"Nothing wrong with my eyes—which is why she's Ariel. Come on, TR, look at those eyes. Big and round and innocent—"
"Jesus. Would you two knock it the hell off? Just look at her damn leg."
Wolf turned back to her with a big wink. "Told you: a happy Chaos is a pleasant Chaos. And trust me—you don't want to see the unpleasant one."
"Jesus."
Wolf dropped to his knees before she—or Derrick—could say anything else. Then he was tugging at her pants leg, easing it up past her calf. Lidiya winced when the rough denim scraped the cut then tried to hide it but it was too late. Wolf's gaze darted to hers and she caught a hint of the man beneath the shining green eyes. She stiffened, intuitively sensing the predator kept carefully caged behind the carefree exterior. Then he looked away and Lidiya wondered if maybe she had only imagined it, if maybe she was so tired and emotionally battered that she was now seeing things that weren't there.
"This probably could have used a few stitches. When did it happen?"
"Two nights ago."
Wolf muttered under his breath then reached for the small pouch resting at his feet. "Should have called me then."
"We were a little busy."
"Uh-huh. That's what they all say." He removed something from the bag and ripped it open. An antiseptic wipe. He gently swiped it across her skin then turned her leg to the side, studying it.
"It's already healing and there's no sign of infection so there's no need to mess with it. I'll butterfly it then cover it with a small gauze pad, just for shits and giggles." He looked up at her and offered her another wink. "Just keep it clean and you should be good to go. I'd cut back on the midnight ocean swims for a few days, just to be safe."
"I don't—"
"Jesus, Wolf. Enough already. You checked it out, now get the hell out of here. You, too, TR."
"Not on your life." The woman spun in her chair and glared at Derrick, a wealth of unspoken words passing between them. "You get lost. I want to talk to Lee for a minute."
"TR—"
"You heard me. Go find Mac and annoy him or something. He's in the back, I think. You two can take turns beating on your chests to make yourselves feel all superior and manly."
Wolf laughed, the sound surprisingly deep and rich. Derrick narrowed his eyes, no doubt ready to say something, but the woman simply waved her hand in his direction, shooing him away like one would shoo a fly. Wolf grabbed Derrick by the arm and dragged him from the room, closing the door behind them.
Leaving her alone with the woman.
Silence settled over the room. Lidiya shifted in the chair, fidgeting not from the quiet but from the steady look the woman directed at her. Who was she? Did Lidiya even want to know?
No, she didn't, but the choice wasn't hers. The woman held out her hand, offering to Lidiya. She hesitated, finally accepted it, surprised at the strength in the woman's grip.
"I'm TR MacGregor. And I wanted to thank you."
Lidiya's eyes widened in surprise. "Thank me? I haven't done anything—"
"You did. Last year, when Derrick asked for your help tracing some emails. That was for me."
Lidiya's frown cleared when she finally remembered. She hadn't put much importance on it at the time, thinking it was nothing more than a simple trace. But it had been more, and she'd been asked to break into some other files for information that made no sense to her immediately after that.
She nodded, not knowing what else to say. But the woman kept watching her and Lidiya wondered if she was missing something, if maybe she had missed a lot of somethings.
"Derrick and I became a lot closer because of that. Because of everything that happened after that."
Lidiya's gaze dropped to the other woman's swollen stomach. Her heart froze in her chest, blocking air from entering her lungs. Oh God, what had she done? Was this woman—? And Derrick? Had she made a terrible mistake? Something of her horror must have shown on her face because the woman placed a protective hand over her stomach and laughed.
"God, no. Derrick is not the father. Trust me. There's absolutely nothing like that between us. He's more like a brother to me. An annoying, pain-in-the-ass brother, but a brother nonetheless. Mac is my husband." The woman tilted her head to the side, a ghost of a smile teasing her full mouth. "You might have noticed him as Derrick was carrying you through the lobby. Big scary guy. Military haircut. Scars on his face?"
