Blind Trust: A Military Romantic Suspense (Men of Steele Book 6)

by Gwen Hernandez

  “No, I understand,” she said with a sigh. “My roots in LA are so deep they probably tap the aquifers. Most of my family is there, all of my friends, my business.”

  So, there it was. At least she got it.

  “I…” She cleared her throat. “I also can’t imagine my life without you in it anymore.”

  Her words gutted him.

  “You mean like video chats and text messages and cross-country flights every few months until we both get tired of being alone?” He shook his head. That would be torture. “I’ve seen firsthand how hard that is on a relationship, even when there’s an end date on the separation.” More than a few of his former teammates had been devastated by a breakup or divorce while deployed. “What would be the point if there’s no future in it? That’s not fair to either of us.”

  The words left a sour taste in his mouth. Leaving her—whether by going to jail or heading home—was going to hurt like hell. But he had no desire to prolong the eventual pain. Better a clean cut now than a slow bleed into heartbreak.

  They both deserved better than a few stolen moments now and then, the loneliness of being emotionally involved with someone who wasn’t physically there.

  “I don’t know,” she said, her voice tight with frustration. “I wasn’t thinking about logistics, I was thinking that I—”

  Todd’s heart kicked. She what?

  She blew out a harsh breath. “Can’t we at least stay friends?”

  “No.” He had to push the words past the lump in his throat. “I don’t think I can be friends with you, Lindsey.”

  He’d never get over her if their relationship lingered. Once they both got back to their normal lives, the ones in which their paths never crossed, they’d quickly forget the intense high of their time together and move on with a few good memories to offset their awful experience in Montana.

  Fucking liar.

  Lindsey was silent for a moment. “Well then...” She reached up in the dark and stroked his cheek “We should make the most of the time we have left.”

  Later, after Todd had fallen asleep, and Lindsey’s body still buzzed from his intimate touch—the last they’d ever share—she rolled away from him and cried into her pillow.

  Her heart lay on the floor, shattered.

  The worst part was, she couldn’t fault his logic. Even assuming they didn’t end up in jail—a possibility that seemed highly unlikely without a way to prove they’d been framed—she couldn’t leave LA. Not only were her friends and family there, she had a business to run, clients who counted on her, and her new accountant all set to start in two weeks.

  The idea of ever walking away from all that was ridiculous.

  But in her heart…

  She’d thought that maybe, after everything they’d been through, after the incredible lovemaking they’d shared, that together they might find a way to make the relationship last. That maybe a solution would present itself someday if they were committed to each other.

  Or had she just expected Todd to uproot his whole life for her?

  That was on her for having unrealistic, selfish expectations, for not thinking things through before opening her mouth. So unlike her.

  The worst part was that she believed he really cared about her. How could he not, given his actions? But he was willing to throw away something that, if they were exonerated and given a chance at a new life, could be amazing.

  She had no idea how it would ever work between them, but she’d wanted to find out.

  Lindsey didn’t need Todd, but she wanted him in her life. Any way she could have him, even if she only saw him in person a few times a year. Even if they were just friends who’d fought for their lives together and burned up the sheets—and the shower—once upon a time.

  He was the first man in a long time who seemed to like her for exactly who she was, who wasn’t intimidated by her height or strength, who didn’t find her lacking in some way. She knew too well how rare it was to find that kind of a connection with someone.

  But now she also knew that it could happen for her, and it gave her hope that when she put the pieces of her heart back together, she might find someone who would handle it with more care.

  Except she couldn’t imagine herself wanting anyone besides Todd.

  And he wasn’t even willing to be her friend.

  She sobbed silently, physically and emotionally exhausted, until she finally found sleep.

  When the digital tones of her new phone jolted her awake, daylight filled the bedroom. According to the clock on the screen, it was seven-thirty. She was groggy after a night of fitful sleep, and there was still a hole in her chest where her heart had been before Todd tore it out.

  My fault. She’d known from the start that getting attached would be foolish.

  She answered the call and turned to find Todd sitting up next to her, looking adorably disheveled and handsome as sin, rubbing his eyes, his bare torso and all those incredible muscles on display.

  Looking away, she said, “Hello?”

  “It’s Marti. Special Agent Parker just landed. She said to meet her at the government building to surrender. I’ll be there in about an hour. Be sure to eat something, it could be a long day.”

  Lindsey’s pulse picked up. It was happening. Talking to the FBI would be both terrifying and a relief, but this was her chance to finally get the process started. Hopefully the process of getting her life back. “Thank you. We’ll be ready.”

  Todd caught her gaze. “Marti?”

  “Yes. She’s picking us up in an hour.”

  He held out his arms and she went willingly, snuggling against his hard, warm chest, breathing in the clean scent of him that would surely haunt her dreams. He nuzzled along her cheek until their lips met in a greedy, urgent, devastating kiss that shredded her heart all over again.

  God, she needed to start shoring up her defenses now, or she’d never survive life without him.

  Pulling away, he pressed his forehead to hers, their harsh breaths mingling.

