay, fast mama. I think we need to end this conversation.” Still chuckling, she left to grab some papers from her own office before leaving. However, she was cornered by two teens and ended up staying for another two hours.

  She made it home around noon and her growling stomach let her know that the piece of toast and cup of coffee she’d had in the morning was long gone. She changed into a pair of sweats, long-sleeved tee and her favorite thick purple socks then made her way to the kitchen. Too hungry to fix something elaborate, Melissa settled on a turkey sandwich, raw carrots and a few pretzels. She got a glass of water and went to eat at the desk in her bedroom. She had several Individual Educational Plan meetings for her students to get done before the Christmas break and wanted to start gathering the information she’d need to determine whether each student had reached his or her yearly goals. Then came the daunting task of testing. She would have to coordinate dates with the teachers, as they would be doing their own testing.

  Halfway through her meal, the doorbell rang. Melissa dropped the pretzel back on the plate and wiped her hands. She wasn’t expecting any visitors and figured it might be a solicitor. She had so many people coming to her door these days that she seriously considered getting one of those signs that read: No Solicitors. But when she looked through the peephole, her heart nearly stopped upon seeing Kyle. She quickly opened the door.

  “Kyle? What are you doing here?”

  His brow lifted a fraction. “You said you needed me. May I come in?”

  Realizing she was still standing there in shock, she unlocked the screen and stepped back. But not far enough. The touch of his body as he brushed by her sent a shock of desire through her. He looked even better than she remembered. Just like the first time she had seen him, she thought the locs and pierced ears gave him a sexy, dangerous edge. He’d let his hair grow and it almost reach his shoulders now. He, now, also sported a small mustache and n
eatly barbered goatee, all of which made it hard not to drag him to her bedroom and pick up exactly where they’d left off.

  Kyle leaned down and touched his mouth to hers. “It’s good to see you, Melissa.”

  “Same here,” she murmured and moved past him toward the living room. He’d only been in her house for one minute and already her body ached for him. “Can I get you something to eat or drink? Why didn’t you call me back? I wasn’t expecting… I didn’t mean for you to jump on a plane and—”

  He cut her off with a kiss. “Relax.” Taking her hand, he led her over to the sofa and sat next to her. “What’s going on?”

  “I can show you better than I can tell you.” Melissa went to retrieve her cell phone and pulled up the pictures she had taken of the first two notes and placed the third one on the table. She pointed to the first one picture. “This was left on my windshield two weeks ago.” She waited until he read it, and then scrolled to the second one. “This one was left a few days later and this one,” she slid the paper in front of him, “was on the car when I came out of the school yesterday.”

  He said nothing for several seconds, but she saw the solitary muscle ticking in his jaw. Finally, he glanced her way, concern etched in his features. “Have you contacted the police?”

  “I did with the first two—I took the pictures before giving the notes to them—but they told me there wasn’t much they could do since they were typed and didn’t actually make a threat, just basically asking me to stay away from the family. I called you when I got the last one.”

  “I’m glad you did. You should have called me sooner.”

  “I didn’t expect you to just show up, I only…”

  His dark gaze held hers. “Only what? You had to know I would come.”

  She nodded. Yes, she had known. And on some deep level she wanted him here.

  “You think I could get a cup of coffee? Then you can tell me more about what’s going on.”

  “Of course. I’ll be right back.” While brewing the coffee, Melissa tried to convince herself that she had made the right decision in calling Kyle. She had no doubt he could help her, but the way he’d been staring at her since he had arrived and the way the chemistry between them still burned said it would be easy to fall back into an affair. And she couldn’t let that happen.

  ***

  Kyle drummed his fingers on his knee. He readily admitted to himself that he’d missed being with Melissa. But he wasn’t prepared for the unnamed emotions churning in his gut. Pushing the feelings aside, he glanced back at the notes. Something about the third note seemed off. What had caused this person to escalate to a serious threat in such a short time?

  “Do you want anything else?” Melissa asked, handing him the coffee mug.

  “No, thanks. I’ll be starving in a little while though. Maybe we can go out and get some dinner.”

  “That’s fine.”

  He took a sip. “I see you remembered how I take my coffee.”

  She smiled and placed a coaster on the table. “It’s a woman thing. We remember everything. Men, on the other hand, barely remember their own birthday,” she added wryly.

  Kyle laughed. “Not all men are like that. I remember that you like your coffee with two sugars and a dash of milk, you like chocolate chip cookies with three kinds of chocolate—milk and white chips, and chocolate chunks—and you absolutely love those purple socks on your feet. Oh, and your birthday is four days before Christmas.” He smiled inwardly at her shocked expression. He toasted her with his cup. “Some men pay attention.”

  “I guess so.”

  He set the cup down on the coaster she’d provided. “Okay, I need you to tell me anything and everything you can think of that would make someone send you these. Have you had any run-ins with anyone?”

