Promises (18 page)

Lifting his head, he looked her over carefully.
 
Either she had become a very skilled liar over night or she was telling the truth.
 
She didn’t want to be near him, she had made that perfectly clear, regardless of the fact that she returned his kiss with a fervor that rocked him to his very soul.
 

But that was lust.
 
The woman didn’t like him, didn’t want to want him, and was determined to get away from him.
 
So, concoct the best story she could to sway him?
 
Pretty good story, too.
 
He was almost tempted to believe her, but it was too much like the past.
 
Jase must have told her.

“I’m not buying it, sweetheart.”

Her face fell slightly before the rigid cool façade returned.
 
“I’ll make you a deal.
 
You let me go, and I’ll tell you what I have that Steele wants so badly.”

He was tempted, but only for a moment.
 
Her safety was top priority, and whether she spilled her guts or not, Steele’s men would still be looking for her.
 

He bent down and collected their bags.
 
Standing by the door, he gave the parking area a quick perusal.
 
No sign of anyone.
 
Not even the old lady.
 

“Coming, Mrs. Hoskins?”

Muttering a few choice names he had never been called before, at least not to his face, she crossed the room and sailed through the door.

Barely minutes had passed before she started in again about the safe house.
 
Travis silently listened.
 

Should he believe her?
 
If what she said was true then he was placing her right in the line of fire.
 
But if not, and they stayed together, she would still be in danger, and doubly so.
 
There was no way he would be able to keep from touching her again.
 
He simply wasn’t that strong.
 

An hour later, he pulled into a small neighborhood where the houses all looked alike, but the only one that interested him, sat halfway down the street on the right.
 
He slowed down and pulled to the side of the road several houses away.

“Is this it?” she asked.

“No.”

For several minutes, he watched the house, taking note of everything.
 
A car sat in the drive and the street was quiet.
 
Not unusual for the middle of a weekday, yet something still gnawed at his gut.
 

“Well?
 
Aren’t you going to take me to my new prison?”

He turned and looked at her.
 
Her voice overflowed with sarcasm, but her big beautiful eyes held something else.
 
She was scared, and he was scared for her.
 
The uneasy feeling growing inside him didn’t help either, but he had to turn her over to someone else before he got them both killed.
 

Unable to trust his gut instincts any longer, he fell back on his training and did what he knew was best for both of them.
 
Dismissing the odd sense of uneasiness, he pulled back onto the road and eased down the street.

Two men came outside as he stopped in front of the house.
 
Travis recognized them both and felt a little better, but as hard as he tried to ignore it, he couldn’t help noticing the way Bobbi’s entire body trembled.
 
Breaking his promise not to touch her once again, he took her hand in his.

“It’ll be all right.
 
You’ll be safe here.”

She jerked away without a word and opened the door.
 
That was one tough little lady.
 
Jase would be proud of her.
 
Travis was proud of her.
 
He just hoped he wasn’t making a mistake.
 

They made their way inside quickly and quietly, flanked on either side by the two agents.
 

“Glad to see you made it in one piece, Travis.
 
A little banged up I see,” Steve Alvarez said.
 

They had worked together a time or two over the years, and he was someone Travis trusted.
 
“Just a scratch.
 
Nothing major.
 
Everything set?”

“All covered,” the other agent replied as he set Bobbi’s bag to the side of the door.
 

He didn’t know Scott Foster well, but knew Steve wouldn’t have picked him if he wasn’t sure about the rookie.

Bobbi falsely cleared her throat.
 
“Excuse me, but I need to use the little prisoner’s room,” she said with a smirk.

“Yes, ma’am.
 
Foster here will show you the way,” Steve said motioning with his head.

Foster led her down the hall about two yards when the thought of not seeing her again struck Travis hard in the chest.
 
“Bobbi.”

She stopped and looked back over her shoulder.
 

Taking in every part of her face, he added another image to the growing file of memories in the back of his mind.
 
He wanted to remember everything about her.
 
Even the fury burning brightly in her eyes.
 

“No tricks,” he said.
 
“Just do what they tell you.
 
Got it?”

“Humph.”
 
She turned and walked away.
 

Well what did he expect, a good-bye kiss?
 
Just as well, because it couldn’t top the one they had shared that morning, and he doubted he would let go of her this time.

