by Katie Knight
“Listen, I know this is awkward and I also want you to know that I’ll continue to honor our contract and won’t interfere in your life or Camille’s once this is over.”
The knot of tension between her shoulder blades eased slightly. “Thank you.”
A tiny mewl issued from the nursery down the hall and Maria set her coffee aside and stood, exhaling as she came to a decision—if he was going to be hanging around her house for a while, it was time for him to meet his daughter.
“Come on,” she said, gesturing for him to follow her.
Trevor frowned, pushing to his feet and putting his mug on the coffee table beside hers. “Where are we going?”
“There’s someone you should meet.”
She held her finger to her lips as she led him down the hall to the guest room she’d converted into a nursery. Maria eased the door open to find her baby daughter stirring in her crib, limbs flailing as she stared up at the mobile hanging from the ceiling. “This is Camille.”
Trevor approached the crib like he was coming upon a deadly sniper, then stared down at his infant daughter with such wonder that it nearly stole Maria’s breath away.
“Wow,” he said, his tone drenched in awe.
“I know, right?” Maria watched him watching their daughter and warmth spread from her core outward to her extremities. She had to remind herself that this was just an introduction, nothing more. That once this investigation was over, Trevor would be gone. Still, he was here now, and there was a bit of magic in the air. Camille burped, then gazed up at Trevor, taking hold of the finger he waggled down at her. “Camille, honey, this is your daddy.”
Five
A few hours later, they were working side by side at the kitchen table. Trevor was still trying to process meeting his baby daughter for the first time. She was so tiny and precious and sweet. Of course, then Maria had invited him to help change her diapers and that had been a whole different kind of nasty. Sure, he’d hiked waist-deep through leech-infested swamps, dug out latrines in the desert, even helped recover the decomposing remains of fellow soldiers who’d been killed behind enemy lines.
None of that had prepared him for diaper duty.
Still, he wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Hold your breath, work quickly and efficiently, get the job done. Not really so different from his SEAL duties after all. Plus, there was the joy of holding Camille afterward, of seeing her smile, of hearing her little coos and squeaks, of knowing that he’d help make this little person.
“Wait a minute.” Maria reached over and grabbed his forearm. His skin tingled from the contact, despite his wishes. “Now I know where I’ve seen that before. That’s the label for Camellia Stout. I can’t believe you had my favorite craft beer tattooed on your arm.”
“I can’t believe you named our kid after alcohol,” Trevor shot back, feeling far happier than he should about the fact she’d paid attention to his ink. “Besides, it was my favorite too, back in the day.”
He stared down at the deep fuchsia bouquet surrounded by two wheat sheaves pictured on his forearm. He’d not meant to show her that, but with the warm weather and the fact his T-shirt had short sleeves, there wasn’t any way to hide it either. He slipped his arms down under the table and clasped his hands in his lap and hazarded a glance at Maria. Man, she was so pretty—her shining hair, her soft skin, all those delectable curves, the little noises she’d make deep in her throat as he’d made love to her….
Trevor cleared his throat and hiked his chin toward her laptop. “Find anything yet?”
Maria blinked at him several times, frowning. “No, not yet. I’m running a background check on your captain now, to see if he had any debts or enemies.”
They stared at each other over the rims of their cups, an awkward silence falling.
Trevor finally cut through the tension between them, figuring it was best to keep things clear with them working together. “Look, I meant what I said before. I’m here because I need your help. That’s it. Meeting my daughter today was an added bonus, but I know my place. I agreed to stay out of her life and I’ll keep to that.” He managed not to wince at the sudden, unexpected surge of sorrow those words caused inside him.
He didn’t want to be a father. Did he?
No. That’s why he’d signed the contact, why he’d gone into the deal.
It was the stress of the investigation and this forced proximity making him doubt his choices now. That had to be it.
Maria was still eyeing him closely when her laptop dinged. She turned away, finally, and scowled at her screen.
“What is it?” Trevor asked, moving in to see the screen too. He ignored the flowery scent of her shampoo wafting around him, and the slight uptick in his pulse in response to it, and focused on the task at hand. Onscreen was a small pop-up box. An invitation to view a video. “Who sent that?”
“I’m not sure.” Maria’s fingers flew across the keyboard as she typed. “Trying to trace it, but I keep hitting firewalls.”
Trevor leaned back and crossed his arms. She’d always been super smart and good at computer stuff. Maria could code with the best of them. He’d always wondered why she’d not gone into that as a career, instead of law enforcement and then private investigation. Would’ve made a lot more money, probably. Would’ve been a lot safer too, especially with a baby to take care of now.
Maria glanced over at him. “I can’t pinpoint the source.”
“Will it hurt your computer? Infect it with a bug or something?”
She snorted. “Not on my watch. This puppy’s more secure than Fort Knox.”
“Then open it.” Even as he said the words, his heart lurched. Most likely, it was porn or something.
But what if it isn’t?
With a click of a button, a large viewer opened, displaying a split screen. On one side, there stood Trevor, just outside the perimeter of the site of their last mission, holding a gun on his captain. The other side of the screen held a still photo of the captain’s dead body, the bullet wound between his eyes clearly visible in the bright flash from the camera.