Lidiya shrugged, slowly shook her head. All she'd really been aware of was the weight of the stares, the warmth of Derrick's chest as he held her against him, the strength of his arms as he cradled her.
"Hm, I thought so."
"I don't understand—"
"Mac is kind of hard to miss—unless you're really distracted by something else. I had a feeling you were distracted."
Heat filled Lidiya's face as the meaning of the other woman's words sunk in. She shook her head, started to deny it, but the other woman silenced her with a gentle touch of a hand against Lidiya's arm.
"You don't need to deny it. I know why you were distracted. And you weren't the only one. Derrick was a bit distracted himself."
Lidiya shook her head again. "It's not like that. We—he's just helping me. That's all."
TR's gaze settled on hers, seeing too much in those few quiet heartbeats that stretched around them. She finally shrugged and looked away, another smile curling her mouth. "Derrick is in denial too, but that's only to be expected. He'll figure it out—if you let him."
"I don't really think—"
TR turned back to her, the serious expression in her eyes silencing Lidiya. "You can trust him, you know. He'll do anything to protect you, even if it means risking his own life."
"I won't let it get to that point."
A flash of regret, of sadness and even fear, flared in the woman's clear blue eyes. "I used to think that way, too. But sometimes, life chooses for you."
Lidiya clamped her lips together, refusing to say anything else. The woman could believe what she wanted but Lidiya knew better: she refused to let it get to that point. And the sooner she left, the sooner she could move forward with her plan and put an end to...everything.
TR was paying no attention to her, something that made Lidiya grateful. She was suddenly sure the other woman would be able to see every thought and idea in her eyes, if she only looked. But she was focused on the shopping bags spread out in front of her, on the clothes she was slowly pulling out one-by-one.
"They all will, you know. That's kind of what they do around here."
"Who?"
TR glanced over, smiled and shrugged. "The guys. Cover Six Security. Although I like to call this place Heroes-R-Us. Trust me, there are days I think I'll absolutely choke on the testosterone, it's so thick around here. But if you need help, you won't find anyone better."
She emptied the last bag, surveyed the pile of clothes and shoes in front of her, then pushed to her feet. "Okay, let's see what we have, make sure everything fits." She pulled a sweater from the pile and held it in front of Lidiya, studying it for a brief second before putting it to the side and choosing another. "These should fit you with no problem."
"Me?" Lidiya's shocked gaze dropped to the pile in front of them. Derrick had mentioned clothes but she hadn't paid attention, had never imagined this was what he meant. "These are for me?"
"Yeah. Derrick sent me shopping for you. In addition to the clothes, I got you some toiletries, too. Shampoo, conditioner, lotion, stuff like that. Men never think of things like that."
"I don't understand. Why would Derrick send you to buy me these things?"
TR held a pair of soft flannel lounge pants against her chest and studied Lidiya with a slightly bewildered expression. "He didn't tell you?"
Lidiya's stomach did a slow roll as the first fingers of dread crept along her spine. "Tell me what?"
"He's disappearing for a few days—and he's taking you with him."
Chapter Fifteen
They'd been driving for an
hour and Lidiya still didn't know where they were going. She'd asked TR but the woman had shrugged and said she didn't know. Did Lidiya believe her? She hadn't, not at first, not until TR had looked over and quietly told her that sometimes, it was better not to know too many details. There had been nothing sinister in the way she had said it but the words still sent chills racing along Lidiya's spine and caused her skin to prickle.
TR noticed, of course, especially when Lidiya visibly shuddered and wrapped her arms around her middle. The woman had offered her a reassuring smile, told her again that she could trust Derrick, then proceeded to carefully roll the new clothes and place them in an ugly dark khaki backpack.
The backpack now rested on the backseat of Derrick's truck, along with a second bag almost identical to it. In addition to the two backpacks, there was a case of water and several bags of food.
Not the kind of survival food that came in sealed plastic pouches but real food, recently purchased at a grocery store. Lidiya knew it had been purchased because she'd been with Derrick when he bought it, not long after they left his office.
