on her face was that of a woman comfortable with her own sexuality. Her graceful movements invited intimacy, as if she were calling to her lover, aching for his touch.
A sharp pain in his left hand made him realize he was gripping the table so hard, the edge had cut into his palm. Relaxing his hold, Jake told his body to do the same. He had known he’d have a hard time with this—dammed if he had known how hard.
Shifting uncomfortably in his chair, he ignored his physical response to the beautiful, sexy woman on stage, and tore his eyes away from her. The fact that he had watched four other women dance just as provocatively wearing even less clothing and hadn’t been the least bit moved didn’t matter…couldn’t matter.
His gaze roamed the audience who seemed to be eating up the performance. Based on the ear-splitting wolf whistles, Dark Angel was a definite hit.
Even though the killer wouldn’t come after her on stage, Jake carefully assessed each man. It was too dark to see faces but he had good enough night vision to observe body language. Not the best way to identify a killer, but seeing something ‘off’ could help pinpoint a possible suspect.
Tonight, on the way back to the apartment, would be the real test. Angela would walk home, seemingly alone and vulnerable. If the killer was watching tonight’s performance and followed her, he would get the impression that Angela was easy prey. Jake looked forward to showing the bastard just how very alone she wasn’t.
Shrill whistles brought his attention back to the stage. Jake cursed, softly, vehemently. Angela was hanging upside down from the pole, her long, beautiful legs twisting around the hard steel with a grace and strength that defied description. He had held her in his arms and felt the slenderness of her body but beneath the soft, silky skin was solid muscle. She made another twist, whirled and then landed back on her feet.
Once again, Jake forced his eyes away from the stage. He had two jobs, protecting Angela and catching a killer. Neither of those responsibilities involved staring like a salivating, sex-starved fiend. Unfortunately that was exactly how he felt.
As the song came to an end, the catcalls and whistles grew louder. Jake stood and moved easily between the tables, his eyes looking for any kind of a threat. No one even noticed his existence—he could be invisible. Their eyes were riveted to the stage. He dared a glance at the stage and jerked to a stop in the middle of the floor, his breath caught in his lungs. Other than the bikini panties and boots, Angela was completely nude. She’d even taken off those damn gloves.
Only by reminding himself that her protection was his number one priority was he able to look away. He turned and surveyed the crowd. All eyes were still focused on Dark Angel, seemingly mesmerized.
Just when he thought her first performance would end with no drama, a gorilla-sized man flung himself toward the stage, his giant hand within inches of grabbing Angela’s ankle. As if it was a natural part of her performance, Angela gracefully stepped out of the man’s reach. Roddy had warned them this might happen. It took every ounce of Jake’s self-control to allow Justin Kelly to take care of the guy. The LCR operative grabbed the man by the collar, easily wrangling him back into his chair and then leaned over him for several seconds. Whatever Kelly had said worked because the man nodded and stayed seated.
The music ended and at last Angela’s performance was over. Jake watched her as she left the stage, walking in that long-legged, loose-hipped sexy way she had, her strides unhurried and languid, full of that sexy confidence that had enthralled him from the first time he met her.
Dragging his attention away, he turned back to the audience. Anyone seem too extreme in their response? As another dancer was announced, he waited to see if anyone would walk out, thinking he’d found his next victim. No one moved.
It had been a long shot to believe the man could be targeted the first night, on the first performance. This might be a long, arduous op, taking weeks to complete. If tonight was any indication, Jake knew he was in for a tortuous time.
Angela sat alone in a corner of the dressing room. The other dancers seemed to recognize her need for isolation. Had they felt something similar their first time on