by Geri Krotow
She’s at most only five years younger than you.
“Ah, we’ll exchange contact information, and I’ll text you when and where. It’s got to look like a legit hunting gig, so let’s have you drive to my place and leave your car there, then we’ll head out.”
“Sounds good.” He detected a very slight accent, but in actuality, Kit sounded and spoke like any other American. She was definitely talented with languages, because he had trouble with foreign language speakers when they slipped into local dialects and accents. American English had many variations, and not just in the expected places like down south. He’d noticed that some of the Central Pennsylvania locals still relied upon more “country” idioms, saying fixin’ to do instead of I’m going to and using needs plus the past tense of the verb, like my car needs cleaned instead of needs to be cleaned. He found the less grammatical expressions comforting after so many months working in and around New York City and its fast pace, matched by hurried conversations.
“Okay, folks, why don’t you stay here and work it all out. Feel free to use my office as long as you need. I have to go meet my wife for lunch.” Colt stood and shrugged into a blue blazer, his holster hidden by the oversize garment. “I have the utmost trust in both of you.” Colt leveled a glance at Kit.
“You okay with this, Kit?”
She smiled at her boss, the connection between them palpably full of mutual respect.
“Yes, I’m fine with all of it. Thank you so much for this opportunity, Chief.” Kit sounded as if Colt had told her she’d won the lottery. Discomfort tugged at Luther’s conscience. When was the last time he’d been so grateful for his job?
Before you got burned by Evalina.
He brushed aside the errant thought. Yeah, he’d all but died at the hands of an ROC wife last year, in the bowels of the worst part of Brighton Beach. So what? It didn’t have to affect this case, or his feelings toward Kit Danilenko. She wasn’t a mob wife anymore, at least. Never had been, not willingly, from what he’d pieced together between his and Claudia’s earlier discussion and meeting Kit.
* * *
Kit’s initial nervous energy upon being called into Colt’s office and meeting Luther was dispelled at the reality of having to prepare for an undercover operation. Only a year ago the possibility of working an op one-on-one, alone, with a man might have been impossible. She had to give herself credit for how far she’d come, thanks to her therapist and all the other work she’d poured into her recovery. As she took measure of Luther, she had to bite the inside of her lower lip to stop from grinning. Not once had the thought that Luther might be a physical threat to her occurred. It was the tiny bud of attraction that was the surprise reaction to the man. And her sexual desires weren’t something she’d explored since gaining her freedom from Vadim and beginning her new life at SVPD, so she forgave herself if her body wanted to have a crush on Luther.
She ignored any fluttering wings in her gut at the sight of the man and focused on what she needed. Information.
“What kind of equipment will we use to hear their conversations? Colt mentioned TH technology, which I’m familiar with but not as much as SVPD gear. Do I need training on anything new?” She had experience with SVPD’s and Trail Hikers’ undercover vans but technology quickly changed, and different equipment could have slight but significant abilities.
“Claudia said you’ve already worked with the listening unit I’m bringing. It’s on a portable rack that fits on a back seat.” He told her the model number, and Luther’s voice was low and intensely masculine, but in a nonthreatening way.
Kit recognized the comms unit. She’d used it when they’d staked out a couple of ROC operatives last month. She nodded. “I’m familiar with it.”
“If we need to be in place by next week, we’ll have to get our supplies sometime before this weekend. Then we can get together and go over what we’ve gathered.” Luther tapped into his phone.
“Are you making a shopping list?”
His long, adept fingers stopped and he looked at her. “As a matter of fact, I am. We’ll get the hunting gear at the sporting goods store and the groceries at another spot.”
“Okay. There are several groceries sprinkled across town. Are you familiar with Silver Valley?”
“Briefly. I moved into an apartment last night.”
“Where?”
“Downtown, on Main Street.”
Her interest piqued.
“That sounds like where my place is.” Kit felt like she was having an out-of-body experience, watching herself have a conversation with such a powerful man without any sense of danger. She’d never tell someone she’d just met where she lived, or even intimate where her place was.
Yet she imagined having a long cup of coffee while telling Luther her life story. Odd.
“There are are a lot of small units and rooms for rent downtown.” Luther dismissed her comment, clearly distracted by his list making as he stared at his phone.
“Back to the supplies, why don’t you get the hunting gear and I’ll get the groceries? Send me the list you have so far. I’ll take care of the rest. Any food concerns or allergies?” She picked up her phone from where it rested on top of her notebook and asked him for his contact information, which she used to send him her info.
He gave her his number and then responded to her other question. “I have no allergies, except maybe poison ivy.”
“You’ve reacted to it before, then?” She’d seen enough of the noxious vine growing on the property she and Vadim had lived on when she’d been an unwilling partner in his life.
“I have. Last summer when I was working an op I got it all over my back. It wasn’t pleasant.”
She wondered how he’d gotten it on his back and not elsewhere, imagining him lying shirtless on a lawn or forest floor but quickly banished the vision. Not something she wanted to process here in front of him. They had work to do.
“I know what it looks like, and I’ll do anything around it for us if needed. I’ve never reacted to it. But sounds like we’ll be inside for the most part, right?”
