Excerpt of Force Of Attraction by D.D. Ayres

PROLOGUE

U.S. HIGHWAY 29, GEORGIA

Scott Lucca fumbled in his pocket, looking for change for the pay phone as the twang of a guitar solo wailed through the hazy bar. He was a little buzzed. When liquor got between his head and his heart, he made stupid decisions. That’s why he didn’t drink to excess anymore. But this was a special occasion. At least he had the presence of mind not to use his cell phone.

He thrust the coins into the pay phone slot and stabbed her number into the keypad.

One ring. Two. Three. It was not quite four A.M., East Coast time. Was she out? Out with someone else? Five.

“Yes?” It was her. One syllable, and he was cradling the phone a little tighter.

A foolish smile tugged his mouth. “Hey. I was just … thinking.” He hadn’t thought past the need to hear her voice.

“Who is this?”

He leaned his head against the wall. Who was he? Good question. “I—sorry. Wrong number.”

“Scott?”

He halted the receiver halfway to its cradle. Two years since they last spoke, and she still remembered the sound of his voice. That had to count for something. But he had nothing else to offer her.

Gritting his teeth, he completed the hang-up.

“Hey there, handsome. You wanna dance with me?”

He turned toward the voice. A young woman in a cowboy hat and not much else stood beside him with a sly smile.

He smiled back but shook his head. “You deserve better than what’s on my mind.”

“Depends on what that is.”

He gave her a slow grin. “My wife.”

Her mouth twisted down. “Your loss.”

“No doubt about it. You have a good evening.”

Scott made his way back to his table without further incident. He was a long way from home, on his way back from drug interdiction training in west Texas. Instead of hightailing it back to D.C., he’d decided to take the scenic route, trading the expediency of interstates for country roads that led through one declining weed-choked Southern town after another. For the most part the drive was boring, and that was the purpose. He needed to think. About his life. Past. Future. Hell, everything!

A thousand miles later, he’d come to no conclusions other than that thinking was overrated.

On the other hand, he still understood physical needs. It was late. He was hungry. That’s when he’d passed this roadside inn with a flashing neon sign, promising beer and music. They probably also sold food.

A quick scan of the customers had revealed they were locals, a few still dressed in their uniforms from the chicken plucking plant he’d passed driving in. The air was pungent, thick with the natural humidity of a Southern July night and the heat of bodies packed close together.

He had meant only to stop for a burger. But halfway through his meal, a man with a guitar had stepped up to the lone mike at one end of the room to offer up his version of Al Greene’s “Love and Happiness.” It was the song they’d chosen for the first dance at their wedding reception.

He’d heard it probably a hundred times since but it never clutched and clawed at him like this rendition. That’s when he remembered. Today should have been their fourth anniversary.

It had been a dumb move but he couldn’t help himself. He closed his eyes to let his mind drift back to a time when the mere sight of Nicole Jamieson made his skin catch fire and his dick so hard he had to pause in his stride.

After a few seconds he could almost feel his bride in his arms again. He saw in his mind’s eye her lopsided smile of happiness that trembled with the audacity of what they’d just done. Above it all, was that look of trust in her wide green gaze.

Her eyes on him. That’s all it took. He’d known from that first glance. She did, too. The force of attraction was undeniable. Insoluble. Magnetic. Meant to be.

Maybe that was because she’d kissed him before they had even exchanged a word. In answer to that kiss, he’d dragged her out on the dance floor and hauled her in against him to do a slow grind that left the other patrons of the D.C. law enforcement hangout feeling like maybe they should go home and give the couple some privacy.

Their sixty-day courtship contained every idiotic love cliché in overdrive.

When it went to hell, the explosion had left craters in more lives than their own.

A hailstorm of darker memories had struck him so hard Scott had had to open his eyes to keep from drifting away to the ugly place that he had fought too long and too hard to come back from.

