Star Witness

by Lisa Phillips

  “Hi, Eric.”

  He nodded. “Mackenzie. How are you?”

  She motioned behind her. “Let’s go to my office.”

  He followed her in and sat in one of two chairs in front of the desk. Castoffs from a doctor’s office. The whole room was smaller than the closet she used to have before she became a federally protected witness.

  The brothers weren’t much older than her, she didn’t think. Eric wore the air of authority that came with the marshal’s star badge with ease, while his predecessor had been a burly guy with a gray goatee and a thing for barbecue ribs.

  Eric shifted in his chair. “How are you?”

  Mackenzie poured Eric a cup of coffee. “Do you think Carosa still wants to kill me, even after all these years?”

  He took the cup from her. “If you weren’t in danger anymore, you’d have been released from the witness protection program. Carosa is still out to kill you for testifying against his brother.” He took a sip and sighed. “I don’t want you to be unaware of the reality of the situation. But I did run a check with immigration this morning, and to the best of our knowledge, he’s still in Colombia.”

  “So he didn’t shoot at me.” Why wouldn’t the nausea in her stomach ease? This wasn’t about her past. “It was someone else.”

  “The police think your slashed tires and the attempt on your life were both the work of a local gang. Maybe someone with a grudge against the work the center does with teens, getting them off the streets.” He gave her a small smile. “Apparently the car belongs to the brother of Hector Sanchez.”

  Hector was a regular visitor to the center. “So I might be in danger, but not from Carosa.”

  “Unless your identity is revealed. If anyone discovers who you really are, or your picture gets in the media, you’ll be pulled out of Phoenix.” Eric sighed. “We don’t want to jump the gun, but the Marshals Service is dealing with an internal investigation right now. It doesn’t directly relate to your case, but it’s why I asked Aaron to keep an eye on you.”

  Mackenzie squared her shoulders. “I could leave on my own.”

  “If you do that, I can’t protect you. You’ll be leaving the cover of WITSEC and effectively opting out of the witness protection program. That’s why Aaron is here.”

  She squeezed the bridge of her nose. Hadn’t she atoned enough already for the person she used to be? For years she’d been so careful to adhere to every rule for life and living. It was as though it didn’t even matter.

  Eric’s mouth curled up into a sad smile. “I really am sorry you’re caught up in this, Mackenzie. I know it’s the last thing you need. But I’m sure the police will resolve it quickly, and Aaron will make sure you’re safe in the meantime.”

  He shouldn’t be sorry. She was the one who’d gotten herself in this mess in the first place. It might have been a case of wrong place/wrong time that caused her to witness a double homicide. But she’d only been there because she’d thought being famous was the ultimate life. Now that the man she testified against had been killed in prison, she should have been able to get on with her life.

  Would she ever be free?

  Mackenzie squeezed her eyes shut. It was as though God wasn’t done punishing her for her selfishness. She read her Bible every day, and when she had made up for what she’d done in her former life, then she would allow herself to fully accept what Jesus had done for her.

  “You can trust him, Mackenzie. Aaron won’t let anything happen to you.”

  “He’s right. I won’t.”

  Aaron filled the doorway. Mackenzie stared at him, trying to figure out what it was that made him so much more compelling than his brother. It couldn’t be physical. She chuckled. “You really look a lot alike.”

  * * *

  Aaron glanced at Eric, and they both shook their heads. He’d never seen what people meant when they said that. Apart from the blond hair and blue eyes, their similar features, they were completely different. Aaron’s nose had been broken more times than he could remember since he first went skydiving on his eighteenth birthday, whereas Eric liked to read.

  Aaron turned to his brother. “You have the picture of the guy after Mackenzie?”

  Eric nodded and handed Aaron a file. Clearly he hadn’t liked the idea of showing Aaron a picture of the brother of the man she put in jail, but Aaron didn’t want the guy walking up to Mackenzie on the street and pulling a gun before he even recognized the threat. “You know I don’t like going in blind. Ever.”

