Her Unlikely Protector

by Regan Black

  “Is there a scenario that gives me ten minutes alone with Whitten?”

  Grant chuckled. “One more reason for you to sit tight. You’ve had enough run-ins with the law since you rolled into town.”

  Leo could only be grateful Aubrey had answered that initial call at the Good Samaritan. With nothing better to do, Leo searched for more information on Professor Whitten. His classes, his publications and everything else he could find. When he crossed paths with that man again, he wasn’t going to leave anything unsaid. Or undone.

  * * *

  Thanks to the information Grant had gained from Whitten, Aubrey was in position, monitoring the park near the college campus. Fifteen minutes ago, she’d watched the professor cut through the park on his way to and from a coffee shop on the corner.

  Aubrey had been sorely tempted to dump his coffee over his head. If anything happened to Lara, Leo would blame the professor, and rightly so.

  Aubrey wasn’t sure which of the other people in the park were connected to Grant, only that the three mothers with toddlers building a snow fort weren’t Lara. It helped to know there were more eyes than hers watching for Lara. She’d specifically asked not to be told which people were from the Escape Club and she appreciated that Grant respected her wishes. If he’d found the request petty, he didn’t say so. She just couldn’t risk another smudge on her PPD service record.

  She raised her camera, aiming at the building across the street. Framing a particularly lovely roofline outlined by icicles gleaming in the sunlight, she took the shots, then checked the display. Not bad, though she didn’t entertain any illusion that this could be a fall-back job. Photography was the simplest excuse for being here alone and she did her best to look like an artist rather than a cop without a beat.

  Lara entered the park and Aubrey caught herself staring. She wasn’t sure how she recognized Leo’s sister in the stained coat and battered hat. It was the confident stride, she decided, as Lara marched forward and dusted snow off a bench and sat down.

  It was all Aubrey could do to hang back and watch. Where was Whitten now that Lara was here to report in? Warm in his office, no doubt, Aubrey thought darkly.

  Walking away from Lara’s position, she sent a text message to Grant, in case it made any difference to his team. Along the way, she snapped a few pictures of Leo’s sister, just to give others an idea of how Lara was dressed now. She circled the perimeter, focused on the ice-covered ironwork around a sculpture, and then knelt down to get a curious angle of trees and sky.

  Standing, she realized Whitten’s office overlooked the park. He had a good view of Lara, should he choose to look.

  “Ms. Rawlins. How nice to see you enjoying your time off.”

  The voice raised the hair on the back of her neck. She swiveled around to see the man who’d crashed her meeting with the captain. “Again, I’m at a disadvantage. What’s your name?”

  “None of your business.” He’d shed the suit and classy overcoat for the black leather coat he’d worn the first times she’d seen him.

  “You’re making it my business,” Aubrey said. “In fact, I’m thinking of filing a complaint.”

  “You go right ahead, sweetheart.”

  She couldn’t see his eyes behind the mirrored sunglasses. Still, she noticed when his attention shifted to a point behind her. He’d spotted Lara. He tried to shove by her, but Aubrey blocked his path, pretending to slip on a patch of ice and dragging the big man down with her.

  His knee hit the walkway with a loud crack and he let out a string of curses that had the mothers covering tiny ears and reeling kids in close.

  Smart. This man’s an animal.

  He scrambled to his feet and Aubrey managed to trip him again. With a violent shout, he gained his feet and caught her by the collar. He shook her, hard. She fought back, but she couldn’t get the right angle. She might as well have been a gnat.

  One of the mothers ran toward them, shouting about 911, her phone raised. Aubrey tried to wave her off. If Mr. Nameless hurt a bystander, Aubrey would never forgive herself. The man tossed her back on her butt and ran off. When she looked over, Lara was gone. That had been their best chance to reunite the Butler siblings and she’d blown it.

  Picking herself up, Aubrey gave her assurances to the woman who’d rushed in, a pretty redhead named Kenzie, who was doing a favor for Grant between shifts with the fire department. They’d lost Lara, thanks to her. She sent a text message to Grant and started back to the hotel to confess her blunder to Leo.

  He met her in the lobby and pulled her into a hug. “It’s okay.”

  “It isn’t. She was there, and then she was gone.”

  “And where would she be if you hadn’t dealt with the creep eyeing her?”

  She started to ask, but she knew the answer. “Grant filled you in.”

  “Better, he sent me pictures.” Leo kept his arm around her as they walked to the elevator. “Lara looks like a mess, which she should under the circumstances, but she isn’t hurt.”

  And she might well have been. “This guy in the black jacket keeps showing up,” Aubrey said. He had been intent on reaching Lara. “We need to figure out his connection to your sister.”

  “We will,” Leo promised. “We’re closer, thanks to you.”

  The praise didn’t sit right. Lara was clearly in trouble and who knew what she would do now that the meeting place was compromised. “Leo, I’m so sorry,” she said again when they were back inside the room.

  “It’s fine,” he replied, though she didn’t see how it could be. “You didn’t let that jerk anywhere near her. That means more than you know.”

