Page 30 of Love Me Carefully
As intense and serious as his voice sounded, she couldn’t help laughing. “Whose car breaks down when they’re on a stakeout?”
Somehow he’d known she’d laugh at him, and was thoroughly embarrassed to have to call her. This definitely wasn’t winning him any cool points with her. “Just meet me in the parking lot across from The Gallery.”
“You’re insane.” Shaking her head, she contemplated what she should do. Even knowing that the smart thing to do would be to stay out of it, she debated going to help him. If he couldn’t even pull off a stakeout without something going wrong, he definitely needed help. But she wasn’t any more qualified than he was. Still, it was Terrell, and like it or not, she felt an overwhelming need to be with him—to help, of course.I mean, really, if a man is willing to go through this much for his mother, if he’s this dedicated to her, he’s got to be one hell of a man.
On the other hand, this wasn’t any of her concern. Her better judgment warned her to stay out of it, but she was wide-awake now, and there wasn’t anything on television.
“Leah? Are you there?”
“Yes, I’m here. Where did you think I went?” Rolling her eyes at the phone, she felt like strangling him.
“You’re supposed to be on your way down here.”
“Just hang up the damn phone. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Hanging up her own phone, she tossed the covers to the side, willing herself not to think about what she was doing for fear she’d change her mind, and went to the closet to grab some jeans.
She should call Nikki, get some advice. No, Nikki had a big mouth. The whole shop would know by noon tomorrow, and then where would she be? Maybe if she could talk some sense into Terrell, get him to drop this whole silly notion of his, then she could get on with her job.
Searching the living room for her keys, she decided that was what she would do. When she reached him, she’d tell him that this was stupid and that he should just approach Donald like a man and ask him about the allegations. Like Donald was going to fess up to being a murderer, if in fact that’s what he was. Terrell didn’t have any proof. He’d told her that much earlier. Then why was he on a stakeout? Lord, a stakeout, like he knew what the hell a stakeout was.
Spying her keys on the table by the door, Leah snatched them and her cell phone up, tucked her jacket under her arm, and left her apartment. Her apartment was on St. Paul Street, about ten minutes from the Inner Harbor. Turning her car onto Pratt Street, she looked for the entrance to the parking lot across the street from The Gallery. The streets were almost empty except for a few people out and about enjoying Baltimore’s nightlife. Tall buildings, housing the bulk of the city’s prominent businesses, were mostly dark but for the occasional lights employees had left on.
She cursed herself as she drove through the streets, looking for the lunatic that she didn’t want to be attracted to.
The Gallery, a shopping mall connected to both a hotel and a parking lot, was closed at this time of night. Leah wondered if Terrell had meant the parking lot attached to the mall. But he’d said across the street. Downtown was flooded with parking lots, but luckily there was only one on that particular corner.
Turning into the lot, it dawned on her that she didn’t have a clue as to what kind of car Terrell drove. He hadn’t told her, and she hadn’t had the good sense to ask. She could’ve called him, but she’d forgotten her Bluetooth and she hated using her phone will she was driving. So she circled the lot looking for a car with a person sitting behind the wheel. When she didn’t see one, she cursed herself for being stupid enough to come out in the middle of the night, put her car in reverse and made a U-turn to the parking lot exit. Slamming on her brakes, she just narrowly missed a black SUV speeding past her through the exit.
“Asshole!” Pressing her palm against the horn she cursed the driver. Angry with herself, angry with Terrell, and now pissed at this fool that hadn’t had the respect to give her the right-of- way, Leah swore fluently. She was going to go home and get her ass back in bed, and if Terrell called her again she was going to tell him where to go and the quickest route to get there.
The light at the intersection had just turned green so she had to sit at the opening of the parking lot and wait for the few cars to pass. Drumming her fingers against the steering wheel, she thought of all the things she was going to say to Mr. Terrell Pierce the moment she laid eyes on him.
“Getting me out of my bed in the middle of the night,” she muttered to herself while she watched the last of the cars go by. Just as the light turned red and she was about to press the gas, somebody banged on the passenger side door. Leah nearly jumped out of her skin as she glared at Terrell standing outside her car. After a second of catching her breath, she slapped her palm on the unlock button.
Jumping in, he quickly pulled the door closed behind him and yelled, “Drive!”
“What?” Surprised to see him, and still seething with anger, Leah’s foot remained rooted on the brake.
“Drive, I said!” Pulling the seatbelt across his body, Terrell clicked the lock into place.
“I’m not going anywhere. Where did you come from anyway? I’ve been looking all over this stupid lot for you.”
“Will you shut up and drive the freakin’ car!” She was sexy as hell, but, damn, there were times when she simply talked too much.
Rolling her eyes at him, Leah did as she was told. Making a right turn onto Gay Street she proceeded to the next intersection. “Okay, Sherlock, where to now?”
Terrell was looking from one direction to the other. “I think we lost them.”
“Lost who?”
“Donald! I saw Donald!”
“Where? In the parking lot?”
“Yeah, he got out of his car and walked over to this other dude’s truck and they talked for a while. Then he got in the truck with the other dude and they pulled off.
Leah’s mind went to the SUV that had sped past her moments before. “Was it a black truck?”
“Yeah, you saw it?”