When the song was over, he’d bought a beer, to celebrate his return to the human condition. And then another. Suddenly, making that phone call hadn’t seemed like the sorry-ass loser idea it was.

Why the hell did I just let her go?

Scott stared at his empty plate as if it were a Ouija board. Two years later he still didn’t have the answer. What he did know was that he didn’t deserve Nikki. No surprise there. From that very first night, in the back of his mind, he had known it was just a matter of time before she realized that, too. He had never been able to live up to anyone’s expectations, not his family’s nor even his own. He simply wished on everything holy that Nikki had discovered that truth about him another way. She deserved so much better than the way it went down.

Scott winced. Nikki not only left him, she had left the D.C. police force. That was a real shock. She was good, had great instincts, and a way with the public he’d never had. She’d have quickly climbed the ranks, if she hadn’t wrecked her career by running from him.

So when he’d learned, purely by accident a few months ago, that she had become a Montgomery County, Maryland, police K-9 officer, he’d done a little digging until he came up with an address and phone number for her. He’d told himself he’d never use either. He just needed to know where she was. Just that. Until he could make amends.

Now he’d gone and stirred up a hornet’s nest by calling her.

Scott.

That’s all it took, the sound of his name in her voice. The longing had flooded back, nearly bending him double with regret and desire. Things he could—should—do nothing about. Not that that was going to stop him. He owed her. Some things he couldn’t change. Other things he was going to try to make up for.

He reached for the fresh beer the bar girl set before him and tried to empty it in a single swallow. It was like swallowing glass. He’d made that call to prove something. He’d learned something else. Something that presented a real danger to his plans.

He was still in love with her.

An hour later, as he crossed the parking lot with the intention of sleeping off the beer in his truck, Scott felt the sudden tingle of approaching danger without even a visual cue.

It came as the distinctive sound of approaching Harleys, identified before seeing the bikes. The pipes were ugly. Loud and percussive, they announced riders whose most gentle thought about the general populace was that they would all go deaf. These were one-percenters.

From one second to the next, Scott went from slightly buzzed to stone-cold sober. Because he knew his life might depend on it.

As a pair of bikers came roaring up the two-lane blacktop out of the darkness, Scott did a quick mental survey of his situation. A pancake holster holding a SIG P239 fit snug in the small of his back. A .38 was strapped above an ankle. A sheathed Ka-Bar strapped to the other. Enough, maybe.

This wasn’t his first encounter with bikers on this trip. That’s why he was armed with more than a handgun. A cop knew there was always the chance that some criminal out there somewhere would recognize him, and maybe held a grudge. Paranoia was a good state of mind for a cop. It was crucial for a former undercover narc. Tonight he was dressed as a civilian and would act as one, unless provoked to do otherwise.

He didn’t make direct eye contact as they rolled to a stop, blocking his way just for the hell of it, but his adrenaline kicked up a notch. Always before they had kept their distance. His peripheral vision gave him the general outline of biker gear, complete with insignias of a gang he knew all too well from his bad old days.

“This shithole serve decent burgers?” The big overly muscled one of the two bikers had a voice as tender as boot leather.

Scott shrugged. “If you like grease and dill pickles.”

“What about the waitresses? Any got tits worth lookin’ at?”

Scott smiled slightly. “One.”

Alert to any sudden movement, Scott waited out the beat of silence as they dismounted. When they moved to walk around him, one on either side, he sidestepped, giving them enough room to walk past him together. They didn’t force the issue.

The bigger man was five feet past when he paused and looked back. “You’re a cop.”

Scott’s gaze corrected to direct confrontation. The challenger was a stranger but he knew the other one. Impossible not to remember a man so skinny his skin seemed shrink-wrapped to his skeletal frame. This man regarded him with a squint-eyed stare. Scott met and held it.