“Oh my God!” Maria whispered, staring wide-eyed at the computer. “What the hell did you do, Trevor?”
“Nothing. I swear. I didn’t shoot him.” He scrubbed his hands over his face and pushed to his feet, stalking out into the living room and over to the windows to peek through the blinds and scan the area surrounding her house. How the hell had that shown up now? Did the person framing him know he was here with her? Was that why she’d been targeted? The knot of tension in his gut tightened. Maria hadn’t been able to trace the source, which meant it was either someone who was even smarter than her, or someone who was moving too fast to be pinned down. He looked back at her over his shoulder and found her still watching him, her face pale and her stare accusing. “On my honor, I didn’t do this, Maria. You know me better than that.”
The way she was looking at him now though, he had to wonder if she believed him. Maybe she trusted the boy she’d grown up with, but they’d been apart for a year—and prior to that, they’d barely crossed paths since graduation. People changed. Dammit. This whole idea was stupid. He shouldn’t have come here.
“You know what? I’m just going to go.” He headed for the door. “I’m sorry. This was a mistake.”
Her voice stopped him. “I believe you.”
Trevor turned slowly to face her once more. Her complexion was still paler than he liked, but the accusation was gone from her eyes. In its place was a mix of resignation and acceptance. She got up and walked over to him.
“Do you think I would’ve slept with you, had a child with you, if I thought you were capable of murder?” She shrugged and continued without waiting for his answer. “I guess I just needed to see your reaction for myself. You looked sick from seeing that video. Understandable. I feel a little queasy myself. But it’s just a video, Trevor. It doesn’t prove anything. We’ll keep digging until we find out the truth.”
“Bu
t what if you can’t? Find the truth, I mean.” He sagged back against the door, feeling far older than his thirty-two years. “You said yourself you couldn’t trace where that video came from.” He shook his head. “From the way they treated me at my debriefing, I’ve got the feeling this could go a lot higher than just my captain. There could be powerful people and their reputations at risk. What if this video is a warning to back off—or else? I won’t involve you or Camille in that kind of danger.”
Maria raised a brow at him, a sure sign of her annoyance. He remembered that from when they were kids. If she was pissed, that brow of hers was clear up to her hairline almost. He would’ve chuckled, if the situation wasn’t so serious.
“First off, I make my own decisions regarding what is and isn’t safe for me and my daughter. Second, I always cover my tracks on the internet. They might think they’re playing me, whoever this mystery asshole is, but the truth is, I’m playing them. I couldn’t trace the origin of that video right away, but I’ve got plenty of connections on the dark web. I’ll find it eventually. Don’t worry. And when I do, we’ll follow that trail all the way to the end, wherever it leads. When I joined the police force, I took a vow to protect and serve. That didn’t change when I left to become a PI. You watch my back, I’ll watch yours, until this investigation is done. Deal?”
Trevor hated the idea of anything happening to Maria or to their baby. Hated being put in this position. But his gut told him she was the best person to solve this puzzle and he had no other options at this point anyway. Wasn’t like there were people lining up at his door to help him clear his name. Reluctantly, he shook her hand. “Deal.”
“Good. Now let’s get back to work.” She walked back to the table and took her seat again. “The way I see it, it’s good we got this video. Proves you didn’t do it.”
“Huh? How?” Trevor scrunched his nose and went back into the kitchen. “I don’t follow.”
“It supports your idea that you’re being framed. Someone’s trying to make you look guilty, and they sent that video to me to cut you off from the help and resources you’ll need to clear your name. They don’t want me looking further into this—which is exactly why I should.”
At that moment, Camille started crying, the high-pitched wail cutting through the air like a knife.
Maria stood and headed down the hall. “Be right back.”
He hung his head, the burden of guilt on his shoulders for being here growing heavier. Shit. If they knew Maria was involved, then she was on their radar, too—along with the baby. The back of his neck prickled, and he swiped his hand across it. Restless and edgy, he wandered back out into the living room again. Sounds of Maria talking to Camille, trying to woo her back to sleep, echoed down the hall, reinforcing his determination.
They’d made another deal. She’d agreed to help him. If they were already being watched, which they obviously were, it was too late to keep Maria and Camille out of it anyway. The best thing he could do, for his own protection and theirs, was to help Maria trace where that video had come from as soon as possible so they could get to the bottom of this whole mess.
Without thinking, he slumped down on the couch and stared at the basket of toys beside him. He had the whole thing organized by the time Maria wandered in with Camille. She was rocking the infant and rubbing her back, trying to soothe her to no avail. A loud beep issued from another room down the hall and started a new crying jag for the baby.
“Damn. That’s the washer.” Maria glanced down the hall, then over at him, heading in his direction. “Can you take her for a second while I get the clothes into the dryer and start a new load of wash?”
Before he could answer, he found his arms filled with fourteen pounds of squalling, angry infant. He held her close and stared at Maria in pure panic as she walked away.
“Hey, no running off with her, okay?” she said, winking at him before disappearing down the hall.