“I can see you’ve been having fun,” Steve said with a chuckle.

“Loads.”
 
He turned away from the sight of her stiff back.
 
“She doesn’t want our protection, and she’ll do almost anything to avoid it.
 
Watch her.”

“Stop worrying.
 
Now get out of here and go report in.
 
We’ll handle things here.”
 

Steve walked him out the door and stopped on the steps to shake hands.
 

He hobbled down the sidewalk back to the Jeep.
 
As he lifted his cane and slid it into the empty passenger seat, a sense of loneliness crept over him, but he forced himself not to look back at the house.
 
The urge to run back inside and snatch the fiery little woman he had grown so attached to up into his arms would be too strong to resist.
 

He was doing the right thing.
 
Bobbi was safe, and she didn’t need him, but he seriously began to wonder if he needed her.
 

The Jeep rumbled to life, and he pulled away from the curb.
 
Maybe he would take a chance and call her when this was over.
 
Maybe take her out to dinner.
 

He chuckled under his breath as he imagined their reunion.
 
She’d probably slam the door in his face and sic Monstro on him.

A deafening explosion rocked the neighborhood and sent his heart plummeting to the pit of his stomach.
 
He threw the Jeep into park, and ran back to the house ignoring the pain racing up his leg.
 
With blood pounding in his brain, he bounded up the stairs.
 

Luckily Steve hadn’t gone back inside and sat dazed on the front porch.
 
Pausing for a fraction of a second, he checked the agent’s injuries, finding him in okay shape, then barreled into the house.
 

“Bobbi!”
 

Black acrid smoke filled the air, burning his lungs as he ran down the hall to the bathroom door.
 
The last place he had seen her.
 
The smoke was so thick he could barely see and stumbled over Foster.
 
He reached down and felt for a pulse.
 
Erratic, but still there.

Steve appeared in the haze beside him.
 
“I’ll get him out!”

He nodded, not wanting to waste his breath with a reply as he helped hoist Foster over Steve’s shoulder.
 

As Steve carried the unconscious rookie out, Travis turned back to the bathroom door, grabbed the doorknob and twisted.
 
Locked!
 

Coughing and sputtering, he pounded on the door.
 
“Bobbi!”
 
Still no answer.
 
Like a madman he slammed his shoulder into the wood until the frame splintered and he fell inside.

The bathroom was empty.
 

Travis’ eyes focused on the open window.
 
“You little
—
”
 
He didn’t finish the thought, because it meant she was outside, safe from the flames now licking at his back, but was she safe from Steele?
 

The blast hadn’t taken down the entire house.
 
Could it have been set as more of a distraction so they could get to her or had they decided that whatever she knew could be buried with her?

He climbed onto the toilet and looked out the window, seeing no one.
 
That didn’t answer his questions, nor did it calm his racing heart.

Deciding the window was his own best means of escaping the burning house, he launched himself through the opening.
 
Hitting the hard ground, his stitches pulled brutally against the healing flesh, but he paid it little mind.
 
He had to find her.

“Bobbi,” he called, hacking and coughing.
 

He heard a soft moan from behind the bushes toward the back of the yard.
 
“God, let her be all right.”

Stumbling across the yard, he rounded the shrub.
 
She lay on her back still as death.
 
The cold grip of fear clutched his heart as he fell down on his knees and checked for a pulse.
 

Sure and strong.

“Thank God.”
 
He ran his hands over her body, searching for injuries.

Relieved to find nothing other than a bump forming above her temple, he cradled her head in his hands.
 
“Come on, baby.
 
Wake up.
 
Let me see those bright eyes of yours.”
 
He gently stroked her dirt-smudged face.

Groaning, she slowly opened her eyes and blinked several times before focusing on his face.
 

“Travis!”
 
She threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him like a lifeline.
 

Releasing a strangled breath, he wrapped his arms around her.
 
During those few minutes when he didn’t know where she was, whether she was dead or alive, he’d felt completely helpless.
 
He thought he’d failed again.
 
He thought he had lost her.

Squeezing her harder, he murmured in her hair, “You’re all right.
 
I’ve got you.”
 
If only he could keep her forever.

A part of the roof caved in with a resounding crash.
 