  There was nothing left to say, so they rose wordlessly and took turns using the bathroom to get ready. They shared a silent breakfast of toasted bagels and coffee at the small dining table.

  Would she have been better off if Todd had never entered her life? Maybe she would’ve made it down the mountain on her own and neither of them would be sitting here facing a death sentence. Or maybe the sheriff and his deputy would’ve caught her and she’d be dead by now.

  Definitely not the outcome she wanted.

  She was thankful to be alive.

  And truly, deep down, she couldn’t regret a moment spent with Todd. He might not care enough for her to give their budding relationship a chance, but he’d made her feel more cherished over the last few days than any other man in her life, and for that alone she was grateful.

  But now? Right now sucked.

  When the doorbell rang, she and Todd both jumped a little in their seats and his gaze met hers across the table. “Ready?”

  “No, but let’s get it over with.”

  He stood, looking unfairly sexy in jeans and a gray waffle-knit Henley. “I’ll get the door, you hang back.”

  “You don’t have to protect me anymore.”

  He stared at her for a few seconds, a deep sadness in his eyes. “Will you let me anyway? For a little longer?”

  She nodded, the tip of her nose burning. She only managed to hold back the tears through sheer will.

  When they arrived at the FBI resident agency in Helena, Todd and Lindsey relinquished their phones—he’d left his weapons at Marti’s rental—and were taken to one of the government building’s upper floors.

  He’d wanted to protect Lindsey, and now everything was out of his control.

  As if it had ever been in his control.

  He glanced at her as she disappeared through a doorway, flanked by two men in suits, her shoulders back, head high, showing no fear. A freaking goddess.

  Averting his gaze, he followed an agent
into a different room and sat at a rectangular table as directed.

  “Someone will be in shortly,” one of the men said as they left the room, the click of the closing door reverberating through the small space.

  Across from Todd, a mirrored window covered half the wall and he stared into it, hardly recognizing himself with his dark hair, untrimmed beard, and the faint bruise at his hairline. Was Special Agent Wendy Parker on the other side of that wall watching him even now?

  He forced himself not to fidget or pace or scan the room wildly. Would they try to wear him down, make him wait for hours without food and water?

  Patience might not be his strong suit, but he knew how to wait. In his mind, he cataloged every moment since he’d collided with Lindsey on the trail, wracking his brain for anything that could help their case, give credence to their story.

  Only ten minutes had passed when Wendy marched into the room, looking pretty much the same as when he’d left her fifteen years ago.

  “I wish I could say it’s good to see you,” she said, putting her hands on her hips.

  “Same.” Todd nodded. “Thanks for coming.”

  “Did you think I wouldn’t?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know how your chain of command works.”

  She acquiesced with a tilt of her head toward the towering, broad-shouldered man who’d followed behind her, impeccably dressed in a charcoal suit and a pale blue tie that looked expensive. “This is Special Agent Daniel Ahmad from the local office.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Todd said automatically, though he didn’t mean it. Not the guy’s fault, though. The whole situation just sucked.

  Ahmad nodded, but didn’t speak or offer to shake hands. His gaze was sharp, his back straight as a steel rod. He posted up near the door, his gaze flicking between Todd and Wendy.

  “You’re lucky I could swing this,” she said to Todd. “I had to pull some major strings to make it happen.”

  “I appreciate it. I knew I could at least count on you to listen and be fair.”

  “Hey.” Her expression softened. “I’m sorry about Bethany. I know you two were close.”

  Todd nodded stiffly, his failure eating at him.

  “Give your family my condolences?”

  “Of course.”

  “Okay.” Wendy clapped her hands together and sat across from him, placing a recorder in the center of the table, and opening a notebook. “Tell me what happened.”

  “I’d like Ms. King-Okonkwo to sit in,” Todd said. Wendy might be an old friend, but she was a law enforcement agent first. He planned to tell her everything, but he wanted a witness on his side.

  On the drive over, Marti had recommended that she be present for any questioning of either Todd or Lindsey, and they’d both agreed.

  Wendy threw him an annoyed look, but gestured to Special Agent Ahmad.

  Once the lawyer had joined them, Wendy invited him to start talking.

  “I’m not even sure where to start.” Now that the moment to explain himself had arrived, everything became a jumble in his mind. All he knew was that he had to ensure they knew Lindsey was innocent.

  “Why don’t you start by telling me why you’re in Montana,” Wendy said.

  Todd spent the next hour giving her his version of events, starting with Bethany’s murder, right up until Marti picked them up from the movie theater. The only thing he left out was the details of his and Lindsey’s intimate encounters.

  He shared the make, model, and license plate of the truck they’d stowed away in, and every detail he could remember of the drugs and guns he’d seen, the men at the compound, Megan’s and Pete’s actions in the cabin.

  When Wendy ran out of questions, and he ran out of things to share, she made a few scribbles on her notepad and then looked up with a sigh. “Damn, Todd.”

  “Yeah.”