“No problem,” Trevor said, to no one in particular. He stood and began pacing the room, rocking his daughter and talking to her quietly, trying to get her to calm down. Didn’t help. Maybe singing? He’d just started humming the Sesame Street theme when a loud burp issued from his tiny daughter. Her crying stopped, and she snuggled into the side of his neck, her warm breath and good baby smell surrounding him.
For a moment, despite everything else that was happening, all felt right with Trevor’s little corner of the world.
Six
By late that afternoon, both of them were nearly cross-eyed from staring at the computer screen for so long and trying to figure out who might have wanted to kill the captain and who might have sent that video clip. Maria needed a break. “Want to take a walk?”
“Uh, do you think it’s safe?” Trevor asked, stretching and yawning. She did her best not to stare at his taut stomach and all that tanned, toned skin revealed as the hem of his T-shirt rode up with his movements. Nope. Not looking at all. She refocused on his narrowed gaze instead. “If someone’s watching the house…” he added before she cut him off.
“I refuse to be a prisoner here. If anyone tries to break in here while we’re away, they’ll have the cops on their ass in five seconds flat. I’ve got security cameras out the wazoo, all directly connected to the police department and I’ve got the best alarm system I can afford.” She shrugged and smiled. “And I’ll have you at my side. A fully trained Navy SEAL. Can’t ask for better protection than that, eh?”
He looked away, his cheeks flushing slightly under her compliment, and a fresh tide of warmth flooded her system. For such a gorgeous guy, he didn’t seem to be aware of his effect on her at all. It was charming and seductive and threatened to draw her right back into being half in love and all in lust with him if she wasn’t careful. And with Camille to think about now, Maria was all about careful.
“C’mon.” She stood and stretched herself before heading down to get Camille dressed for the outdoors. By the time she returned to the living room, Trevor was standing near the door, double-checking that the stroller was structurally sound. Perhaps having him around for a while wouldn’t be so bad after all. She had quite a few projects around the house that she either didn’t have the time or the inclination to do herself that a handy guy like him could tackle.
They headed out into the warm May day. The sun was out and birds chirped all around them. If she didn’t know better, she could almost imagine that they were a normal couple doing normal relationship things. But they weren’t a normal couple. Never had been. A few nights of sexual bliss did not forever make.
As they walked the quaint picturesque streets of Little Creek, Maria did her best to make small talk. “So, are you going to keep staying at your parents’ house while you’re here then?”
“Uh, no.” Trevor kept looking around the area, as if doing surveillance. Once a SEAL, always a SEAL, she supposed. Still, she was grateful to have his eagle eye on things. He sniffed and looked over at her. “I mean, I slept there last night and it was nice seeing them all again, but I need more privacy and room than my old space there. I moved into an extended stay apartment at the Blue Bell this morning. They’re letting me rent by the week.”
The Blue Bell apartment complex was the only one in Little Creek. It wasn’t shabby, but it wasn’t exactly the Ritz either. It was also only a few blocks from Maria’s house. In fact, they’d be going right past it on their walk.
“That’s good,” she said, wondering what Trevor’s place might look like. Granted, she’d seen his bedroom when they were kids, but he’d been the typical teenaged boy, tube socks and dirty clothes everywhere. He was only in Little Creek temporarily until he got deployed on another mission, he’d said, so she doubted he’d nest in his apartment, but still. You could tell a lot about a person by the things they carried with them. Did he keep photos? Mementos? Reminders of home?
During their brief affair before his deployment, they’d always shared their trysts at Maria’s house. She’d insisted, thinking it would mak
e it feel not quite so sordid if it was at her place and not some random hotel somewhere. Now though, she was curious about his living situation.
Camille fussed a bit in her stroller and Maria reached into the diaper bag hanging off the handle for her pacifier, checking beneath the awning to make sure her precious daughter was comfy and well-shaded from the sun. When she’d finished, she looked up to find Trevor watching them with that same flicker of reverence she’d seen from him the day before.
Charming, indeed.
“So,” he said as they continued on down the street. “I didn’t mention it earlier, but I have a copy of the flash drive.”
Maria stopped and blinked at him. “Wait. You mean THE flash drive? The one you were trying to upload the data from when your captain was killed?”
Trevor gave a curt nod, searching the area around them again before lowering his voice. “Yeah. Things were so crazy that night I just shoved it in my pocket without thinking. But now, I’m glad I did with everything that’s happened.”
“I’ll say.” She held her hand above her eyes to shield them from the sun as she stared up at him. “What’s on it?”
“I don’t know, honestly.” He shook his head and snorted. “Things have been nuts since my debriefing. I haven’t had a chance to look. Besides, it’s hidden in my locker on base. I stashed it there before my debriefing, thinking I’d get it for them when they asked. They never did.”
She narrowed her gaze on him. “So, you expect me to risk treason charges?”
Trevor frowned. “I’m sorry?”
“I’d bet good money that whatever’s on that flash drive is classified information. And you want me to go poking around in there?”
He opened his mouth, closed it again. Scowled. “No. I don’t want to put you at any more risk than I already have. I just…” He cursed under his breath and turned away. “Forget it.”