Somewhere Only We Know (6 page)

She shook her head, admiration and amazement in her eyes. "I don't know how you do what you do. You run into a situation where everyone else is running out. That takes tremendous courage."

"I suppose." The truth was he hadn't felt that brave in a long time. Maybe it came from being the one to stand outside and send others in. Maybe it was because he'd been in some kind of hibernation since Leanne died. Maybe it was just that Maddie's free-spirited, adventurous thinking made him feel like he hadn't been living very much at all.

Not that he wanted her life. No way. Living like a gypsy, drifting from job to job, not having money in the bank—all that would make him totally crazy.

Maddie jumped at the sound of her phone. She got up and retrieved it from the kitchen counter. "Hello? Mr. Ortiz? Thank you so much for calling me back. There's been a terrible mistake. I'm subletting the apartment at two-twenty-seven Robinson, number six." She paused. "Well, I didn't know that the tenant wasn't allowed to sublet the apartment. I paid him to stay there."

As she took a breath, Burke could hear Hector Ortiz rambling in a mix of rapid English and Spanish.

"Look, I need to get into the apartment and get my things," she said. "You can't just lock me out." She blew out a breath. "Okay, thank you. I'll be there in an hour." She set down the phone. "He said I can get my stuff, but I can't stay there, because I didn't sign a rental contract, and he had no knowledge of the sublet. That was apparently illegal."

"At least you'll be able to get your things."

"I need to meet him in an hour. I'll clean this up, and—"

"I'll give you a ride," he finished.

"I want to say no because it's really an imposition," she said, a frown on her face. "But I don't have a car, and it's going to be difficult to take my things on the bus."

"It's fine, Maddie. I don't mind helping you."

"You don't have to work?"

"I'm off until tomorrow." As he finished speaking, his doorbell rang. He was startled. Rarely did anyone drop by without calling first and rarely did anyone get through the secured front door without having to buzz first. He got up from the table and opened the door.

Shelby greeted him with a smile, a coffee and a bag from his favorite bakery. "Good morning. I thought you might like a little breakfast. And I wanted to see how you were feeling. Your eye doesn't look too bad."

"It's better. How did you get into the building?"

"Your neighbor was coming out, so I just came up. I hope that's okay."

"Sure."

Shelby moved past him, then stopped abruptly when she saw Maddie. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you had company."

"This is Maddie Heller."

"Hi," Maddie said, coming forward with a friendly smile. "And you're not interrupting. I'm a friend of Burke's from high school."

"Really?" Shelby said, giving Maddie a speculative look.

"It's a long story, but I got locked out of my apartment," Maddie explained. "Burke let me crash on his couch." She glanced at Burke. "I'm just going to clean up the kitchen."

"You can leave it. I'll take care of it later."

"It's the least I can do."

Shelby turned her gaze on him as Maddie disappeared into the kitchen. "She looks familiar. Has she been at the firehouse?"

"No, but you might have seen her yesterday at the club."

Awareness dawned in Shelby's eyes. "She's the waitress you knocked over. I saw you talking to her, but I didn't realize you knew her."

"I hadn't seen her in years. She was leaving the club last night when I went back to speak to the Parkers, and we got to talking. I gave her a ride home, but there was a problem with her place." He didn't want to embarrass Maddie by getting into the specifics.

"Well, it was nice of you to let her stay here. You've always been a knight in shining armor."

"I hardly think offering my couch to an old friend qualifies me for knighthood," he said dryly.

Shelby handed him the bakery bag. "I see you already had breakfast, but you might want these later."

"Thanks. I really appreciate your coming by. How was Brady's last night?"

"Same old, same old. What's on your schedule today?"

"I'm going to help Maddie get her living situation straightened out. I might work out later. Nothing big planned. What about you? Are you still seeing that guy you met in Hawaii last month?"

"Not really. The more I see of him, the less exciting he becomes."

"Not a good sign," he said with a commiserating smile. He and Shelby had been exchanging bad date stories for years.

"I'll see you tomorrow at work," she said.

