Love Inspired Suspense January 2014 (10 page)

“I think that's all I need.” She left the suitcase unzipped and walked out into the hall. “Thank you, Hunter.”

He'd been dismissed.

He heard the bathroom door close. Water splashed into the tub. The sounds of everyday life for a widow and her daughter.

He should have walked out of the room right then. Gone downstairs and waited for the others to return. He lifted the Bible instead. The leather was soft with use, the pages thin, their edges bent and curled. It didn't feel intrusive to open it. Maybe because he'd spent nearly a decade standing on the outside of other people's lives, studying their habits, learning their routines. Keeping them safe always meant knowing everything about them. He became part of their lives while staying completely separate from them. That was how he lived with the witnesses he was protecting.

He opened the faded cover of the Bible to a presentation page.

To my first and only love. May we have forever and a day together. Love, Joe.

The inscription was dated. It could have been presented on any day, but Hunter knew the date. He'd studied Annie's life. Learned who her friends were, what her past was, where all her connections lay. He'd needed to make sure that she didn't return to any old habits or old friends, that she didn't find herself tempted to connect to anyone she'd known before her husband's murder.

Yeah. He knew the date. Knew it was the day she'd married Joe Delacorte. His wedding gift to her? Probably.

Suddenly, he
did
feel as though he was intruding. As if he was glimpsing something too personal, something that was absolutely none of his business.

Why she'd kept a Bible given to her by a man who'd lied to her, betrayed her trust, gotten her into the kind of trouble most people would never see in a lifetime, wasn't anything he needed to know.

He set the Bible down and walked out of the room, past the bathroom, where he could hear Annie singing some silly kid song to her daughter, down the stairs, where the house looked just like it had before Annie and her daughter had arrived.

It felt different, though.

It felt a lot more like home.

TEN

S
ophia fell asleep quickly, her cheeks pink from her warm bath, her thumb in her mouth. Tendrils of hair curled at her nape and stuck to her forehead, while her long lashes brushed her cheeks.

Sleeping, she looked like Joe, full-cheeked and round-faced. Her coloring was more Annie's, but the resemblance to her father was there in the cheeks and lashes and full lips.

The windowpane rattled, a winter storm blowing outside.

The rule was, stay away from the windows. Hunter had told her that fifty times since she'd walked into his house.

She was tempted to go peek outside anyway.

She'd always loved storms. The howling wind and blowing rain or snow. The wild whipping of trees and bushes.

Aside from the rattling windows, the house was silent. Burke had returned with take-out Chinese for dinner. They'd all eaten in the kitchen, the conversation stilted and strained. It felt...weird being in a house that was lived in rather than one that was just used to keep witnesses safe.

It felt even stranger to know that it was Hunter's house.

That he'd actually brought her there seemed outside his character, but maybe she didn't really know what his character was.

By the book, but there were other parts of him.

Things she was just starting to notice, and that she wished she weren't. Like how gentle he'd been when he was bandaging her knees.

She paced across the room, her palm itching to pull back the curtain, open the shades and stare out into the wild night.

She'd felt restless all day, frustrated and discontent. That wasn't like her. If she could sleep, maybe she could get over her mood, but she was wide-awake at...

She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. One in the morning. Maybe a cup of warm milk would help her sleep, but she hated milk.

So, maybe a cup of green tea.

Did men like Burke and Hunter drink green tea?

There was no time like the present to find out.

She crept to the door and eased it open.

The hallway was dark, no lights showing from the rooms below. The stairs creaked. She knew that either Burke or Hunter was probably awake, probably listening to the creaking stairs and probably wondering what she was doing.

She made it to the bottom of the stairs and was halfway across the living room when the light went on.

“What's up?” Hunter asked, his broad frame blocking the kitchen doorway. He'd changed into faded jeans and a light blue T-shirt, his gun holster strapped to his chest. He looked more like a bodyguard than he ever had and more like a man than she wanted to notice.

“I couldn't sleep,” she admitted.

“Too much on your mind?”

“I guess.”

“That's not surprising. It's been a long day.” He crossed the room and cupped her elbow. “How about some green tea?”

“That's exactly what I was coming to look for,” she responded. “You must have been reading my mind.”

“Just watching you for the past few weeks.”

“I'm not even sure what to say to that.”

“It's just part of my job, Annie. Nothing for you to feel uncomfortable about.”

