Witness Pursuit

by Wadsworth, Joanne

  “Who the hell is after you? You can’t give me bits and pieces if I’m to protect you.”

  “You’re not protecting me, you stubborn mule.” She swung around and finished packing her bag.

  He would protect her. No one else but him would. He left, heading directly for the control room. Ben would give him the answers he sought. He’d hammer it out of him if he didn’t.

  6

  Lydia had five minutes max before Tyler realized she had the battery. Once he’d disappeared down the corridor, she snuck out her door then raced to his room. She slid the battery underneath his pillow where he’d find it after he bunked down that night and not a minute sooner. Yeah, that would make it too late for him to find out the information he wanted. She’d be gone before he did.

  Only what to do about their imminent arrival at Resort Island? She’d have to stay on the ship after it berthed. That was a given.

  She sighed.

  Why couldn’t her life be easier? Why couldn’t the Force’s detectives have hunted down the man who’d killed Johnny Taita by now? They’d had a year and her testimony, but still no workable leads. Hers was the most stagnant case ever.

  Bile rose in her throat as she made her room, an ill feeling that doubled after Tyler stormed in.

  “Lydia Sands. Battery now.”

  She backed away until she knocked into the wall.

  “I know what you’re trying to do.” His breath rushed in and out over tight lips.

  “Too bad. You’re not getting the battery.”

  Something beeped from his shirt pocket. He fished out a small black pager and read the screen. “That was quick. I told the captain to use the ship-to-shore radio to call Ben. It’s not private, but that won’t stop me from getting the information I need.”

  “No. No. No.”

  With a shake of his head, he stalked away. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”

  Breathless, she rushed after him. “My case is super-sensitive. Ben won’t talk about it over a radio.” All the way to the control room she pled and when he stopped, she bumped into his back.

  Her heartbeat tripped into high gear as the captain held out the RT.

  “Ben Hammers is waiting, sir.”

  Tyler thanked him and grasped it. Pressing the receiver button, he muttered, “It’s me. We need to talk.”

  “We’ll talk, but don’t be too hard on her. She’s scared, that’s all.” At least Ben ultimately understood her.

  “She stays here, and I won’t waver on that.”

  “Nonnegotiable, eh? Okay, expect B. We’ll play this hour-by-hour. If things change, she returns.”

  Hey, hey, that was not the answer she wanted. So much for Ben understanding.

  “How bad? I’ve gotta know.”

  “A storm brewing. She needs to stay in one…piece.”

  Tyler tucked her in front of him. His heat flooded her. “Got it. We’ll speak later.” He whispered in her ear, “Piece is a gun.”

  “I did say super-sensitive.”

  “Yes, you did.” Turning to the captain, he handed back the receiver. “Thanks, Cam.”

  He led her to the deck, to a deserted spot under the eaves, and turned her by the shoulders so she faced him. “Are you ready for fight number two? Because I want all the details of your case, and I want them directly from you.”

  “You are so obstinate.” She stroked his jaw, not sure how much longer she could hold out, particularly since Ben had said she’d stay. “I don’t want to involve you.”

  “You don’t have a choice. I’m invested because I can’t let you go, and this is more than about last night.” He captured her hand and drew it tight against his chest. “Something tells me I’m yours. I’ve felt that way since the beginning. I mean it, Lee. The feeling is imbedded so deep within me, I can’t explain it any other way. For my sake and yours, give in.”

  Her heartbeat plowed to a stop. Obviously contact with Ben would come once they reached land. And well, the truth would surely make Tyler walk away. His safety was all she cared about. Maybe making him hate her was the only way.

  “I can’t believe I’m going to tell you this, but the sat battery is under your pillow. Ring Ben, and then let me go.”

  He caught her between him and the wall as she tried to back away. “Now we’re getting somewhere, and I’m starting to see how your tricky mind works. Either you just took the first step in trusting me, or you want me to disappear.”

  “I’ve always trusted you, since the first time you saved my life. And yes, I want you to disappear. The sooner, the better.”

