by Cynthia Eden
“What kind of chatter?”
Austin put a finger to his lips. “Top secret. Do you just drink coffee for breakfast or do you actually have food in that kitchen?”
Holding up her hand, she ticked off each finger. “Bagels, cereal—the healthy kind—eggs.”
“If it’s okay with you, I’ll toast a bagel. Cream cheese?”
“Just butter.”
“I can work with that.” He circled into the kitchen, immediately making the space feel even more small and cramped than it was.
She pressed her back against the counter, sliding her hands behind her. “Bagels in the breadbox, next to the toaster.”
Her phone buzzed on the counter and she checked the display. A knot tightened in her belly. “It’s Morgan O’Reilly, one of Dr. Fazal’s nurses.”
“Aren’t you going to answer it?”
“I—I’m not going to say anything about you.”
“That’s right.”
She blew out a breath and answered the call. “Hi, Morgan.”
The woman sniffled. “Oh, my God, Sophia. I can’t believe it. Was it a robbery? Is that what the cops are calling it? They told me the office was trashed.”
“It was, but I don’t know if anything was missing. I expect the cops will want Ginny to do an inventory of the drugs.”
“We didn’t have that many drugs. I could think of a few offices that would have a lot more than us.” Morgan blew her nose. “We’re going in today, Anna and I. The cops told us we could come in after noon. Do you want to join us? You’d know as much as we would if something was missing.”
“Yeah, yeah, if the cops said we could come in.” She reached across the kitchen and nudged Austin.
“I think they want us to start picking up the pieces to see what’s what.”
“I’ll definitely be there.”
She glanced at Austin, who nodded as he dropped two halves of a bagel into her toaster.
She and Morgan comforted each other with a few more meaningless words, and then she ended the call. “We’re all meeting at the office after twelve o’clock.”
“Are the police going to be there? Is it still a crime scene?”
“I don’t know. Since they gave us a specific time, maybe not.” She turned toward the counter and poured the coffee into two mugs. “Were you planning on coming along?”
“I’ll go with you, but I’m not going into the office. I don’t want to explain myself to the Boston PD. Remember—” he pinched a bagel half between two fingers and tossed it onto a plate “—I’m not supposed to be here.”
“Milk? Sugar?”
“Black.”
She carried both mugs of coffee to the table and sat down. “Do you have a car?”
“It’s at my hotel. I walked to the office.”
“Your hotel is downtown?”
“Just a few blocks from Dr. Fazal’s office.” He sat across from her, putting the plate between them. “Do you want the other half?”
She picked up one half of the bagel and bit into it. The butter ran down her chin and she swiped it away with her fingers. “What’s the plan?”
“I’m going to drop you off at the office where you can have a look around with the others. If you see anything out of the ordinary, take a picture for me.” He tapped his chin. “More butter.”
Her face warm, she jumped up from the table and ripped two pieces of paper towel from the rack. In her sweats and T-shirt with butter dripping off her chin, she must’ve presented an appealing picture. Not that she’d ever cared what kind of picture she presented before this hot navy SEAL had landed on her couch. Who knew she’d ever be attracted to a military guy, since she usually avoided authority figures like the plague.
When she returned to the table, she waved a paper towel in front of him and he snatched it from her.
She wiped her chin with the other. “Where are you going to be while I’m sifting through the office?”
“I’m going to pick up my laptop at the hotel before I drop you off.” He plucked the white T-shirt from his chest with two fingers. “Shower and change, and then I’ll find a nice Boston coffeehouse where I’m going to do a little research on Peter Patel.”
“Then should we come back here?” Her gaze darted around her small apartment, which had been her first real home.
“Absolutely not. This place is compromised.” He swallowed the last bit of his bagel and dragged the paper towel across his mouth. “You can stay at the hotel with me…for now.”
She gulped a mouthful of coffee. “How long is this twenty-four-hour protection going to last? I have a life—sort of.”
“Until we can figure out who murdered Dr. Fazal, why and what they want with you.”
“Couldn’t that take years?”
Austin’s green eyes flickered. “It’s not going to take years, and I know Dr. Fazal would want us to protect you so any life you have can be put on hold for your own safety.”
“Maybe this is all some big mistake.” She collected the plate and her coffee cup. “It could just be a robbery turned deadly.”
“Could be, but I doubt it. Not after the chatter we heard involving Dr. Fazal, not given Fazal’s background. I’m sorry, Sophia.” He pushed back from the table and took the dishes from her hands, his fingers brushing hers. “Why don’t you get ready, pack a bag, take what you’ll need for a week or two.”
“A week or two?” She raised her eyebrows.
“To be on the safe side.”
He kept using that word—safe—but she didn’t feel safe at all, not when her world had just been turned upside down for the umpteenth time in her life.
