Dixie Under Siege (A Warrior's Passion #2) - Natasza Waters Page 0,16
this company?”
She shrugged. “Pretty big. The New York office has two hundred employees. The CEO and owner is Gavin Kallis. Typical, rich businessman. As I understand it, he’s a senator now.”
Josh needed to ask about her sexual encounters. Earlier today, he hadn’t liked her answer and doubted whether he wanted to hear more, but the devil, in this case, was in the details. “I realize it was a long time ago, but can you remember the men you dated? Or more importantly, whether someone you turned down didn’t take no for an answer?”
Dix thought for a second before answering. “I had a few friends from Ardon Corporation, that’s the company I worked for. We’d hit the club scene and favorite eateries on the weekends. I rubbed a lot of shoulders, but wasn’t interested in long-term relationships.”
Josh hoped she’d be more forthcoming with the cops. “Although I don’t have a police background, and I’m heading to NCIS to ask for a favor tomorrow, I think this guy did more than rub shoulders with you.”
A slight grin formed on her lips. “Are you asking how many men I had sex with?”
He altered his gaze toward the small gas fireplace in her living room. A framed print of a Utah landscape hung above the mantle. “Suppose I am.”
“A few.”
He chuckled even though disapproval decided to take a walk through his chest. “One-night stands?”
Dixie crossed her slender arms. “I was young. Plenty of parties at college.”
He wasn’t concerned about her college days. New York was their starting point. The thought crossed his mind to let her keep her private life private, but there was a clue yet to be found and it led to the guy who had formed an unhealthy attachment to her.
“Listen, as much as this topic might be uncomfortable to talk about—”
“It’s uncomfortable talking about it with you,” she stated, then sipped her water. “Can’t we do this some other time?”
“If I can convince NCIS to look at your case, they’re going to grill you with questions. Personal questions. Be ready to answer them.”
“Why would they even care? I’m not military. Isn’t that who they work for?”
“Because I’m asking them to care,” he stated gruffly.
She was correct about NCIS, but since Admiral Austen caught the serial killer named the Blood Shark, SpecOps and the local NCIS agency had a close connection. Josh had already touched base with the admiral earlier in the day.
The team guys referred to the admiral as Ghost, and he had good reason to offer Josh a little help. The admiral understood the dangers of chasing assholes like Dixie’s stalker. Austen said he’d call Lt. Manchester, the agent he’d worked with on the Blood Shark case. Good to his word, Lt. Manchester reached out to Josh just before he’d left Base Command and they’d set up a meeting for tomorrow morning. Manchester mentioned they’d likely turn the case over to local PD. Mostly, Josh wanted them to analyze the notes for DNA or residue.
All Josh needed was the stalker’s identity and he’d make the sonofabitch go away.
Dixie offered a stilted smile. “That determined expression on your face concerns me. You don’t have to get involved.”
No, he didn’t, but Dixie’s continued resistance raised his suspicions. “Why the hell would you think that?”
She shrugged. “We’re different people now. You don’t know me. For all you know, I could be lying and the first job I had was a pole dancer in a sleazy New York nightclub.”
He cleared his throat. “If you were, it’s your business. I’m not here to judge.” A bunch of drunk, horny dudes watching Dixie strip churned his stomach, but he’d never admit that to her.
“I don’t know you either. People change.” Dix perched her elbow on the armrest, cupping her jaw with the palm of her hand.
Josh leaned to the left and pulled the drape aside, scanning the empty street. “What do you want to know?”
“Don’t think you can cover that in a few minutes.”
She looked exhausted as she ran her fingers through her dark hair and lifted it into a messy bundle, holding it on the top of her head.
Now that he’d been around the world a few dozen times, he recognized Dix as a rare woman. It didn’t matter whether she’d just crawled out of bed with mussed hair or was decked out in a sexy gown for the evening. She crossed the ‘T’ and dotted the ‘I’ in beautiful. At least, in his mind.
“Why don’t you head to bed?” he suggested. Josh wasn’t