  “What do you mean I saved your life?” His gaze narrowed, his hands spread flat on the wall either side of her head.

  “A year ago I worked for a politician by the name of Jeffrey Lawntree.” He had to release her. It was the only way.

  He didn’t move, barely even breathed. “I see. Keep going.”

  “You know the name?”

  “Yes, from Ben’s interview with me following my shooting. It was the last case I worked on, not that I recall it.”

  “I’ve lied to you. We never went out on a date. I witnessed Johnny Taita’s murder.” Her words tumbled out in a torrent. “The young boy I cared for, his name was Jay.” Now he’d surely step back and leave.

  “Keep going.”

  She frowned. Okay, she’d try harder. “I’d just taken Jay to the corner playground. He ran ahead of me on the way home, and was inside when the car came.”

  “What car?”

  “The one that killed Johnny.”

  “And…”

  Her memory from that day returned with full force. “Johnny was leaving after a meeting with Jeffrey Lawntree. His car was parked beside the sidewalk, but Johnny got no further than the door of his–” She shook her head.

  “Keep going.”

  “Johnny was the son of John Taita Senior. Jeffrey had called their firm regarding a software line they sell. He wanted it installed on his home network. I’d never seen Johnny before that day.” Ice trickled through her veins, chilling her from the inside out.

  “Look at me.” He ran his finger under her chin, aligning their gazes. “Tell me exactly what happened next. I’m right here.”

  She gripped his shirtfront, holding on tight. “A silver sedan came screaming around the corner and hit Johnny head on. He flew through the air and hit the pavement just a few feet from me. His head was bent at an impossible angle. The car, it reversed–”

  The image of the killer driving that car would haunt her forever, just as the horror of that day did.

  Tyler’s lips parted and she focused on him. “You saw who killed him?”

  “Yes, as he saw me.”

  “Give me a description.”

  She drew in the longest breath. “He was thin, with scraggly black hair and slanted side burns. They were patchy, but almost down to his chin. His eyes were black and beady, his skin sallow, a sickly yellow color. His gaze speared right through me.” She pulled on his shirt, snapping off two buttons, which pinged the railing. Skin. She nuzzled between the folds, drawing in his scent to ground her. “It’s the same face of the madman who came back ten days later and shot you.”

  Her gut tied into a hundred knots as she recalled the day the murderer had returned. Tyler had snatched Jay off his tree swing at the first sound of the man scaling the fence. He’d pinned her and Jay to the oak’s wide trunk, but Tyler was too late. The lethal shots had already rung out and hit him while he’d raced them to the tree.

  “You’re doing fine. Carry on.” His gentle voice urged her on. “Don’t think of the terror you experienced, only of what I need to hear.”

  “I can’t stand this, but you saved my life and Jay’s that day, only from that moment on, I was moved into The Program. I have name suppression. Ben is my guard, and I follow his orders.” She kissed his skin, right there where she’d accessed. “You bled, and red ran like a river down your back and sides. I couldn’t wash your blood from my hands after the ambulance took yo
u away.”

  He bent and captured her mouth with his, his kiss tender. “Would you like me to show you how very much I live?”

  “You don’t hate me for what I’ve withheld?” She’d been so sure. “You should tell me to go.”

  “I can’t. You weren’t the one who held the gun. I’ll never hate you.” He undid the last of his buttons, pushed his shirt off his shoulders and turned his back to her. “Touch me if you want. They’re only scars and they’ve healed.”

  No matter that they’d slept together, showered even, she’d not once seen his back.

  Carefully she traced the three white lines, one at a time. The first was two inches long and slightly off center of his spine. The second was more jagged and intersected the third, which was to the side and three inches long. She leaned in. She shouldn’t do this, but she couldn’t help herself. She couldn’t walk away if he wouldn’t first.

  Touching her lips to the first scar, she ran her tongue along the line. Licking, she followed the path to the second and then the third, her hands firm on his hips.

  Peace stole through her as she stroked her tongue over his skin.