She flinched and dug her fingers deep into his shoulders.
 
“The man.
 
The agent.”

“He’s okay.
 
They’re both okay.”
 

He gripped her arms and looked down into her face.
 
“Do you think you can walk?”

She nodded then touched her head with a grimace.
 

“Come on.
 
We’ve got to get out of here before Steele’s men realize you weren’t inside.”

The feisty little lady resurfaced with a smirk.
 
“I told you so.”

“Now’s not the time to get cocky,” he scolded then smiled broadly.
 
“But I’m beginning to appreciate that mulish streak of yours.
 
If you hadn’t made it out the window
—
”

“But I didn’t make it out the window.
 
The explosion knocked me off the toilet before I could get out.
 
I fell back inside and hit my head on the tub.”
 
She rubbed her growing lump.

“You didn’t climb out on your own?”
 

“No, someone pulled me out.
 
I thought it was you.”

He looked around cautiously, as he helped her stand.
 
Sirens were coming closer.
 
They needed to get out of there before the Jeep got blocked in and they were surrounded by people.
 
Strangers he couldn’t trust.

“Come on.
 
We’ll talk about this later.
 
Right now, we’ve got to get out of here.”
 

Supporting her as best he could, they hurried around the side of the house.
 

Steve called to him from the driveway.
 

“She’s okay,” Travis called back over his shoulder.
 
He continued toward the Jeep not slowing his awkward, painful stride alongside her.
 
“I’ll report in when I think it’s safe.”
 

He helped her in the passenger seat, jumped behind the wheel, and punched the gas as the fire trucks arrived on the scene.

“Where are we going?” she asked, as she buckled her seatbelt.
 

“How does the beach sound?”

“No more safe houses?
 
No more Bureau?”

“I’m sorry, Bobbi.”
 
He took her hand, relieved she didn’t pull away.
 
“I should’ve listened to you.
 
I should’ve known you wouldn’t make something like that up.
 
I won’t make that mistake again.”
 
He gave her a gentle squeeze then gripped the steering wheel.

She laid her head back against the seat with a soft sigh.
 
“Apology accepted.”

“Can you remember anything about who pulled you out?”

“No.
 
He didn’t speak, but he had the same build as you.
 
I guess that’s why I thought it was you.”
 

She fell silent, drawing his attention from the road.
 
“Don’t go to sleep.
 
You might have a concussion.”

“I don’t have a concussion.
 
Just a headache and a few bumps and bruises.”
 

He looked over at the most amazing woman he’d ever known and smiled.
 
Any other female would be balling her eyes out in hysterics, but not Bobbi.
 
She had the cheek to toss an I-told-you-so at him in the wake of utter chaos.
 

His smile grew wider and no doubt sillier.
 
He knew he shouldn’t be enjoying himself, but she was safe, at least for the moment, and she was with him.
 
That lonely feeling had been pleasantly chased away.

“What?” she asked, glowering at him from her reclined position.
 

“Nothing.
 
Just admiring the view.”

“Huh.
 
Well, the view is in need of a hot bath and a kilo of aspirin.”

“You look beautiful to me, sweetheart.”
 
He gave her a quick wink.

“Would you just drive?”

With a chuckle, he turned his attention back to the road, but his thoughts remained on her and the guardian angel who pulled her out of the house.

Bobbi covertly watched her protector.
 
The way he’d cradled her in his arms behind the bushes, the relief in his eyes, and the tender way he’d spoken to her gave him away.
 
The rat cared about her, and not just because she was Jason’s sister.
     

She turned her head to the side and watched the scenery speed by.
 
Well, it didn’t matter.
 
He was all wrong for her.
 
He was not the sort of man she wanted in her life.
 
Not again.
 
She absolutely refused to let this new piece of evidence sway her one bit.
 
She was not going to fall in love with a FBI agent who went through women the way Rocky went through doggie treats.

She forced her thoughts to the man who pulled her out of the house, instead of the man who drove her insane.
 
There was something so familiar about the stranger.
 
She’d been certain it was Travis.
   

Her head pounded harder as she tried to remember something, anything about the man.
 
“Can we stop and get some aspirin somewhere before my head decides to roll off my shoulders?”

“There’s some in my bag.
 
I’ll find a drive-through and get us something to drink and a couple of burgers.”