Three years ago he’d gone undercover to infiltrate a chapter of the Pagans, operating out of D.C. He had looked much different back then; a skinhead with a steroid-enhanced body. Nearly a year off the juice, his once-bulked-up physicality had been slimmed by thirty pounds to a taut, lean-muscled physique. His hair had grown in and his once bristling beard was shaved to a smooth cheek. No casual glance should have pegged him for his alter ego, who had been arrested in a bust that went sideways two years ago.

Yet, his gut told him he’d been made. Nothing to do but tough it out.

The skinny man stepped forward. “What the fuck you starin’ at?”

Scott braced himself, all cop in his expression and stance. “I was wondering the same thing. I don’t know who you think I am, but you’re mistaken. I have no beef with you.”

The bulkier partner shook his head. “What the fuck are you dicking around with him for? I’m hungry.”

His partner glared. “He reminds me of someone.”

“The pretty boy about to piss himself?” The bigger man snorted. “What? He a former bitch of yours from lockup?”

The skinny man swung around on his friend. “Shut the fuck up!”

The larger man didn’t answer but just swung a meaty fist that landed hard on his companion’s jaw.

Scott took the moment to put more distance between himself and them, though he remained facing them. He’d seen many a fight between friends in the biker world end in near death. Or, they could just as easily turn on him.

His gut tightened as he went through in his mind what his next three moves should be. He might get wet but he had an advantage they weren’t aware of.

At that moment several patrons exited the establishment, spilling light, music, and laughter onto the parking lot.

The two bikers scuffled a bit more and then laughed, slapped each other on the back, and turned toward the restaurant.

Scott waited until they had entered before sucking in a breath of relief. It was short-lived. Now that he could think past the next thirty seconds, his brain supplied the details he hadn’t had time to deal with.

The skinny guy called himself Dos Equis because of his fondness for using a knife to carve double Xs in his victims. From the West Coast, he’d said. Once he’d attached himself to the group Scott had infiltrated, the gang shortened it to X.

What the hell was he doing in Georgia? Last he heard X was serving a five-year prison term.

Scott made his way with a deliberate stride toward his vehicle and in one continuous motion climbed in. He was immediately accosted.

A four-year-old chocolate Lab named Izzy had launched herself through the door of her cage in back and landed in his lap. His K-9 partner, and secret weapon. There was a button on his belt that would have freed her from her cage if she’d been needed.

She was shivering beneath her shiny coat and he understood immediately that she had not only been watching the scenario taking place in the parking lot, she had sensed his own anxiety and was responding in kind. She was trained as a drug dog, not an attack dog, but he knew she would have come to his aid.

He pulled her in close to his body though he was shedding pheromones, adding to the excitement even though the moment of danger seemed past. K-9 partners for the past year, he and Izzy worked drug enforcement for the DEA.

“Good girl, Izzy.” He stroked her firmly to calm her. “Gute Hund.”

During all this, his gaze never left the front door of the restaurant. When Izzy was sufficiently calm, he ordered her into the back. Then he reached under his console and pulled out a SIG Sauer and laid it in his lap.

He debated only a moment. He shouldn’t be driving. He had planned to spend the night in the parking lot. But he knew it would be too much provocation if the bikers found him still here when they came out. He’d move a few miles down the road, cautiously and opposite from the way they’d come, and find a safe place to sleep off his now dead but legally still active buzz.

He put his cruiser in gear and roared out of the parking lot. If they were going to come after him, he’d be ready.

“You plan on being shit for company all night?”

X didn’t reply to his companion. He hated conversation. Right now, he needed to think, hard.

Rhino was the guy’s biker name. Hollywood action-hero made-up shit. But weren’t all their names? Now he knew Rhino was a cop. Probably a narc.

Undercover narc.

He hadn’t spent the previous five years of his life eating shit and living like a coyote to lose it all to a city kitty rookie with a hard-on for his first bust. He owed that prick.

X stared half interestedly at the young woman over by the bar in a cowboy hat, as a plan formed. “I got the license plate. All I need is an address, and a little time.”