  They were healed and he was strong.

  She swayed, light on her feet as his muscles bunched under her hands.

  “Lee, you have to stop.” He glanced over his shoulder at her.

  “But I like it.”

  He smiled. “So do I, but parts of me are getting very hard at what you’re doing, and that can’t happen. I have to keep my head in the game.” He tugged his shirt back on and caught her hand. “Let’s go downstairs.”

  He led her to a private office on the second floor. Nico had told her no one used this room while they holidayed. He hadn’t showed her inside.

  “Go in.” Tyler swung open the door and nodded her toward the blue and beige pinstriped couch.

  Light streamed through cream blinds revealing a gorgeous ocean view.

  Lowering one knee to the white shag carpet, Tyler bent before a small safe beside the huge mahogany desk. “Obviously you’re not to speak a word of your case with my brothers. The most I’ll tell them is Ben’s requested I go active and to keep you in my sight, and out of everyone else’s.” He keyed the unlock sequence and removed a gun. Sweeping his fingers over his weapon, he checked the safety and rose. “You haven’t answered me.”

  “You didn’t ask a question.” She was used to Ben and Brigs carrying weapons, and Tyler had done the same a year ago. Except that fateful morning, his gun had been stowed in the bag he’d dropped into the trunk of his car.

  He tucked his gun into the back rise of his navy cargo shorts then grasped her hands. “You’re to stay out of sight.”

  “Yeah, I have that nailed down to a fine art.” She sighed as his shirt flapped free at the front. “Sorry about the two buttons.”

  “I’ll find them and you can sew them back on.” He tipped up her chin and kissed her. “In the meantime, come with me.” How could he have forgiven her so quickly? She’d been so sure of his anger, his hatred, but those emotions hadn’t even appeared, not a smidgeon.

  They took the stairs down to his room and Tyler shut them inside. He tossed his shirt on the couch then from his drawers removed another and dragged it over his head. His muscles rippled under the tight black cotton. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m surprised.”

  He guided her to the couch. “Tell me what else happened this morning for things to so radically change. Why is Ben now sending Brigs?”

  She pressed her sticky palms together. “There was a leak. I have name suppression, but today’s newspaper headline says Eyewitness in Johnny Taita Murder Investigation Turns Twenty-One, Along with Her Twin. Ben’s furious. He said out of the two-hundred and two people born the same day as me, ninety-eight are female. My sister and I are the only twins.”

  “Your sister is your twin?” He held up a hand. “Hold on. You never said that, not once.”

  “I know. I’m very protective of her. She had to join me in The Program. She’s my identical twin.”

  “So Ben cares for you both?”

  “Yes, because the killer knew where to find me. He saw me outside Lawntree’s property. It was why the police put a guard on me right after Johnny’s hit-and-run. They were covering their bases, but then the killer returned and shot you, and The Program took over. Ben continued with my case as my appointed Program guard.”

  “From now on, you remain glued to my side, and abide by any safety precautions I issue. Too much information has leaked, and if anyone wanted to surf the net, they could get a name, and in today’s computer age, an image would soon follow.”

  “That’s what Ben said. I know you think I’m staying, but I won’t involve innocent people. You’ve already taken three bullets for me, and I won’t allow that to happen again. I’m just glad you don’t hate me. I’d never ask for anything more.”

  “Hate doesn’t even come into the equation, neither does you leaving. You’re staying here.”

  “No, I’m not, and I’ll fight you on that.” She stood and made for the door. “Until Brigs gets here, I’ll do what you say, but only until then.”

  “We’ll see, and where do you think you’re going?” He fell into step beside her as she walked down the corridor. At the stairs, he moved ahead.

  “To collect some beach gear for Nico.”

  “You’re staying on board.” He halted her where the glass doors led to the deck.

  “Oh, look.” A long wharf jutted out from Resort Island, and at the top end of the walkway, a dark-skinned man with springy black hair waved them in toward a berth.