She had balked at going into the store. The parking lot was surprisingly crowded and the thought of being around all those people made her nervous. No, she wasn't a total recluse—at least, she hadn't been—and she didn't suffer from any phobias, like a fear of people or public places. But after everything else that had happened the last few days, the idea of being out in the open, of having complete strangers jostling and pushing, made her nervous.
Survival instinct? Maybe. But it was just as likely that she was drained, mentally and emotionally. Drained and exhausted. She hadn't had time to process anything and she was desperate to isolate herself, to find space so she could think. So she could formulate a plan for what she needed to do then carefully review it and analyze it to make sure every detail had been carefully orchestrated.
She couldn't do that unless she had time to herself—even if all she managed to do with that time was sleep so her subconscious could begin working things out.
But Derrick had flat-out refused to let her stay in the truck, no matter how much she argued. He claimed it was for her safety but she had a feeling it was because he didn't completely trust her not to run as soon as he went inside. Not that the idea hadn't occurred to her because it had, but only for a fleeting moment. Yes, it would be easy to take advantage of his absence. She knew what she wanted to do—what she needed to do—in order to put an end to this game. But she was realistic enough to know that she needed to think things through all the way before acting.
Lidiya couldn't tell him that, though, not without admitting that whatever suspicion she glimpsed in his eyes was right. So she had let him help her down from the truck and followed him into the store for a whirlwind shopping expedition that had left her dizzy.
Now an hour had gone by and she knew nothing more about their destination now than she had earlier. Derrick hadn't talked at all, not one single word since they left the store. Music filled the truck, the volume low enough that it wasn't annoying or overpowering. It was an odd mix of country, classic rock, and jazz, none of which she would have expected from the man sitting next to her.
She wasn't even sure where they were going. North and west, she could tell that much from the placement of the sun overhead. But beyond that, she was clueless. They weren't on any highway or major roads so there were no signs she could look at, no way for her to get her bearings.
It was obvious that Derrick knew exactly where he was going and how to get there. He didn't use a map or the GPS, didn't pause before choosing one road over the other. Wherever they were headed, he'd been there before.
Lidiya had to trust that was a good thing.
"We still have a few hours to go. You might as well close your eyes and try to get some sleep."
"I'm not tired."
To her surprise, Derrick chuckled, the sound low and warm and over much too soon. He darted a quick look in her direction then turned his focus back to the narrow road they were currently on.
"When's the last time you had a decent night's sleep? Because I know you didn't get any last night."
Heat filled her face and she quickly turned away. She didn't know how to respond, didn't know if he was teasing her about what had happened between them or if the comment was nothing more than an observation.
A hand closed over hers, making her jump. Fingers squeezed hers—in reassurance, maybe?—then disappeared just as quickly. She was suddenly chilled, surprised at the need to feel the warmth of his touch again, to feel that strong hand curled around hers.
And she was surprised at how empty she felt now that the brief touch was gone.
Lidiya forced the unexpected feeling to the corner of her mind and shifted in the seat. "Where are we going?"
Derrick hesitated long enough that she didn't think he'd answer, not that she expected him to. In her mind, the question had been rhetorical, an attempt to make conversation and a way to fill the odd void between them.
Derrick's hand briefly tightened around the steering wheel, relaxed when he exhaled. "There's a place a few hours from here that I occasionally use to get away. It's isolated. Totally off-grid. We can camp out there for a few days, come up with a game plan that doesn't involve sacrificing yourself."
Lidiya's head swung around, her mouth parted in surprise. He knew? But how? No, it wasn't possible. How could he know? She'd only made her decision a short time ago, after he'd sent his friend shopping for her. After he'd told TR they were leaving. He couldn't possibly know, he was only guessing.
Derrick slid a quick look her way, turned back to the road—then looked at her again. Dark brows pulled low over eyes glittering with anger. He slammed his fist against the steering wheel, swore beneath his breath, then suddenly hit the brakes. The seatbelt caught Lidiya against the chest and jerked her back. He steered the truck to the side of the road, jammed the gearshift into Park, then turned in his seat and stared at her.