Luther shook his head. “No, actually we’re going to need to play the part of average hunters, so getting out and about will be part of our cover.”
“You mean yours—I’m going as your support. I’m not really an agent.”
“But you are, for this op, right?” Luther leaned back, his eyes sparkling with interest. “You’ve never hunted before, have you?”
“No.” Images of people being shot when she was saved by SVPD and Trail Hikers a few years ago flashed through her mind. She’d never fire a weapon at an innocent animal. “It’s not my thing. But I understand that for a lot of families, the one deer they get over this weekend feeds them for a good part of the year.”
“That’s responsible hunting, yes. And I’d hope that in the middle of Pennsylvania, that’s the norm.”
“As compared to?” She wasn’t sure what he was getting at.
“Trophy hunting. Paying top dollar to be able to shoot down an endangered species.”
“Oh.” Her gut sank as memories flooded her. Vadim had had rhino tusks displayed in their house like badges of honor. They’d always disgusted her. “Yes, I’m familiar with that. And aren’t they usually overseas?”
“Most, yes.” Luther leaned forward on his knees. “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to upset you with talk of trophy hunting.”
“You didn’t.” She lied. Luther wasn’t a proven entity yet, no matter how much all indicators showed he was a trustworthy person. Just because he was a valuable agent who did his job well and was trusted by Colt and Claudia didn’t mean he was someone she could trust with her personal reflections. “I, um, am familiar with trophy hunting. It’s abominable. And nothing like a good hunter, male or female, helping keep the deer population down and providing for their family.”
Lut
her appraised her, and she saw something in his eyes that looked promising, hopeful. “We’re on the same page there.”
“Do you hunt?” She tried to imagine him in the woods, tracking a deer.
“No. Not a hunter, but I do appreciate my solitude in the woods, or mountains. I don’t get a lot of time to do that, not with this job.”
“I understand. Since I’ve worked for SVPD and TH, I’ve learned to grab my free time where and how I can.” For her, that often meant a night curled up with a sweater that she was knitting, while watching a streamed program about house organizing. A sigh escaped her lips. How long had it been since she’d made it to the local yarn shop’s knit and chat? Too long.
“That’s the life of law enforcement.” Luther stood and she followed, aware again of how much taller than her he was. She put him at six-two. “Why don’t we meet up on Sunday, after you get the groceries and I get the gear? Oh, I’m going to need your sizes for the hunting camo clothing.”
“I’m a small in most things, a medium will work, too. I have plenty of jeans and outdoor leggings I’ll bring along, and I have hiking boots. Should we meet here on Sunday to see what we have and figure out how to pack it all in a Jeep? We’ll have the conference room to ourselves, unless something big breaks.”
“No, if we’re going undercover we need to do it from the get-go. Which means either you come to my place or I to yours. We can sort our supplies like any other hunters would.”
She swallowed. No man had been in her apartment, ever. But this was work, and Colt trusted her. If Colt recommended Luther, she had nothing to worry about.
“I’ll text you my address. See you Sunday.” Before she lost her nerve, she walked out of the office and into the ladies’ room. Kit needed a quiet moment alone to check in with her emotions, to make sure she wasn’t setting herself up for an anxiety or PTSD flare.
But as she sat on the sofa she and several other female officers had commandeered for the restroom, she knew that her PTSD wasn’t what was igniting in reaction to Luther’s proximity. It was something far more pleasant, albeit unwanted.
Chapter 5
Kit slid into her favorite booth at Silver Valley Diner and asked the waitress for a soda water with a slice of lime. Luther wasn’t here yet, but she was fifteen minutes early for their lunch meeting.
It seemed a little odd to be having lunch during the week with a man she worked with. She and her SVPD colleagues usually ate in the station break room, working on different cases together as needed. If she were having lunch with any of them, she wouldn’t be feeling this sense of anticipation, she was certain. She grabbed her phone out of her bag in an effort to distract herself from her nerves.
“Hey. Thanks for saving me a seat.” Luther’s voice could turn on a neutered gnat. Kit reminded herself that she was an adult woman with at least a tiny fraction of self-control.
“No problem.” She waited as he settled and opened up the large, flip-style menu. This had been his idea.
Let him talk first.
He shut the menu after barely glancing at it, and his gaze met hers. She’d not been able to get his gray eyes out of her mind since they’d met a few days ago, and still, the intensity of his presence gave her pause.
“I suppose you’re wondering why I asked you to meet me here.”
She shrugged, trying to appear detached from the chaotic swirl of emotions he unleashed. “I figured you wanted to talk about our trip, although we can’t go into too much detail here.”
“Yes, but more to act as if we’re friends getting ready to go on a real hunting trip.”
“Okay.” She thought it was overkill, but Luther was a full-time undercover agent for TH. It was only fair to give him the benefit of the doubt.
He grinned, and she saw how this grim agent could turn on a dime into a formidable, irresistible flirt.
Keep it to business.
“One thing about an undercover—” he lowered his voice “—is that it’s important to play the game right from the get-go. There’s no telling when the stakes will become life-or-death. This way we’re prepared no matter what.”