  “An FBI team went up to the compound last night, but I don’t know what we have yet.”

  He could see it. How the little evidence he and Lindsey had was circumstantial. How the sheriff could’ve tampered with the evidence around Harris’s death. How without Megan to testify on their behalf as they’d originally expected, there might be nothing to exonerate them. Especially since he’d had a motive to kill Pete and had been tracking the man for weeks.

  Fuck.

  He swallowed hard. The idea of facing life in prison—or a death sentence—scared the living shit out of him. But failing the people he loved, as he had so many times before, scared him more.

  “Unless we find something to tie the sheriff to all this,” Wendy said, “the DA is going to love you for Harris’s and Pete’s deaths.”

  “I know. If it comes to that, I’ll deal with it.” Todd raised his chin and looked her in the eye. “As long as they pin it all on me. Lindsey is one hundred percent innocent.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  LINDSEY WAITED FOR over an hour in the small room with only a table, two chairs, and what she assumed was a two-way mirror. Oh, and a ticking clock, high on the wall, like the one she’d watched anxiously in Physics class in high school, waiting for the torture to end.

  Feeling self-conscious, certain someone watched her every move, she tried to blank her mind and her expression.

  Her thoughts wandered back to the drive over here. It had been her first sight of Helena in the daylight, and she’d been so focused on Todd that she’d missed everything outside the window. They’d held hands in the backseat, fear and tension in the air thick as the winter fog on Interstate 5.

  Once the car had gone through the gates, Todd had unbuckled his seatbelt and slid close, cradling the back of her head to look her in the eyes. Without a word, he kissed her over and over, so gently, so sweetly…

  A goodbye kiss.

  Lindsey’s throat tightened.

  After that, they didn’t speak—what else was there to say?—before being swept up by FBI agents, taken through a security screening, and ushered into separate rooms.

  She blinked and stared at her hands. Were they questioning him now? Did they believe him? Would they believe her?

  God, the wait was excruciating. She kept noticing tense muscles and forcing them to relax, like when she was at the dentist, anticipating pain before it ever happened. Easier said than done. She and Todd had managed to stay alive but their futures still hung in the balance.

  A week ago she was looking forward to a fun vacation with her best friend. She was getting over Cruz’s two-timing, and in general life was good. She’d been happy.

  And then everything went wrong.

  And then she met Todd.

  And now she wasn’t sure how to go back to her life without him in it.

  Unfortunate, since he didn’t feel the same way.

  She resisted the urge to lay her head on the desk and cry. Instead, she looked into the mirror and said, “If anyone’s watching, I could use some water.”

  Another five minutes passed before the door opened and a white woman with long blond hair tied back in a ponytail, her trim form wrapped in a dark pantsuit, strode into the room and introduced herself as Special Agent Wendy Parker.

  So this was the woman Todd had dated once, broken up with, and still thought highly enough of to request her help. She was pretty in the tough way probably required for her job, and her blue eyes sparkled with intelligence and energy.

  A dark-haired man in a suit that had to have been tailored to fit his massive shoulders came to stand just inside the door, ushering in Marti before closing the door.

  “This is Special Agent Daniel Ahmad,” Wendy said as she sat across from Lindsey and set out a recorder, a notepad.

  Marti bustled in behind him with her large tote bag and placed a bottled water on the table in front of Lindsey. Her expression was on the grim side of neutral, and Lindsey’s pulse sped up. She wanted to ask a million questions.

  Instead, over the next hour, she gave her version of events, emphasizing that Harris had been alive when they’d left him, and how Todd had
had no choice but to shoot Pete.

  Throughout, Special Agent Parker peppered her with questions. “Why were you helping Megan with her taxes?”

  “Because I’m a CPA, and her sudden business growth took her by surprise. She didn’t have anyone else lined up ahead of time, and tax season is not the time to try to find an accountant.”

  Wendy’s poker face stayed firmly affixed. “At that time, it didn’t occur to you that her sudden success might be due to illegal activity?”

  Lindsey shook her head. “No.” Why would it? “At least, not until I noticed the odd concentration of her customers. But even then, I assumed someone was using her site as a pass-through without her knowledge. I’d heard about a similar case at a conference last year.”

  Wendy took a few notes and urged her to continue.

  By the time Lindsey finished, she was emotionally exhausted, the depth of Megan’s betrayal hitting her afresh. “I can’t believe my own friend tried to kill me.” Her voice broke. “To have somebody you trust, somebody you thought cared about you, only to find out it was all a lie…”

  God, the pain was like a dagger to the heart.

  Wendy tilted her head and narrowed her gaze on Lindsey. “And yet you’ve only known Todd for a few days, and you seem to trust him.”

  “I do.” Lindsey maintained eye contact. “He did nothing but protect me from the moment we met. He saved my life, at great risk to his own, multiple times. I have no reason to doubt his intentions.” Not where her life was concerned. Her heart was altogether another matter.

  The agent stared back for a moment and then set down her pen. “All right. Can you point me to anything or anyone else that will corroborate your story?”