“Give me about half an hour, and help yourself to another bagel.”
In her bedroom, she grabbed the new pair of jeans she had been planning to wear on her date last night and a red sweater. She slipped from her room to the bathroom and ran the water to warm it up. She dropped her sweats on the floor and then touched the edge of the toothbrush Austin had used last night.
There hadn’t been many toothbrushes perched on the edge of the sink like this in her life. When she dated, she tended to keep the guys away from her apartment. It had taken her a long time to have a space just for herself after all the foster care living, and she didn’t take it for granted.
Still—she dropped Austin’s toothbrush next to hers in a cup—that one looked right.
She showered in a matter of minutes, keeping her hair on top of her head. She dressed in front of the mirror and shook out her hair, the black locks dancing loosely around her shoulders. She ran her hands through the strands, keeping the messy look. She didn’t want Austin to think she’d tried too hard with her appearance.
She gathered her sweats and tucked them beneath one arm. Poking her head out of the bathroom door, she called out. “Just give me another fifteen minutes to pack up a few things.”
“Take your time.”
She sniffed the warm, buttery aroma in the air and stepped into the living room, still clutching her dirty clothes. “Did you toast another bagel?”
He came out of the kitchen with a plate in one hand and waving a fork in the other. “I made some eggs, too. Sorry, I was starving. Do you want some?”
“No, thanks, and you don’t have to apologize for eating.” Her gaze tracked over his solid form. A bod like that needed more than a half a bagel to fuel it.
“I’ll be done before you finish packing.” His eyes widened and he pointed the fork at her. “You look…more relaxed. Are you feeling better?”
“Not much.” She pressed a hand to her belly. “When I think about Dr. Fazal, I feel sick to my stomach.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” He dropped his gaze to the plate of steaming scrambled eggs. “I understand.”
His low voice
vibrated with emotion. He must’ve lost a few of his fellow SEALs in combat.
“But if we can do something to find his killers—” she hugged her clothes to her chest “—that will make me feel better. Justice is sweet.”
“Justice is…justice.” He stabbed a clump of eggs with his fork. “Start packing.”
She accomplished the task in twenty minutes and when she came into the kitchen, Austin had washed and dried all the dishes.
“Wow, a navy SEAL and handy in the kitchen. Thanks.”
He snapped his fingers. “Nothing to it. I grew up on a ranch with three brothers and two sisters, and we were all expected to do the chores—outside and inside.”
“A ranch?” She nudged one of his cowboy boots planted firmly on her floor. “That explains these. Where’s the ranch?”
“Wyoming.”
“Never been there.”
“You’re a city girl, huh?”
She shrugged. “Never had a chance to be anything else.”
“Ready?” He took the handle of her wheeled suitcase. “My hotel first, and then I’ll drop you off at the office. We’ll get you there by twelve fifteen.”
“Hang on.” She charged across the room and swept the framed photo of her and Dr. Fazal from the TV stand and stuffed it into the side compartment of her suitcase.
As they got to the door, she turned and took in her small apartment, her first place all to herself, her refuge.
“You’ll be back.”
The reality of her situation hit her again when Austin crouched beneath her car to search for bugs. He popped up, brushing the seat of his jeans. “Just want to make sure they weren’t busy in the night.”
“And were they?”
He spread his empty hands in front of her. “Not this time.”
He slid into the driver’s seat since he’d be dropping her off. It felt strange giving over so much control to someone so quickly, but she almost felt like her life depended on it—and maybe it did.
As they got closer to downtown, her stomach tightened into knots. Could she return to the place where someone had shot and killed Dr. Fazal?
Her phone buzzed and she peered at the screen. “I think it’s the Boston PD.”
“Answer it.”
“Hello?”
“Ms. Grant? This is Detective Marvin.”
“Yes, hello, detective.”
“We’re done collecting evidence in the office, and you’re free to return.”
“One of the nurses already told me. We’re all meeting there after noon.”
“Good. Let us know if you come across anything.”
“We will.”
“And, Ms. Grant?”
“Yes?”
“Dr. Fazal shot himself.”
“No!” Her hand curled around her phone so tightly, the edges cut into her palm. “That’s ridiculous. You saw the office.”
Austin had put his hand on her thigh, his eyebrows raised to his hairline.
“I said he shot himself. I didn’t say he committed suicide. We’ll look at all possibilities.”
“Nothing you say will make me believe Dr. Fazal killed himself after upending his own office.”
Austin had sucked in a breath.
The detective ended the call and Sophia reported to Austin what he’d said. “Someone could’ve shot him and then placed the gun near his hand, right?”
“Yes. Without seeing the evidence report, it’s hard to figure out what happened.” He squeezed her leg. “It’s like I said before, Sophia. Dr. Fazal would’ve taken his own life before he’d allow himself to be questioned and probably tortured.”