He walked her to the door. "Thanks again, Shelby. You're a good friend."

"I am," Shelby agreed with a smile. "Don't forget that."

"I couldn't," he said with complete sincerity. Since Leanne's death, his entire work family had been there for him with Shelby leading the way.

Shutting the door behind her, he headed down the hall for a quick shower.

* * *

While Burke got dressed, Maddie quickly cleaned the small kitchen, returning it to the state she'd found it in. As she did so, she couldn't help thinking about the woman she'd just met. Shelby was an attractive woman in her mid-thirties, and she'd made a special trip to Burke's place to bring him coffee and pastries, so she was obviously a good friend, but was she more than a friend?

Shelby had definitely flinched when she'd seen her. That's why Maddie had made a point of telling Shelby that she and Burke were old friends. It had seemed important to reassure the woman. Shelby had certainly looked a lot happier when she'd discovered they were not having breakfast together after a night of sex.

Burke had told her he wasn't seriously involved with anyone, but she couldn't imagine he didn't get a lot of interest. He really was a gorgeous man.

When he'd walked out of his bedroom with his dark hair mussed, his blue eyes hazy with sleep and a sexy growth of beard on his jaw, her hormones had jumped into overdrive. And it was all she could do not to suggest they have breakfast in bed.

She smiled at the foolish thought. Burke would have probably given her one of his trademarked looks of shock and disdain. He wasn't very good at hiding his feelings when it came to things or people he didn't like or didn't respect. And while he might not dislike her, she knew he didn't respect her. Why would he? Every time they were together, she was digging herself out of some mess.

Well, that was going to end today, she told herself firmly. She just needed Burke's help for a little while longer. Then she'd regain control of her life.

After wiping down the stove, she started the dishwasher and returned to the living room, relieved to see Burke fully dressed now—not that he didn't look just as hot in his jeans and V-neck sweater.

"Are you ready?" he asked, grabbing his keys off a side table.

She nodded. "Yes. Do you want the coffee Shelby brought you? It's on the kitchen counter."

"No, thanks, I'm good."

"So is Shelby someone you're seeing?" she asked as they made their way down to the parking garage.

"She works with me. She's a dispatcher. We've known each other for years. She's just a friend."

"Are you sure she doesn't want to be more?"

Burke opened the car door for her. "Why would you ask that?"

"She didn't like seeing me in your place."

"I didn't get that impression."

"Because you're a man and I'm a woman, and I can tell when another woman thinks I'm on her turf."

"You're not on her turf." He shut her door, then walked around to his side of the car. As he buckled his seatbelt, he added, "We're a close-knit group at the firehouse, like family. There's nothing going on between anyone."

"Okay." She wasn't entirely convinced, but it was none of her business.

"Shelby has a big heart. She likes to take care of people."

"Now you sound like you're trying to convince yourself and not me."

He gave her a dark look. "You like to stir things up, Maddie."

"I just made an observation."

"An incorrect one."

"Fine." She dug out her phone as it rang again. The number made her stomach churn.

"What's wrong?" Burke asked.

"It's a Las Vegas area code. I'm afraid it's Paul or one of his loan sharks."

"Only one way to find out."

She was afraid to answer the call and afraid not to. She didn't want to talk to Paul or see him, unless he was going to pay her back the money he'd stolen from her. On the other hand, running away from her problems never made those problems go away.

"Hello?" she said, catching the call before it went to voicemail.

"Thank God," Paul said, relief in his voice.

There was a time when Paul's voice had made her heart leap with excitement. Now she just felt wary of what he would have to say. "What do you want?"

"I'm in trouble, Maddie."

"I already knew that."

"You have to help me."

"With what, Paul? You took everything I had. I have nothing left."

"You could borrow some money from your parents."

She was truly stunned at his request. He'd met her parents once when they'd come to Vegas specifically to meet the man their daughter was going to marry. "Do you really think my parents would want to help you? Are you high? What is wrong with you? You destroyed my life, and they know that."

"I have an addiction, Maddie. It's a disease, but I'm getting help for it. I just want to stay alive long enough to finish the program. I need a couple of thousand, and then I'm free and clear. We'll both be safe."