She sipped her water, let the carbonation fizz on her tongue. Would kissing Luther make her tongue feel the same?
“I get it. But you’re not expecting this to turn into anything that intense, are you? Besides the hours of work in front of a screen? It could end up being beyond boring. I’m sure you’ve run into long hours with nothing to show for it.”
“I have.”
The waitress sidled up, and Kit didn’t miss her sidelong glances at Luther as she took his drink order, then both of their meal choices. It was laughable, how attractive he was, and even more intriguing, he didn’t seem to take it personally. Luther exuded confidence rather than ego. And he’d earned a higher level of self-esteem, based on his level of expertise, from what she observed.
“You always order breakfast for lunch?” She’d done the same, picking a Belgian waffle to his meat lover’s omelet.
“Almost always. I could eat eggs at every meal, with a steak thrown in now and then.” The waitress dropped off his iced tea and he thanked her. Also a gentleman. Not that Kit was keeping score on how good a man or potential hookup Luther was. Her last thought made her swallow. She’d been listening too much to Annie about needing to get out into the dating scene.
“Me too, but I like my carbs. Pancakes, waffles, crepes.”
“You don’t look like you eat a lot of carbs.” It wasn’t a leering remark.
“I obviously can’t eat them all the time. Exercise is definitely one of my outlets in life.”
“Are you a runner?”
“No, although I do it when I have to, like for the department’s PT tests. Even though I’m unsworn, I like to get out there with the officers and do my best. I’m more a gym class person.”
“Yoga?” His brow rose and she couldn’t help laughing.
“You’re really trying to stereotype me, aren’t you? I do a variety of classes. Yes, yoga’s one of them, but not my main focus.” Actually, meditation had gotten her through many of her rough spots the last couple of years.
“But?”
“But?” This man missed nothing. “I was thinking about meditation, which I started doing at the end of yoga classes, as most do. I liked how good I felt after, relaxed, even energized. So I researched different types, and now meditation is part of my, ah...mental fitness routine.” There. Let him think whatever he wanted. Kit wasn’t one to hide the effects of the trauma she’d been through, though she was careful who she shared them with.
Luther’s fingers drummed on the table once, twice, then he picked up his straw’s wrapper and began to wind it around his thumb. “I meditate, too.”
“You do? I mean, of course you do. More than anyone I’d think you’d need to be grounded and focused for your work.”
“You got it.” He leaned back and smiled as the waitress placed large, oval platters in front of each of them. “This is fantastic, thank you.”
“Would you like a refill on your tea?”
“Yes, thanks.”
As an afterthought the waitress looked at Kit. “More soda water?”
“Yes, please.” Kit allowed a smile as she buttered her waffle and drizzled it with one of three all-natural syrups that the diner kept on the tables. She knew this wasn’t a date—it was work. But she couldn’t help the joy bubbling up from her midsection.
Maybe Annie was right. Kit needed to get into the dating scene. It was time.
Too bad Luther was the wrong dude.
* * *
“You like your maple syrup.” Luther tried not to stare at everything Kit did. Her motions were full of grace, her posture almost regal. He knew she’d survived some bad years, according to Claudia, but it didn’t show in the completely poised woman sitting across the table from him.
&nb
sp; “It’s a treat. I don’t eat lunch out during the week, usually, so why not go for it?” She kept looking at him and then looking away when their eyes met, her long lashes sultry against her pale skin.
“We’re going to be on a much more limited diet out in the woods, so enjoy this.” He dug into his omelet and couldn’t remember the last time he’d really tasted his food. Or enjoyed a meal companion so much. “How long have you lived here?”
“In Silver Valley? Or the US?”
“Both.”
“Well, this town is all I’ve known since coming to the US, actually. I was sixteen when I came over.” He noticed she didn’t say immigrated and didn’t press her on it. He could put two and two together quick enough. Reports of her trauma, and her participation in putting away her ROC ex, spoke volumes. He’d guess she’d been trafficked over here, originally. A discussion for another time, when Kit was ready.
“You’ve never left Pennsylvania?” He couldn’t keep the incredulity out of his tone, and Kit was quick to laugh.
“Of course, I’ve been to New Jersey, where my parents and sister have settled. I go see them every so often. And I’ve taken the odd trip here and there. I was in Florida last year with a few of my girlfriends.”
“Other cops?”
“Well, Annie is the SVPD psychologist. You may know her or her husband, Josh, as they both work on the same team we do.” He respected that she dropped classified information in a way no one but he would get. “Annie’s grandmother owns the local yarn shop, and they have a pretty active knitting group. We all go on day trips here and there, to the shore, New York City, Philly. Last year they planned a weekend at Disney that was so much fun.” Her entire face lit up as if she were five years old. He wondered about her childhood, if it had been as hard as her adolescence.
“There are benefits to small-town living, that’s for sure.” He tried to keep regret out of his tone.
“Silver Valley’s more of a medium-sized town, and with Harrisburg less than fifteen minutes away it’s more like one sprawling metro area.”