She Who Dares, Wins. Candace Havens
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were the only proof. While there had been alcohol in his system, it had been minimal. The police were tracking the paint, but they didn’t have the whole story. The dean at the university where the professor worked wanted to keep the matter quiet, so the accident was being treated as a one-time event.
That wasn’t the truth. It was the second time something life-threatening had happened to the professor in the past two weeks.
There had also been some odd phone calls to the dean intimating Douglas should stop his research, and the professor had been mugged the night before the last accident. The dean worried that they were dealing with a radical or worse, a terrorist group, but he didn’t want to involve the police unless absolutely necessary.
“That’s the high court.” The driver interrupted her thoughts. “Fancy place for fancy folk. There is the museum.” The cabbie continued his tour-guide duties and Katie wondered if it would be rude to pay him to stop talking.
Stop it. It’s not his fault you’re having a crappy day.
She glanced out the window so it at least looked as if she were interested, and tried to gather her thoughts.
It seemed from what information Katie had that the dean was concerned about protecting the university’s reputation, rather than the safety of Dr. Douglas. Katie felt a little sorry for the old man.
The professor’s research was classified by the British government, which meant Stonegate couldn’t come up with much in that regard. Even the dean had refused to discuss it on the phone, telling them Katie would need special clearance once she arrived in London.
Whatever the project might be didn’t really matter. Katie’s job was to determine if there was a real threat, eliminate it and look after the dotty professor. This whole thing was a personal favor to the dean, who had been a dear friend of the mother of Katie’s boss and best friend, Mariska.
If Katie had had her way, she would have avoided the trip and sent the case straight to Scotland Yard where it belonged, but the decision wasn’t hers.
The taxi stopped on a brick-lined street in front of a pub straight out of a Dickens tale. Katie glanced at the meter and was shocked to see how much it was. Didn’t matter where in the world you were, cabs were expensive. She tossed some pound notes to the driver and stepped out with her small rolling suitcase and laptop bag.
The Seven Stars, the pub where she was to meet the professor, looked exactly like what she thought an English pub would from the outside—dark wood with brass. It had an old-world feel. Rolling her case through the door, with her laptop bag on her shoulder, she stood there for a moment allowing her eyes to adjust. The smell of beer and food was comforting in a way, and she let herself relax for a few seconds while she surveyed the room.
She was a detective—she should be able to spot one dotty old professor.
It was seven-thirty and the place was crowded with people. She had wanted to meet the professor and the dean at the university, but Dr. Douglas had insisted on the pub. The place did have a familiarity about it, reminding her of her mom and dad’s bar back in the Bronx.
The only things missing were her were nosy, boisterous brothers and her adorable Grandpa Joe behind the bar telling his stories about walking the beat years ago. He was the family member she missed most. GJ, as she called him, was the only sane one in the bunch, and he insisted Katie follow her dreams no matter where they led her.
GJ, a former cop, had been the one to help her get into the academy back in the Bronx. He’d pushed her to be a detective, even when everyone else in her family thought it was a ludicrous idea. They believed she should settle down and have babies with Jay Spiloli.
Ugh. Remembering Jay made her gut churn with nastiness. She’d dated him for a couple of weeks, only to learn he’d been cheating on her the whole time with Missy Ringovitz. The night she found out, she made her brothers lock her in her room so she couldn’t kill Jay. Her only satisfaction came the next day when she saw his face had taken a beating, probably due to her brothers’ fists. Though they would never tell her the truth about it.
It didn’t matter. Having babies with Jay was so not in the cards for her. She’d followed her grandpa’s advice, and three years as a detective had prepared her for this job of a lifetime working at Stonegate, where she traveled the world solving cases.
She glanced around the room, but didn’t see any dotty-looking prof types. Most of the people there were in their mid-thirties and wore three-piece suits. Even the women had donned heels with suits. A bunch of Wall Street types, only she was on the wrong continent.
Bartenders tend to know everything going on in their establishments. I might as well start there.
Katie headed for the intricately carved bar, which wasn’t easy in the crowd with her laptop and suitcase in tow.
“Hey, would you happen to know a Dr. Douglas?” Katie maneuvered her suitcase between the bar stools. The bartender delivered a pint to the man next to her and looked up.
“I know a few, lass. It’s a common name ’round here.”
Well, hell.
“He’s a scientist and works at the university. I’m supposed to meet him here, but I don’t know what he looks like. I assume he’s an older guy, probably with glasses.” She glanced around searching for the man, hoping maybe she’d catch his eye and he’d introduce himself.
The bartender nodded. “Ah, I see.” He moved in front of the man with the pint. “Don’t suppose you’ve seen the doc?”
The man turned to face Katie. The only thing she saw for a few seconds was the devastating smile and his azure eyes. She couldn’t breathe. Her heart stopped and heat spread through her lower extremities.
He’s freakin’ gorgeous.
“He was around earlier this evening, but I think he may have left.” The hunk of hotness smiled at her again, then glanced around the pub. “I don’t see him. Why did you need him?”
Holy hell on a biscuit. If he smiles like that again I might have to jump him right here in the middle of the bar.
Katie was no prude, but it had been a long time since her body had responded like that to a man, especially one she didn’t know.
If he can do that with a look, imagine what it would be like if he touched me.
Her body quivered with the very thought of it.
When his right eyebrow rose, she realized she was supposed to say something. His words finally penetrated her sex-addled brain. “Wh-what? Oh—I…” she stammered. “I was only—” she checked her watch “—a half hour late. It took me forever to get through customs. So you know the professor?”
The hottie leaned an elbow against the bar. “I know of him.”
Katie chewed on her lip. “Hmm. Well, I guess I’ll have to find him at the university.”
“I wouldn’t bother. I’m sure he’s headed home to bed. It is almost eight,” he said as he looked at his watch.
The bartender grunted at that.
Katie deflated as she sat down on the stool next to the man. “I’m not surprised. It’s been that kind of day for me.” She’d almost missed her flight because of car trouble, her phone wasn’t working right and she’d missed the meeting with the professor.
“Sounds to me like you could use one of these.” The bartender set a pint in front of her.
“He’s right, you know.” The handsome man waved a hand toward the beer. “Nothing like a good pint to set the world right again.”
Katie worried about the professor’s safety, but she didn’t have any private contact info for him or the dean. All she had were the numbers for the university. Hopefully the old man had made it home safely.
She might as well have a drink and then head to the hotel so she could