  “Here.” Tyler scooped up her hair and rolled it into a bundle before setting a black peaked cap from a side drawer over top. “If you’re in anyone’s sight, keep your chin down. We’re only a couple hundred feet from the beach. You go no further than the deck without me.”

  The captain reversed into their slot and the islander in his yellow shorts and polo with the resort’s logo emblazoned on it, snatched the end of a coiled mooring rope and tossed it to a crewmember at the stern.

  Wow. They were here. Such a striking white sand beach, and beyond a mass of palm and coconut trees swayed, giving a glimpse of the resort tucked behind. People lazed on the beach and dozens swam in the surf.

  “Hey.” Luke came around the corner and tugged on the peak of her cap. “We should celebrate your birthday in style with a huge party on the beach. What do you say?”

  Her heart lightened, and then dropped. There would be no party, no matter where or how, and one glance at Tyler’s stern look told her she was right. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

  Tyler drew her back against him. “We’ll think of something on board for later tonight.”

  No way. She had no intention of being here that long. Brigs had to take her away.

  Luke pointed at the beach. “Bro, something on board? You can’t be so cruel. It’s her twenty-first.”

  “She has to stay out of sight, Luke. All I can say is Ben’s sending Brigs and he’ll be here early this evening. I’m going back on duty and Lydia’s fully in my care.”

  She tensed at the finality in his words. He’d taken her protection a year ago just as seriously. She truly shouldn’t expect anything less now.

  Luke’s gaze traveled from his brother to her, realization dawning on his face. “Bummer.” He pulled his sunglasses from the top of his head and plopped them onto her nose. “Sorry about whatever’s happened. Tyler will look after you.”

  “Go and have fun for me, Luke.”

  “You got it.” He winked and shot off.

  She faced Tyler. “I don’t know how much time I’ll have left with you, but I’m willing to make the most of today while I can.”

  “We’ll have more than today. Come with me.” He released her and strode to the wide storage trunk to one side of the deck. After heaving the lid up, he eyed the compartment filled with fishing rods, tackle, surfboards, boogie boards and waterski gear.

&nb
sp; “I wish you’d listen to me. I don’t want to stay.” He had to see it wasn’t a good idea.

  Instead he leaned into the trunk, his cotton shirt rising in the back and baring the bump of his gun. “Could you grab what I pass you?”

  “Sure.” She yanked his shirt down then grasped the plastic buckets and spades. “Since I’m confined, I’ll go ring my sister. I keep missing her.”

  “Hold on.” He pulled back from the trunk and tossed her the sat phone from his pocket. “Call Saria from my room. I’ll pass on your regrets to Liam and Nico. Give me five minutes.”

  “Thanks, I think.” She raced to his room and grabbed the battery. The moment she inserted it, a signal popped up and she punched in Ben’s number.

  “Hello.”

  “Saria?” She perked up as her sister answered. “You’re who I’m after.”

  “Lydia. Hey, happy birthday, sis.”

  She grinned. “Happy birthday to you too.”

  “Lydia Sands, I swear you should have called me by now.” Okay, her sister had gone from pleased to huffy in one second flat. “Ben said he and Tyler spoke, not that I know Tyler, but I love the man simply because he saved your life. Ben said he’s taken over looking after you. What’s going on?”

  “He doesn’t remember me, although on some kind of emotional level, he does.” Clearing her throat, she glanced about his room. “We slept together. Last night.”

  “What? I’m sorry, but did I hear you right? You slept with Tyler Whitehall? You’re in The Program, and one you can’t escape from until a killer’s been found. There’s no way for you to have any sort of–”

  “I know, I know. It was just…sex.” She’d barely gotten that last word out.

  “Yeah, even I heard that lie. I take offense you’d even attempt that with me.”

  “How’s your studying going?”

  “And now you think to change the subject. Hello, you’ve known me for twenty-one years. That won’t fly either.” Saria let out a rush of air. “But I have to say, with Ben’s looming and all that’s gone on since you left, the study has gone surprisingly well. Did you hear about the midday news?”