  Eric shrugged, as though Aaron’s discomfort didn’t much bother him. “And you know I can’t tell you anything. If Mackenzie wants to share, that’s up to her. But legally I can’t divulge the details of her case. We don’t even know for sure the shooting is related. In fact, I’m with the police on this one. I don’t think this is anything more than someone with a grudge against the center. Albeit a dangerous grudge.”

  Mackenzie came around the desk. “So I can tell Aaron about me if I want, but I don’t have to and you’re not going to?”

  Eric nodded. “In this instance, it would be okay for you to tell him. And, honestly, he can better protect you if he knows.”

  Great. Aaron wanted the details. How was he supposed to protect her when he didn’t even know what the threat was? And she wanted to keep her secrets? That had the potential to kill both of them.

  Aaron glared at her and then said to Eric, “I need to know.”

  Only Eric didn’t look as if he was going to give it up. He said, “I can’t even confirm whether or not the woman in this room is, in fact, in the witness protection program. As far as you know, she’s a friend of mine who has a man in her life who wants to do her harm.”

  “Right.” Aaron studied the photo in the file. Middle-aged man, Hispanic, his hair sprinkled with gray. Aaron committed the image to memory the way he’d done with so many photos of targets before, and then passed the file back to Eric.

  “You need anything else?”

  “Can’t think of anything.” If Mackenzie wasn’t going to tell him, Aaron would have to get the information some other way.

  Although he would settle for a shoulder that didn’t scream with fire every time he moved it the wrong way.

  Eric frowned. “I’m sorry I can’t tell you how long this will take. I have to go on as if nothing is wrong until we find the leak, but if we hit the point when you have to go back on base, we’ll have to deal with that when it comes.”

  “I called my C.O. this morning, so he knows that for the time being I’m involved in something.” And hadn’t that been a fun conversation? His commanding officer was known for his brevity, but at least Aaron now knew that Franklin wasn’t doing any better than he’d been before Aaron went on leave.

  “My lunch break is almost over.” Eric turned to Mackenzie. “Be safe, okay? Listen to Aaron. He knows what he’s talking about.”

  * * *

  The door shut. Silence stretched out into a minute as Mackenzie and Aaron stared at each other. He looked as though he was expecting something, but she didn’t know what. Or she just didn’t want to admit she might know what he wanted her to say.

  There was a light knock at the door.

  “Kenzie?” Eva stuck her head in and glanced between Mackenzie and Aaron. Her full lips tipped up on one side in a half smile. Mackenzie’s friend was probably more than confused about the second of two strange men she’d seen with Mackenzie today. “You okay, girl?”

  Blood raced through Mackenzie’s veins, and her cheeks warmed. “Sure.”

  Eva’s eyes gleamed. She’d be digging later to find out who Mackenzie’s male visitors were. Why couldn’t her life be boring? Instead Mackenzie had been dragged into this strange play where she didn’t know her lines.

  “What’s up?”

  “We’re a teacher short. Chris h
ad to rush out. The day care called, and his son, Tim, is puking everywhere. The kids in the blue room are waiting for their voice lesson. I need you to cover.”

  “No. I can’t do it.” Paperwork, yes. Answering phones, yes. Fund-raising, no problem. Sing in front of people again? No way. That could get her killed.

  Eva’s lips thinned. “There’s no one else.”

  Mackenzie glanced at Aaron, but he was pressing buttons on his phone and hadn’t seen Eva’s face. She looked back at her friend. Eva was the opposite of everything Mackenzie tried to be—sparkly and loud. But right then Mackenzie’s closest friend—which wasn’t saying much, since they usually only saw each other at work—wasn’t happy, to say the least.

  “I can’t do it.”

  “Kenzie, do you think I don’t know what you’re hiding? Do you think I haven’t figured it out?”