His partner shifted uncomfortably. “We’re seeing our way into some real cash for a change. Don’t need no cop-killer bounty on our heads.”

“I don’t plan on killing him.”

“What then?”

X smiled and it was like watching a corpse come to life.

CHAPTER ONE

“Here you go. One good bite deserves another.”

K-9 Officer Nicole “Cole” Jamieson placed the doggy bowl on her kitchen floor.

Her partner, Hugo, greedily gulped down the first of his two daily meals then checked her out with a hopeful stare from soulful black eyes.

Cole shook her head. “No more for now.”

Hugo’s ears drooped as he came forward and nudged his big heavy head under her hand.

Cole squatted down and scratched under his chin and then behind his ears. “Okay. You’ve earned it. But only one.” She stood and reached for the jar of dog treats she kept handy for special occasions.

Hugo scarfed down the treat without even bothering to chew then jumped up against her, huge paws resting above her waist, to deliver a lick of thanks before turning toward the spacious dog kennel in Cole’s kitchen. Before he went in he looked back at her. She waited. Bouviers liked to think about things before they acted. When satisfied by whatever his doggy instincts were telling him, Hugo barked gruffly once and entered his crate.

The Montgomery County Police Department wasn’t initially impressed by her choice of a Bouvier des Flandres over the more popular law enforcement canine choices such as Belgian Malinois or German shepherd. But research backed her up when she had gone on the hunt for a self-motivated, hard-driving, even-tempered pup. When she’d found the six-month-old black brindled Bouvier with uncut ears but docked tail, he’d looked like a fuzzy puppy-faced teddy bear. But as he grew, he morphed into a powerfully built canine with an intimidating bark and a menacing set of teeth. Topping out at ninety-five pounds, Hugo was now a force to be reckoned with.

Cole yawned and reached into the fridge for a sports beverage and drank from the bottle. Usually she went straight to bed after a night shift. Today, she didn’t even have time to take a nap.

She glanced at the clock. Seven A.M. She had a job interview in Baltimore at ten A.M.

“Damn! I’m going to be late!”

She hurried toward the shower.

This is big. That’s the only hint her K-9 sergeant had given her when he told her about the interview. When the Drug Enforcement Administration approached local law enforcement agencies for manpower, it usually involved mounting a task force.

Visions of covert operations, undercover, and SWAT team takedowns danced through Cole’s thoughts, none of which calmed her nerves.

Forty-five minutes later, she came tearing back through the kitchen in full dress uniform. Her blue shirt and trousers had been professionally pressed, all starchy crispness and sharp pleats. Her boots reflected back the ceiling lights as stars. But her expression was anything but self-possessed professional as she lifted one end of a sofa cushion and then another. She was fretting over the possibility of being late.

“I just had them. I know—” She stopped talking to herself and turned back toward the kitchen, propping a fist on each hip. “Hugo. Come here.”

Moments later a big black shaggy head with a pink tongue appeared in the doorway.

“Where are my keys? Bring me my keys. Now.”

The big head disappeared. Twenty seconds later all of Hugo reappeared with keys hanging from his mouth.

Cole shook her head even as she made a come-here motion with her hand. “Hand them over.”

Hugo trotted over and put them in the palm of her hand, black eyes shining with pride. He sat and barked, ready to be praised.

The only thing wrong with this picture of doggy obedience was that Hugo had hidden them in the first place. The game he’d made up himself usually amused her. Not today. That’s because she knew that he knew she was about to leave him alone for hours, and he didn’t like to be left. She couldn’t account for his sixth sense about such things. He was scary smart at reading people, especially his handler.

She shook her head. “Maybe you should be going to this interview instead of me.”

Cole sat stiffly on one of several chairs placed at intervals along the hallway of the Baltimore office of the Drug Enforcement Administration, waiting for her name to be called.