She unbuckled her seatbelt and bent over the seat to forage through his duffel bag.
 
Not the best possible position to be in with a splitting headache, but she had to have aspirin.
 
Now.

Travis groaned.
 
“Would you please sit down?”

“In a minute.”
 
She dug deeper into his bag.

“Woman, you’re going to be the death of me,” he muttered as her bottom bumped his shoulder.

What was his problem now?
 
She was the one with an army tromping through her brain.
 

Finally latching onto the evasive white bottle, she sat back down in her seat.
 
“I’m going to need clothes too, you realize.
 
My bag is probably a pile of ashes about now.”

He stopped for a red light then took to studying her intently.
 

“Now what?”
 
She was really getting perturbed with these suggestive looks he kept giving her.
 
If he didn’t watch it, he would be the one with the headache.
 
Or she would jump in his lap and beg him to make love to her, which was not an option.
 

Grinning, he finished his perusal.
 
“You’re about the right size.”

“I’m glad you approve,” she replied with a sniff.

The rat laughed.
 
“You and my older sister are about the same size.
 
You can borrow some of her clothes when we get there.”

“There being?”
 
She popped open the bottle and dumped a couple of pills into her palm.

“Her beach house.
 
She always keeps a couple of things there in case she decides to come down at the last minute.
 
It’s a summerhouse really.
 
She doesn’t live there year round.
 
Sometimes she rents it out, but it’s still too early in the season for that.”

He pulled the Jeep through a fast food joint, ordered some burgers and a couple of drinks then got back on the road.

Several minutes later, after getting some food in her stomach, and giving the aspirin time to take affect, she felt a lot better.
 
“So how much further is it?”

“About another hour or two.
 
Headache gone?”

“Almost.”
 
Thinking of feeling better had her wondering how he was holding up.
 

She noted the odd way he sat and the occasional awkward shifting of his body.
 
He had to be in pain after running away from the house.
 

Her gaze drifted lower.
 
There wasn’t any blood seeping through his jeans, but he still may have pulled some stitches.
 
“How’s your leg?”

“Fine.”

His casual tone didn’t fool her.
 
“Liar.”

He shook his head with a light chuckle.
 
“I’m fine, bright eyes.
 
You’d better watch it or I might start thinking you care about me.”

“You are so conceited.”
 
And so right.
 

He cast her a wicked grin.
 
“Just a good observer.”
 

Folding her arms firmly, she schooled her features, determined to keep her feelings, her very confused feelings hidden.

A little more than an hour later they turned down a secluded road packed with crushed clam and oyster shells instead of gravel.
 
The house came into view as they rounded a curve just beyond the mounds of greenery on the dunes.
 
Well hidden from the road, it reminded her of Joe’s cabin nestled deep in the woods.
 
Only this time it was only the two of them.
 
No Joe, no Rocky, no Ted.
 
They were stuck with each other for God knew how long.
 
All alone with nothing to do but wait.

Travis pulled the Jeep to a stop at the bottom of a set of stairs.
 
She watched his face twist in pain as he climbed out.
 
She hoped his sister had a first aid kit.
 

They slowly climbed the stairs and stopped on the front porch at the door.
 

He ran his hand up under the roofing shingle hanging out over the edge of the porch.
 
“She usually hides a key under the eave.”
 
A smile turned up the corners of his mouth.
 
“Good ole’ Megan.”
 
He held up a slightly rusty key.

After opening the door, he motioned for her to stay put then went into the house.
 
A minute later he reappeared.
 
“Okay.
 
All clear.”

“What was that all about?”

“Just making sure we’re alone.”
 

Her heart raced with the possibilities.
 
This was not good.

He guided her through the little kitchen and into the living area.
 
The small beach house was plainly decorated with mostly vinyl furniture and practical short-piled carpeting made to survive the sand and surf.
 

“It’s nothing special, but it’ll do,” he said.
 
“There are two bedrooms.
 
You take the one on the back, I’ll take the one facing the ocean.”

“Why should you get the best view?”

“Because the back bedroom windows are on the second floor.
 
The front bedroom window leads out onto the dunes.”

“I’m not going to run away.”
 
She bristled at the implication, although the idea had crossed her mind, but not for the reason he thought.