She hated that he was dumping her into the danger he'd gotten himself into. He was supposed to be the man who was going to love and protect her. What an idiot she'd been.

"Please, just ask your parents for a small loan," he begged. "I promise it will be the last thing I ever ask of you. I'll get back on my feet and I'll make it up to you."

"There's nothing you could ever do to make up for what you did to me." She drew in a breath for strength and said the words she needed to say. "I can't help you, Paul." She almost added that she was sorry, but she cut herself off. She wasn't sorry; she was determined to move on. "I hope you can find a way to help yourself."

"Maddie, wait," he pleaded. "You're the only one I have left. I know I hurt you, but you have to understand that these guys I owe money to are dangerous. They will come after you. I'm not just protecting myself; I'm trying to protect you."

"I can take care of myself. Don't call me again." She ended the call before he could say anything else. Then she put her phone on silent. Glancing over at Burke, she saw his mouth drawn in a hard line. He must think she was a total loser getting involved with a man like Paul. And she couldn't blame him.

"He wanted more money," Burke said, making it a statement and not a question.

"Yes."

"I'm glad you told him no."

"Even if I'd wanted to help him, I wouldn't have been able to."

"But you didn't want to—did you?"

"No, of course not. That would have been another mistake. I just hope he doesn't try to contact my parents directly."

"Would he go that far?"

"He sounds desperate, and I can understand that. I met two of the guys who were threatening him, and they were terrifying. I have no doubt that they will hurt him if he doesn't come up with money to pay off his debt." She felt a little sick to her stomach at the thought. She was angry with Paul, but she didn't want to see him get hurt.

"You're not responsible for whatever happens to him, Maddie."

"Logically I know that."

"But you have a soft heart."

"It's getting harder by the minute. Anyway, hopefully he'll find a way to get himself out of trouble."

"I'm not worried about him, but I am concerned about you. Maybe you should ditch that phone and get a new number. Does Paul know where you live?"

"I don't even know where I live right now," she said with a sigh.

"Right. I almost forgot." He squeezed the car into a tight spot down the street from her building. "Your landlord might be willing to work something out with you once he meets you. You can be hard to say no to."

"I'm not sure I have that much charm, but I'll give it a shot."

Chapter Five

Hector Ortiz was definitely not impressed by her impassioned plea to rent the apartment from him directly. Two minutes into her speech, he cut her off, saying it was too late. He had another tenant moving in the next week. He just needed her to get her stuff and go so he could clean out the apartment.

Burke also tried to help out by telling Hector what a good person she was, but Hector brushed him aside as well, telling them both they had one hour to move her things before he came back with a cleaning crew.

"That's that," she said to Burke as Hector left them alone. "Thanks for trying to help." She looked around the small apartment, feeling a little flustered and not sure where to start. "I don't know what to do. I don't even have any boxes. I threw them out after I moved in."

"Trash bags should work," he said, moving into the kitchen. "Where do you keep them?"

"There are some in the cupboard under the sink."

He returned a moment later with the box of large plastic bags. "Why don't we start in the bedroom? You can tell me what's yours, and I'll help you pack up."

"Okay." She felt a little relieved to have him take charge. She'd been spinning in a dozen different directions since Paul's treachery had been revealed. She'd been trying to stay positive, to fight back, but losing this apartment was putting her very close to the edge of defeat.

She followed Burke into the bedroom. He stripped the bed while she moved into the closet and transferred her clothes into another bag. Then she moved over to the dresser and emptied that as well.

As she reached the bottom of the first drawer, her hand closed around the two-inch-thick scrapbook that her sister had so lovingly put together so many years ago.

She pulled it out, feeling immensely relieved that she hadn't lost it. Everything else could be replaced, but not this. She pressed the thick book against her heart, feeling an immediate connection to her twin. She could almost hear Dani's voice telling her to suck it up. Things weren't that bad. She could do it. Dani had never had a lot of patience with people feeling sorry for themselves, especially when their problems weren't going to be fatal.