All of her tactical gear had been left behind at security, making her feel unusually light. She looked cool and professional, but she didn’t feel that way. Her tie felt as if it was a hangman’s noose. Her starched collar rubbed the back of her neck. And, where her hat sat on her brow, a thin sheen of sweat had begun to form. Normally she didn’t wear much makeup. But today, she had applied a heavy-duty concealer to try to hide the worst of the black eye she had gotten while subduing a suspect a week ago.

“Officer Jamieson?”

Cole jumped to her feet at the sound of her name. She hadn’t even noticed the door opening on her right.

A youngish man in tie and rolled shirtsleeves gave her a brief impersonal smile. “Follow me please, ma’am.”

He moved down past half a dozen closed doors until he arrived at the last one on the right. He knocked then opened the door. “Agent Lattimore will see you now.”

Cole stepped into the room to be met by a tall, middle-aged, balding man in a nondescript off-the-rack suit. He had fed written all over him.

He came forward and extended his hand. “Officer Jamieson. I’m Agent John Lattimore. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“The same, sir.” Cole shook his hand firmly.

“Have a seat. And please make yourself comfortable. We aren’t being formal today. I understand you go by the name Cole. May I call you that?”

“Yes, sir.” She felt his gaze, though seemingly casual, following her every move as she sat and removed her hat, balancing it on her knee.

He sauntered back behind his desk, his gaze never leaving her. “I’m sure you’re wondering why you’re here.”

“Yes, sir.” Cole made herself relax back into her chair. “I expect you’re looking for local personnel for some sort of team.” He nodded. “Would you like me to tell you a little bit about myself?”

“Not necessary. I know everything I need to know.”

Cole saw him glance at the open folder on his desk. “You’re a first-year K-9 officer with the Montgomery County, Maryland, Police Department. You grew up around dogs. Your first canines were a yellow Lab named Homer and a Bluetick Coonhound by the name of Marge. You were athletic in high school. Played soccer, correct? You also participated in dog sports competitions. Your college transcript is well above average and yet, after you were wait-listed for law school, you joined law enforcement. Your background in Agility training and AKC rallies made you a natural fit for the K-9 law enforcement program. You have one sibling, a sister named Rebecca, who’s a veterinarian. From time to time you still serve as an instructor for her obedience classes.”

“Wow, sir, that is a thorough investigation.” Someone had done his homework on her. Which meant DEA had been thinking about her longer than a few days.

Cole wondered fleetingly what else was in that report. Did they know she needed to do laundry and sometimes failed to remember to put out her trash cans in time for the weekly pickup? Did they know about more private things, like her marriage to undercover Agent Scott Lucca, and what a disaster that had been? Of course they would.

That’s when reality hit her. This wasn’t just an interview. It was more like a security clearance check.

Her pulse ticked up with equal amounts of excitement and anxiety. Was she being considered for some kind of task force? Or, was Scott in trouble again? Were they looking to her for information about him? Had the two-year-old case made its way to court, after all?

Her heart began to pump in heavy thuds. She wasn’t going to defend him but she couldn’t imagine testifying in any way against Scott, even if he was her ex.

At that moment the door opened and the young man in rolled shirtsleeves appeared. “Your next appointment has arrived, sir.”

“Good.” Lattimore smiled at Cole. “I’d like you to meet the team leader and your potential partner in our task force operation.”

“Great.” Task force operation. Not about Scott. This was about her, after all.

Cole stood up, preparing a smile of welcome for whoever stood on the other side of the door. Perhaps she was doing better in the interview than she thought, if Lattimore was prepared to introduce her to the team leader.

“Show him in, Pierce.”

One second, Cole was rising with a polite smile of welcome on her face. The very next, she was trying to control her breathing.

“Hello, Nikki.”

She knew that voice. That face. And those damned seductive dimples.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

For two years, she had engineered things so that she would never again have to be in the same room with Scott Lucca. That plan had been working just fine, right up to a second ago.