  “I—” It wasn’t possible. Mackenzie had worked too hard for too long for her secret to get out now. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Girl...I heard you sing.”

  “What?” Mackenzie sucked in a breath. “When?”

  “Do you think I’m stupid?”

  “Of course not.” How could Eva think that?

  The other woman’s eyes softened. “About a month ago I left my phone here. It was late when I came back to get it. I heard you, playing piano and singing to yourself.”

  Mackenzie didn’t know what to say. It didn’t spell total disaster, but her voice was distinctive. She had assumed she’d be safe just working in the office. After all, she’d set the center up. Wasn’t that enough to balance the scales? She’d come to terms with the fact that music couldn’t be part of her life anymore, except in secret. Now she wouldn’t be able to sing at all, not even when she thought everyone was gone.

  Why did that hurt?

  Eva’s head tipped to the side. “You know, you kind of sound like—”

  Please don’t say it. “I know.”

  “They’re already in the blue room waiting. Please. There’s no one else.”

  Mackenzie sighed. “There’s a ton of work to do in here.”

  It was an excuse, but she had no interest in being the person she used to be. Not again. And she would do everything she could not to fall back into that trap of selfish, wild living. The only thing those days of youth had done was set her on a collision course with this life of hiding and secrets.

  “Kenzie—”

  She bit her lip. “Okay. I’ll go and oversee things. They can practice, and I’ll just make sure it doesn’t get out of control.”

  But there was no way she was going to sing in front of the kids. No way on earth.

  Eva beamed as if it was Christmas morning. “Great.”

  Mackenzie rolled her eyes, but Eva didn’t see because she’d already breezed out the door. It was only one class. Surely disaster couldn’t happen that fast.

  “Hold up a second.”

  Aaron stopped her with a hand on her arm. Mackenzie looked down at his fingers on the sleeve of her sweater. She could feel his heat through the material and it struck her that she’d never felt anything so warm. His hands were strong, his nails trimmed short, and his little finger was bent as though it’d been broken and not quite set straight.

  She looked up at his face. “The kids are waiting.”

  “We still need to have a conversation. I know what Eric said, but if I’m going to have the best shot at protecting you, then I need to know what happened.”

  “Fine.” Even though Mackenzie had no intention of telling him anything about who she used to be.

  He apparently didn’t buy it, because he said, “If you don’t, I will absolutely walk. I have to know what I’m up against.” The hint of a smile gleamed in his eyes. “Who knows, I might surprise you.”

  “I don’t like surprises.”

  FOUR

  Aaron leaned back against the wall, listening to a teen girl singing. There really was no other way to keep an eye on Mackenzie without it looking as if he was doing exactly that. Diligence was the only thing that paid off. Faith in a higher being to solve all his problems was nothing but a childish dream. Not when in one split second everything could go wrong and no matter how hard he tried to fix it, someone still got hurt.

  He rubbed a hand down his face, dismissing the memories of heat and sand...and blood.

  He loved the spontaneity of being Delta Force, though there was a shelf life to the career. Retreating just didn’t sit well with him, but when it was that or put his teammates in danger because he couldn’t admit he was slowing down...there wasn’t anything to it. When the time came, Aaron would just finish up his days and move on with the confidence he’d done his duty to Uncle Sam.

  Aaron was almost to his mid-thirties, so it was past time to start thinking about fallback options. Especially considering the fact his team hated him at this point. When he got back, there wasn’t going to be much of a working relationship between them all if they didn’t trust Aaron anymore.

  They’d banded together around Franklin, which was the right thing. Aaron didn’t fault them for giving their support to their blind teammate. Franklin would need it. But did they have to reject Aaron in the process? Hadn’t it just been a mistake? A horrific one, sure, but he was only human. Didn’t they know that?

  “What do ya say?”

  Aaron glanced down the hall where a teen boy in a white T-shirt and saggy jeans crowded a younger girl against the wall.