“Who says I'm uncomfortable?”

“Your cheeks are pink and your nostrils are flaring.”

“No, they're not,” she said, her hand flying up to cover her nose.

He chuckled and pulled her into the kitchen. “I was kidding about your nostrils, but your cheeks are pink.”

“You kid?” she asked as she grabbed an old-fashioned teakettle from the stove.

“Only with people I like.”

“You like people?”

He laughed at that, the sound filling the kitchen and weaving threads around her heart. She felt them tugging her toward him.

Maybe tea wasn't such a good idea, but going back to the room seemed like an even worse one. More time alone. More time to think and pace and worry and remember.

“I do like people,” he said as he reached above her head and pulled out a box of tea. His chest brushed her back, the scent of soap and masculinity surrounding her.

“Especially people who are law-abiding citizens,” he murmured in her ear, and she knew her cheeks were pink again. Maybe fire-engine red.

“Who says I'm law-abiding?” She ducked away, her heart thumping painfully.

“Your file.” He took a package of vanilla sandwich cookies from the cupboard. They hadn't been there earlier. Obviously, Burke had brought them back with the Chinese food. Her guilty pleasure. Even Joe had never known how addicted to the silly things she was.

“I have a file?”

“Sure.”

“I'm not sure I like that.” She didn't reach for the cookies, but she was tempted.

“It's nothing to like or not like. It's just what we do.”

“
We
meaning the corporate organization that is the U.S. Marshals?”

“Something like that.” He opened the cookies and ate one.

“What's in my file?” She really wanted to know. “Information about my childhood? Do you know that I was suspended from school when I was in fourth grade?”

“You were suspended?” He eyed her as if he were sure she was lying. “For what?”

“Protesting. I thought it was unfair that the fifth graders got to go on an overnight field trip and the fourth graders didn't. I made a sign and picketed the school.”

“No way.”

“It's true. I marched in front of the school door until the principal called my mother. She pulled up in her old Cadillac Seville, and I decided maybe I didn't need to protest anymore.”

“I wish I could have seen that, Annie.” He chuckled as he grabbed a mug from the cupboard and handed it to her.

“It wasn't nearly as impressive as it sounds. I'd tried to get my friends to participate, but they all chickened out, so I was standing out there alone with my sign.” She poured hot water into the cup and dunked a bag in it.

“A rebel without a cause?”

“A general without an army.” She sat down at the table, still ignoring the cookies. “It all worked out, though. I ended up meeting Joe because of it.”

“Yeah?” Hunter glanced at the computer monitor, then poured himself a glass of orange juice. He didn't ask about Joe, and she could have just kept her mouth shut, kept the story to herself, because it wasn't something she really wanted to talk about.

After all, Joe had been the best and the worst thing that had ever happened to her.

But the words poured out anyway. “My rebellion wasn't that impressive, but my reputation for it preceded me to middle school. I got elected president of the student body without even running. Joe was vice president. He loved politics and debate. Did you know he studied political science in college?”

“Yes,” he said quietly, his gaze unwavering. He knew how to listen, his body leaning toward her, every bit of his attention focused on the conversation.

“He had these great plans and dreams. He was going to run for city council and eventually run for the state legislature, but then we got married, and he put those dreams aside so he could support the family. That's why he was driving trucks for a living.”

“You're giving him too much credit, Annie, and I think you know it.”

“You mean because he was using all his trips to gamble away our life savings?” She sipped her tea, her eyes hot and gritty with unshed tears. “I know what he did, but I don't think he planned things to happen the way they turned out. I think he really thought he was doing what was best for our family.”

“That's because you're a good person, and you like to see the good in the people around you.” He brushed a piece of hair from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear, his fingers lingering for a moment.

The tender gesture surprised her, and she leaned back.

“I'm not that good, Hunter. I'm angry just like any other person in my situation would be,” she said, refusing to acknowledge the butterflies that were dancing in her stomach...

This was Hunter. Not some handsome man that she'd met at church or the grocery store or, even, some online dating site.

“You never act angry. I haven't heard you say one bad word against your husband,” he pointed out.

“What good would it do? He's gone. He can't repent or ask forgiveness. He can't change what he did or try to make things better.”

“There are plenty of people who wouldn't care about that. They'd spend the rest of their lives complaining about the wrongs that were done to them.”