"Dammit! I should have known. Son-of-a—" His mouth snapped shut with an audible click, his jaw clenched so tight that the muscle in his cheek jumped. Once. Twice. Again.
Lidiya slid to the edge of the seat, getting as close to the door as she could. This was a side to Chaos she hadn't seen before, had never even guessed at. Yes, she'd sensed the warrior behind those vivid blue eyes. Yes, she'd known—on some basic level—that there was more to him than she could see. But she'd never expected the raw emotion and power rolling off him in suffocating waves. He wasn't simply angry, he was seething with fury—and it was directed at her.
But she wasn't frightened. Startled, yes. Wary, definitely. But not frightened—not for her safety, anyway. She knew he would never do anything to hurt her, knew it with a certainty that made absolutely no sense. Maybe that was nothing more than pure foolishness. Or maybe it was a sign that she'd finally crossed some line and was no longer entrenched in reality. Whatever the reason, she knew she was safe, knew he'd never hurt her. Maybe she'd come to regret that realization later, but she didn't think so.
"You were going to run, weren't you? When we were at the store." His words were calm, controlled, showing no sign of the anger she'd seen only moments ago.
Lidiya shook her head in denial. "No. No, I wasn't." Yes, she had thought about it, but she wasn't going to actually do it. Not then, not until she had a chance to carefully plan every step.
Could Derrick see the intent in her eyes? Probably. She shook her head again, started to turn away but he grabbed her chin in his hand, his touch oddly gentle, the heat of his fingers scorching her skin.
"What the hell kind of half-baked plan is rolling around in that calculating mind of yours, Lee?"
"I—nothing. There is no plan." She tried to move her head, tried to look away, but his gaze held her as immobile as the gentle hold on her chin. "And I wasn't going to run. Earlier, at the store. I wasn't."
One dark brow shot up, telling her more than words that he didn't believe her. "But you're planning s
omething, aren't you? Don't deny it, I can see the wheels turning behind those damn eyes of yours."
Lidiya kept her mouth firmly shut. There was no sense denying it, not when she knew he wouldn't believe her. Better to remain quiet and let him think what he wanted, instead of saying something that might give her away.
He finally released her and sat back, his gaze too intent, too watchful. "I have no idea what you're planning but whatever it is, don't do it."
Then he did something completely unexpected: he leaned forward and caught her mouth with his. The kiss was quick. Hard. Possessive.
And over before she had a chance to react. She was still sitting there, her trembling fingers pressed against her lips, trying to figure out what had just happened when he put the truck in gear and pulled back onto the road.
Twenty minutes later, she was still no closer to understanding why he'd kissed her. She finally gave up and closed her eyes, allowed herself to doze off in a fitful sleep.
And hoped the answers she needed would be there when she woke.
Chapter Sixteen
Derrick eased the truck to a stop, put it in Park, but left the engine running. He was worried that cutting the engine would wake his passenger, that the sudden change of background noise would pull her from the deep sleep she'd been in for the last hour. It was probably a baseless concern—Lee hadn't stirred at all, not even as the truck had bounced and swayed its way along what was essentially a small fire trail. The path was nearly-obliterated, overgrown and concealed by Mother Nature herself. Nobody passing by would notice it. Hell, even someone who knew what the hell they were looking for would have trouble finding it. He'd driven past it himself, and he knew where the damn thing was.
Still, he didn't want to take a chance of waking Lee by turning the engine off. Not yet, not when all he wanted to do was watch her.
And think.
What the hell was he doing? Running off. Bringing her here. Hiding, yes. Keeping her safe, absolutely. But there were at least a dozen different ways he could do that, none of which involved going off-grid in this isolated patch of semi-wilderness hours from civilization. They lived in a big country, heavily populated with the hustle and bustle of people jostling against each other as they moved through their daily lives. But there were still plenty of places where the ever-reaching hands of progress hadn't touched. Locations where people could disappear, whether by accident or design.
The Warrior: DERRICK (Cover Six Security Book 4) Page 12