“Before he’d give up what they wanted? Because we know they wanted more than his death. You said that yourself.”
“I still believe it.” He tapped the windshield. “I’m in the next block.”
He wheeled her car into the circular front drive of a large chain hotel. “I’ll check with the valet to see if we can leave the car here for thirty minutes.”
Austin exited the car and cleared things with the valet before waving at her. Seemed as if the attendant had a hard time saying no to Austin, too.
Austin popped her trunk and the valet lifted her suitcase and laptop from inside. Austin pressed some money into the valet’s hand and grabbed her suitcase.
They breezed past the reception desk and landed in front of the elevator. He punched the button and looked over his shoulder. “That’s another good thing about having you stay here. You don’t have to check in and leave a trail.”
What was the other good thing? She let that question pass as she stepped into the elevator. “Leave a trail? You mean, like a credit card? I know enough not to use a credit card if someone’s following me.”
“Doesn’t matter if you pay with cash. It’s that interaction. Until we know who we’re dealing with, we have to expect a high level of sophistication. They’ve already identified and bugged your car, located and broke into your apartment. These are no amateurs.”
“And killed Dr. Fazal.” She slumped against the wall of the elevator car.
“They’re not going to get away with it.” His jaw tightened and a glitter of anger sparked in his green eyes.
She could almost believe him, but people got away with stuff all the time. She’d had a couple of sets of foster parents who’d gotten away with plenty.
The car finally stopped on the fourteenth floor, and the doors whisked open. She pressed the button to hold the doors open as Austin wheeled her bag out of the elevator. She followed him halfway down the hallway, and he stopped in front of a room across from the ice maker.
He fished a card out of his pocket and held it up. “Home sweet home for the time being, although I’ve spent all of ten minutes here.”
He slid the card home and pushed open the door, holding it open for her. When she crossed the threshold, her gaze skimmed across the king-size bed. Was this the other good thing about having her stay here?
He parked her suitcase in the corner and transferred her laptop from the top of the suitcase to a desk by the window. “That sofa folds out to a bed, by the way, and I’ll be bunking there.”
She shouldn’t have expected anything less from this chivalrous cowboy, even though she’d never met anyone quite like him.
“It’s your room and you’re a lot bigger than I am. You keep the bed and I’ll take the sofa bed.”
“We’ll figure it out later.” He shrugged out of his jacket. “Right now I’m going to shower and change. We have an hour before you need to be at the office.”
“We’ll have plenty of time. The office isn’t far from here.” She stood at the window, pressing her forehead against the glass. Somewhere out there, Dr. Fazal’s killers lurked, waiting for their chance to strike at her. Could she trust Austin to protect her?
Biting her bottom lip, she turned to watch him pulling clothes out of his suitcase. Right now she didn’t have a choice.
He glanced up, folding his arms over a pair of jeans. “Are you okay? I won’t be long. You can help yourself to the minibar, courtesy of the US government.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ve had enough from the government. I’m good.”
He disappeared into the bathroom, and she plugged in her laptop and powered it up. She scrolled through her emails and tripped across another one from Tyler, the guy she’d stood up last night.
They’d been chatting back and forth for a few weeks and had met face-to-face over coffee. She at least owed him an explanation. She composed a quick email letting him know a friend had passed away unexpectedly and they could reschedule later if he was still interested.
She clicked Send and then buried her chin in the palm of her hand as she wedged her elbow on the desk. Was she still interested?
The bathroom door opened behind her, followed by a burst of citrus steam. She twisted around in her chair.
Austin peered at her from the folds of the white towel engulfing his head. “I left my shirt in here.”
Lucky her. As he toweled his hair, she tried not to stare at the muscles that rippled across his bare chest and abs.
He tossed the towel onto the bed and crouched in front of his suitcase, pawing through the contents. “I’m glad I packed some long sleeves and flannels. It’s still cold even though spring’s right around the corner.”
She took in his back and the way his broad shoulders narrowed to his waist in a perfect V. The man didn’t have an ounce of fat on his body.
He twisted his head over one of those broad shoulders and heat crested over her face. She turned back to her laptop on the desk. “Yeah, cold for spring.”
He whistled some tuneless melody and slammed the bathroom door several seconds later.
She covered her still-warm face with both of her hands. She needed to get a grip. Austin probably had a wife and children—he still looked young. Navy SEALs had families, didn’t they? He would. He seemed like the God, country, family type all over. She’d already checked out his bare ring finger, but that didn’t mean anything. He probably removed his wedding ring on assignment. Hell, he probably used his stellar hotness to gain cooperation from female witnesses like her.
She spun around when he returned to the room, his coppery brown hair damp and shiny, his face freshly shaved.
“How often do you do assignments like this?”
“Assignments like this?” He cocked his head. “What do you mean?”