  She appreciated his vote of confidence, but nothing would ease the strain around his eyes and mouth until they found his sister. She rolled her shoulder and flexed her arm. The winter gear absorbed most of the damage but there would be some bruises in the morning.

  “I should report the incident at the precinct,” she said, bridging the next unpleasant topic. “When I do, they’ll pull the missing person report on Lara.”

  “Then why would you do that?” he asked, stepping back and shoving his hands into his pockets.

  “It’s practical.” She fiddled with the zipper on her coat. “Lara is of age and it seems she is determined to stay out on the streets.”

  “You know there’s more to it.”

  “Technically, I suspect there’s more to it.” She hated how snobby that sounded.

  “That’s it?” He stalked over to the window and glared out at the street. “You’re just going to dismiss my worry as overreacting?”

  “Of course not.” She wasn’t about to dismiss anything. Not Lara’s actions, Mr. Nameless’s interference, or Leo’s feelings.

  Given a choice, she’d focus solely on finding his sister. That was what really scared her. She’d let emotion become a blind spot and had paid dearly for the error. Even though Leo was completely different—and temporary—she couldn’t afford to make another wrong move because her heart wanted one thing while her job demanded a different course of action.

  “I’m not giving up on any of this,” she said. “I still have oodles of free time to try and find her.”

  He crossed the room. “Crap. I’m a jerk.”

  “You’re not,” she assured him. “I understand how stressful this is for you.”

  “Let me apologize,” Leo said. “I’m not mad at you. I’m angry she ran.” He pushed a hand through his hair. She resisted the urge to smooth it back again. “What next?”

  “Let’s try and pin a name on that creep. He’s up to his eyeballs in this.”

  “In a minute.” He unzipped her coat and helped her out of it. “You can notify the precinct by phone, right?”

  “Might be better that way.” The captain wouldn’t appreciate her coming by. She could call Calvin or Hulbert and let them update the offici
al report.

  “Good.” He kissed her.

  She was sinking into the sensual heat when his cell phone went off with a nerve-jolting ringtone. He jumped to answer the alert and his face paled.

  “Leo?”

  “It-it’s Lara.”

  She peered at the screen with him.

  “The number’s blocked, but this message. It’s her.”

  She read it over his shoulder.

  LEO WE NEED TO TALK

  “Are you sure it’s her?” Too short for any subtext, Aubrey hesitated to assume Lara sent the message.

  “I have to go. I have to meet her.” He sent back a text that he would meet her anywhere, anytime.

  She laid a hand on his arm. “Wait for the reply, Leo.” She didn’t need both Butler siblings drifting around her city, targets of whatever was going on.

  He gave his phone a shake as if that would make a reply appear faster. “I’ll go to the park. If I’m alone, maybe she’ll talk.”

  “Just hang on a second.” She would not let him go until she knew the details of the meet. “Let’s do this the right way.”

  He bounced on his toes. “Come on,” he growled at the phone.

  Aubrey was antsy herself. If Leo thought he was going to meet Lara anytime, anywhere alone, he was in for a rude awakening. He would need someone to cover his back. No matter what she said, when he saw his sister again, he’d be too consumed with her to be cautious.

  She didn’t think Lara was doing anything illegal, but she was increasingly convinced that someone, someone who kept Mr. Nameless in spiffy leather coats, was out to stop her.

  Leo continued to prowl the room.

  I love you.

  He’d really said it. And she really hadn’t. And now what she’d left unsaid was mocking her.

  If another chance presented itself, she’d confess her feelings. She wouldn’t hesitate again or second-guess because a future looked unlikely. Love is enough. She would keep that front of mind.

  “Tomorrow!” Leo shouted. “Tomorrow morning at the Good Samaritan.” He looked up. “Should we call Rosie?”

  “No.” As much as it pained her to say it, they needed Grant’s help to make sure things went smoothly. She held out her hand for his cell phone. “Show me the message. I’ll give Grant a call.”

  “Should we go over there, maybe stake it out overnight?”

  She glared at him. “Sit down,” she said, pointing to the desk chair. “You have one job, Mr. Butler.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “I like it when you’re bossy.”

  “Stop.” She leaned over and kissed him anyway.

  “Is that my job?”

  “It will be later,” she teased. “Right now see what you can find about this guy.” She showed him the pictures from her camera.

  “What’s your job?”

  “I’m going to speak with Grant.”

  Leo jumped to his feet. “Don’t do that, Aubrey. Let me. I know how you feel about him.”

  “Relax. I’m okay with it.” She realized the words were completely true as they passed her lips. “Who else can we rely on for extra eyes tomorrow?”

  “You’re sure?”

  She kissed him, smiled and then walked out of the room before she changed her mind. They needed help and they weren’t going to get it from the precinct. On paper, Lara was an adult who’d chosen not to tell her family what she was up to. Sad but true.

  Taking the elevator down to the lobby, she knew it had been more than fabulous sex or three small words that changed everything, especially her. It was one specific man. Leo had challenged her all or nothing faith in the system.

  She sat down in a chair away from the front doors and dialed Grant’s number.

  “Officer Rawlins,” he answered. “How are you feeling? Kenzie told me about that scuffle in the park.”