  “I’m not sure.” The girl’s voice was a nervous murmur. “I don’t think—”

  The boy’s face hardened. “Not the right answer, babe.”

  Aaron sauntered over. “Hey, what’s up, guys?” They both turned to him. The boy’s face hardened and the girl’s eyes went wide. “Is there a vending machine around here? I’m really craving a soda.”

  The girl’s face washed with relief, even though the boy hadn’t stepped back. She pointed down the hall behind Aaron. “In the kitchen. They’re a dollar, but if you hit the top three buttons on the left and the bottom right one at the same time, an orange soda will drop out.”

  The boy looked at her. “Why would you tell him that?”

  “He’s Ms. Winters’s new boyfriend. I saw them together earlier.”

  The boy looked back at Aaron. “For real? You’re Ms. Winters’s new boyfriend?”

  Aaron nearly rolled his eyes at the third degree from a kid who apparently thought his teenage self was something everyone needed to take note of. Was that what he had looked like at that age? Aaron must have seemed ridiculous. It was a wonder his foster parents hadn’t laughed at him.

  Aaron looked at the girl, admittedly a little intrigued. “Does Ms. Winters have a lot of boyfriends?”

  “I think you’re the first.”

  “How long have you been coming here?”

  “Like, four years.”

  That was interesting. So as far as the kids knew, Mackenzie didn’t date. At all. Maybe it wasn’t just him who noticed the air of “I’m hiding something” that she wore. Or he only saw it because he knew she was in witness protection.

  Aaron lifted his chin to the boy. “You might want to back up a step there, champ. Give the girl some breathing space.”

  The teen’s eyes narrowed and he moved forward. Aaron’s body tightened in readiness.

  “Is everything okay?” Mackenzie appeared beside Aaron, bringing with her the scent of cotton candy. She looked at the girl. “Megan?”

  “Everything’s fine, Ms. Winters.”

  Aaron watched the boy step back and wondered how Mackenzie managed to generate that level of respect just by smiling.

  “Class is over, so your sister is waiting for you.”

  The girl scurried around their huddle and disappeared arou
nd the corner into the room where Mackenzie had been teaching. Aaron turned back to see Mackenzie had closed in on the boy. “You take care, Hector.”

  Hector? This was the kid whose brother had shot at them on the street?

  “I don’t need advice from you.” Hector stepped back, motioning with his fingers.

  Aaron moved to shut down whatever the kid was about to do, but Mackenzie stopped him with a hand on his chest. “Let him go. He’s dealing with enough.”

  “Like an older brother who tried to kill you yesterday? I’m surprised he even showed up.” Aaron blew out a breath. “You shouldn’t let him disrespect you that way.”

  Mackenzie frowned. “You don’t think these kids understand love, or kindness?”

  “Trust me, they have one currency and that’s respect. Nothing else gets through to them.”

  “You sound as though you know what you’re talking about.”

  Aaron shrugged. “Same world, different city.”

  “Maybe you could tell me about it later.”

  “Why? So you can feel as if you know me?” He shook his head. “I’m not one of those kids.”

  “I know that. Aaron, I just—”

  “Thought we should be friends? Is that what you want? Or do you want me to keep you safe from the guy who wants you dead? Because you can’t have it both ways. That’s not how this works.”

  Mackenzie stepped back and her face blanked. “I’ll be in my office. Try not to start any more fights, okay? I’m only going to grab my purse.”

  He followed her, unwilling to mess up the only thing that would keep Eric’s respect when he found out Aaron was responsible for the failed mission and his teammate’s medical discharge. He watched her switch off her computer and shut out the lights. The other woman who worked there—Eva—met them in the lobby.

  “So I’ll meet you at the restaurant? Or are you going home to change first?”

  Aaron glanced between them. “What’s this?”

  Mackenzie sighed. “I forgot to mention it. I’m really sorry, Eva.”