He was right. Her parents had said an earful when she'd told them about Joe's debt, about his gambling and his lies. They'd probably still be saying those things to her if she hadn't been in witness protection. She'd have to be careful. When the time came, and she was able to contact her parents again, they'd have to watch what they said around Sophia.

“I'm not one of them.”

“I've noticed.” He settled into a chair, his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. He had long legs, muscular thighs and an easy way of moving that said he was comfortable in his own skin.

She was usually the same way.

Right then, she didn't feel comfortable.

She felt...aware.

Of Hunter. Of herself. Of the space that separated them and of how easy it would be to cross it.

She fiddled with a dishcloth, wiping down the counter even though it was spotless. “You notice a lot. I'm not sure I like it.”

“It's just part of the job, Annie. Nothing to be upset about.”

“You keep saying that.”

“Because it keeps being true.”

“Well, maybe it would be an easier truth for me to swallow if you weren't the one making all the decisions and calling all the shots.”

“Is that why you jumped out of the car this morning? Because you were tired of letting me take control?”

“I jumped out of the car because you lied to me, and I realized I had to take care of things myself,” she answered truthfully. There was no sense in trying to deny it.

He frowned. “Lied about what?”

“You said that Josh and Serena were taking Sophia to headquarters. I looked out the car window and saw her in the crowd.”

“Where did you think she was going to be?”

“In a car, heading away from the fire. Just like we were.”

“She was on her way to the car. They were up in the apartment when the bomb exploded, remember? They had to take the stairs down with everyone else who lives in the apartment. Serena ran down ahead, got her car and drove around to pick Josh and Sophia up. If you'd done what I told you and stayed in the car, there wouldn't have been any hitch in their plan or its execution.”

“If you had a daughter, you would have done exactly what I did.”

He didn't deny it, just took another cookie and ate it.

Her stomach growled, but she wasn't in the mood for eating. Not even her favorite cookies.

“Here's the deal,” Hunter finally said. “You're a great mother. A really great one. I understand why you felt like you had to get to your daughter, but it is my job to keep you both safe. No matter the circumstances, no matter how worried you are, you've got to trust me to do that.”

“Why?” she asked. “Because you're a U.S. marshal? That's not enough for me.”

“Because I care about you and Sophia, and because I would never lie to you.”

“I've heard that before,” she snorted, turning away because she didn't want him to see the pain in her eyes and on her face.

“From Joe?” Hunter asked. “I don't think his word counted for much.”

“It did to me. It counted for everything.”

“He didn't deserve your trust, Annie. He didn't deserve the faith you put in him.”

“But you do?” She swung around, her heart fluttering when she realized that he'd crossed the room, was standing so close she could smell soap and shampoo and feel the heat of his body through her jeans and T-shirt.

“I'd like to think that I do,” he responded easily, his eyes so dark they were almost black. “I'd like to think that I've proved it to you over and over again in the past year. I'd like to think that every time I called you in Milwaukee to see how you were doing and ask if you needed anything, every time I went out of my way to make sure you and Sophia had what you needed, every time I took you to church on Sunday morning, I proved that I wanted what was best for you and your daughter.”

He had. She couldn't deny that any more than she could stop the wild throb of her heart when she looked into his eyes. “I think I should go to bed. It's late, and Sophia will be up early.”

She sidled past him, would have left the kitchen, but he snagged the back of her shirt. “Running away, Annie?”

“Going to bed, Hunter.”

He laughed and released his hold. “Going to pace your room and wait until the sun comes up is more like it.”

He'd hit the nail on the head, but she didn't plan to admit it. “You should probably go to sleep, too. We've both had a long day.”

“I'm working my shift. I don't think I can do that very well while I'm sleeping.”

“You worked this morning.”

“Until we know how you're being found, only four of us will know you're here. Burke, Josh, Serena and I will be working overtime the next two weeks.”

So, they were putting their lives on hold until the trial. She'd put her life on hold for a year, and she knew just how it felt to give up time with friends and family for the sake of someone or something else.

“I'm sorry, Hunter,” she said.

“For what?”

“Causing so much trouble for all of you.”

“You haven't caused anything. As a matter of fact, you've been easier to protect than any witness I've ever worked with.” His lips quirked in a half smile. “If we don't count today.”

“Can we not?”

“If you promise not to go maverick on me again. I want you safe, Annie. I want to get you through the trial and back to the life you deserve.”