  Miserable. Grumpy. Resigned. “I’m good. Lara just made contact with Leo.”

  “That’s great. Did she give him anything helpful?”

  “No specifics, and the messages were coming from a blocked number.”

  “You’re worried it’s not Lara.”

  “I am,” she admitted. “After the way things went today, I want a better plan in place for tomorrow. Please?”

  “You do realize I’m not a security service. I’m just a cop who retired too early and still cares about his community.”

  “Mr. Sullivan—”

  “Grant,” he corrected.

  Fine. “Grant, I apologize for what I said and my negative attitude about what you do. You’ve helped people that would have possibly slipped through the cracks of normal police work.”

  “Probably,” he corrected her again.

  “That’s fair.” She swallowed the sigh. “I did my best to be sure Lara and her brother weren’t overlooked. But...” She’d practiced this in her head. Shifting her beliefs wasn’t easy. She was glad she was sitting down. “Leo needs your help. Lara agreed to meet with him tomorrow at the Good Samaritan, but I can’t back him up on my own.”

  “Because IA keeps you under a microscope?”

  Did the man know everything? He certainly had the connections from his years on the police force. “Yes.” She laid it all out. “The man I tangled with at the park was also at the meeting when Captain Yancey suspended me. I think Leo was right all along and Lara is in serious trouble.”

  “Go on.”

  Of course he would know what she hadn’t specifically told Leo. “I’ve used my own network in the neighborhood for the past few days.” Mary-Tea and others had kept watch for her. “The camp on Thirty-third was cleaned out the day after the storm. Officer Rice might have more detail on the men we spoke with at the time. I was suspended before I could learn anything.”

  “And you don’t want to drag Rice down with you?”

  “No. My priority is Lara. According to my sources, she’s helped those displaced find other shelter, kept them fed. In turn, several of them are keeping her protected, but I’ve been told men are following her.”

  Aubrey hadn’t told Leo because she didn’t want him freaking out when there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

  “The people I have keeping an eye out for her have reported seeing familiar faces, as well. Give me the particulars of the meet.” She did. “All right. I’ll make some calls and be in touch. We’ll get Lara in safely.”

  Her instincts were humming. Grant had more information he wasn’t sharing. “Did you speak with Leo?”

  “Not about this, Officer Rawlins.”

  “Aubrey.”

  She heard a rumble on the other end of the call that might have been a chuckle. “You want to know why I’m so willing to help you in particular?”

  “I do, yes.” She’d been rude to him, in his own place. Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment at the memory. “Please.”

  “Because I used to be you,” Grant said. “I understand the overload and overwhelm. I understand doing everything right and having it turn out all wrong. I understand how it feels when you know that the people in your community should all have equal priority, yet one of them strikes a new chord you can’t ignore.”

  Technically, Leo wasn’t part of her community. His sister was. It was the same with certain shelter and charity workers and even the people they served. Some of them just clicked with her, motivating her to go above and beyond. Leo had tripped that new chord, long before she was personally invested. “We’re not supposed to play favorites.”

  Grant scoffed. “You’re human. We all are. I’ll be in touch.”

  “Thank you,” she said. Relief coursed through her. Leo needed his sister safe and whole. Life had stolen so much from him, far too early. She’d taken an oath to protect and serve her community and as much as she’d resisted it, working with Grant was part of fulfilling that vow, for Leo.<
br />
  “You should come by the club,” he said. “We’re just a few weeks away from a grand reopening.”

  “Oh. I...” Would going out to the Escape Club make things better or worse for her with IA and the PPD? She was human, entitled to a personal life. “Thanks,” she managed. “I’ll look forward to it.”

  “Great.”

  The call ended. Aubrey remained in the lobby, replaying it all in her head. They’d have support; that was what she would focus on. Leo and Lara would soon be reunited.

  And then what?

  They’d all go their separate ways. She’d be back on the job, where she belonged. Leo and Lara would work out their differences. At home.

  No sense crying over the facts she couldn’t change. So why were tears sliding down her cheeks? She dried her eyes, wondering how, in a city as big and busy as Philly, she’d fallen in love with a man whose presence was only temporary.

  Chapter 11

  Leo needed to focus on Lara. His sister needed his help, needed his full attention. Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep his thoughts away from the quiet woman in the passenger seat beside him. The anticipation of what they were about to do didn’t mute all of the new feelings for Aubrey rolling around in his chest.

  Under normal circumstances he might have talked through it with Lara, let her set him straight on the whole being in love thing. Was that irony?

  “What are you thinking about?” Aubrey asked.

  “Irony,” he answered without thinking. He reached over and gave her hand a squeeze while they waited for the traffic light to change. His heart skipped when she laced her fingers with his.

  He’d fallen in love with her and, like a man with a fever, he’d spoken up, laid it all out there and she...had yet to respond in kind. What had he expected? They’d met under fraught circumstances barely two weeks ago.

  As an adult, he understood, did his best to give her space. But the broken little boy he’d been was scared. Scared of more disappointment and crushing rejection.

  Which was stupid.