  Melissa leaned back on the sofa. “I have a student who’s been out of school for more than three weeks. The teacher and I tried calling, but got no response, so I decided to make a home visit and take him the missed assignments. I also wanted to know if he was sick or something. When I arrived, his mother was reluctant to let me in and as soon as I walked through the door, I knew why. Though she’d tried to cover it with makeup, I could still see her black eye.”

  “And the little boy?” He hadn’t asked for names because of the confidentiality laws.

  “Bruises along his right arm and, when he turned his head, I could see faint splotches on his neck.”

  “Like he’d been choked?” Kyle asked with a raised eyebrow.

  She nodded. “I told her we were concerned because he hadn’t been to school for such a long time and asked when he would be returning. She said that she didn’t know. I handed her the work he’d missed and asked her to contact his teacher if she had questions. I was about to hand her a card to the women’s shelter where I volunteer—”

  “You volunteer at a women’s shelter?”

  “Three nights a week. A friend of mine runs it and I started at the beginning of the year.”

  That would have been shortly after she had ended their relationship, Kyle noted. Was that the reason why? He turned his attention back to her when she started speaking again.

  “I was saying I’d pulled a card from the center out of my bag, but her husband came home. He refused to listen to anything I had to say and told me to leave, that they didn’t need anything from me or the school.”

  “Did you report your suspicions?”

  “Yes. I told Karen what happened and made the report to the police because I didn’t want his mother to get caught up in the system if I called child protective services. She’s a victim, too. A couple of days later, the first note showed up on my car. I dropped off more work last week and was able to give her the center’s card before she hustled me out the door. My guess is that she didn’t want her husband to find out.” Melissa sighed heavily. “I felt so helpless seeing that child’s sad face in the window as I got in my car. It was almost as if he was pleading with me not to leave him there. He’s one of the brightest students I’ve worked with, and his teacher agrees.”

  Kyle slung his arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. “Hopefully, she’ll take advantage of the center’s services. The second note was left after that?”

  “Yes. Maybe he found out I’d been there that day. I haven’t gone back since then, which makes it hard for me to understand this last note.”

  “Same here. Has anything else happened with any other student or at the women’s center?”

  “Well,” she hedged.

  Kyle eased back and turned her face toward his. “Tell me.”

  “Last Tuesday evening we had a mother and her two children show up at the center.”

  He listened as Melissa related the incidents that led to her being struck by the woman’s angry husband and his subsequent arrest. Kyle was glad her husband hadn’t been released from jail because he was sorely tempted to find the man and administer a beating of his own. His gaze roamed over her face, glad the bruise had healed. “Does Karen know about the notes?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t want to give her anything else to be worried about. She doesn’t need any added stress with the baby coming.”

  “Melissa, she needs to know in case whoever left those notes shows up at the school. You don’t want her to be blindsided.”

  “I never thought of it that way,” she mumbled.

  “I understand that you’re just trying to protect her, but she needs to be told. I know a couple of guys on the police force here and I’ll give one of them a call tomorrow. I’ll also call Damian and give him a head’s up. He needs to know what’s going on so he can protect Karen if necessary be before we get over there to fill her in.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  He stood. “I’m going to check into the hotel, then I’ll be back and we can get some dinner.”

  She came to her feet. “You don’t have to check into a hotel. You can stay here.”


  “Here?”

  “You never had a problem with it before.”

  He regarded her silently for a few minutes, then said softly, “I thought you didn’t either at one time.” He gestured to the sofa. “Fine. I’ll sleep here.” He thought he saw disappointment cross her features briefly.

  “You can take the extra bedroom. This couch isn’t made for sleeping. How long are you going to be here?”

  “Until next Sunday. Or however long it takes to find this guy.” He not only planned to protect her, but also pursue her like he should have done the first time. He wasn’t leaving until she belonged to him. But, he decided she didn’t need to have that piece of information just yet.

  “Oh. You can bring your stuff in if you want. I’ll go change the sheets.”

  “I can do it.”

  “No.” She stepped around him and left the room.

  Smiling, Kyle went out to his rental. He returned with his luggage and stood transfixed at the sight of Melissa bending over the bed as she smoothed on a new sheet. Her sweats stretched taut across her shapely behind. A memory surfaced in his mind that sent a rush of desire to his groin. It took great effort on his part not to lower her to the bed and remind her why they had been so good together. He loved the sex between them, but this time he wanted to show her she meant more. It had taken months to realize he missed more than just the occasional weekends in the sheets. Kyle liked everything about her, from her competitive nature and her fierce advocacy of the children she served to the quiet, reflective woman who cuddled in his arms when she’d had a bad day.

  “Need any help?” He passed her, letting their bodies touch in the process and heard her sharp intake of breath. Knowing he had to pass her again, he said, “I’ll go around to the other side.”

  “I’ll go on the other side,” Melissa said, and quickly went around the bed.