Absolute Trust

by Piper J. Drake

  “You’ve been paying attention to who I’m dating?” Sophie’s tone turned sharp.

  Oops. “Well, you’re at the kennels on a weekly basis. And you talk to all of us. It’s not like you keep your dating habits a secret.”

  “I also don’t kiss and tell. It’s not like I’m waving my dating status around like a flag, either.” She was definitely sounding unhappy.

  “No.” He’d acknowledge it. “You don’t.”

  “Then why—”

  Forte’s phone rang.

  * * *

  “Hey, Forte, am I on speakerphone?” Ky came across the speakers via the rental car’s Bluetooth connection crystal clear.

  “Yeah.” Brandon didn’t mention Sophie’s presence in the car.

  Sophie considered speaking up but decided not to. Maybe Brandon had a reason for not using her name. She was fairly certain Ky knew Brandon was taking her away somewhere and obviously the two of them were in touch. But she had no idea how possible it was for someone to intercept the conversation or otherwise listen in to their discussion.

  “We had our K9 unit search the area.” Ky was all business on this call, his enunciation and cadence brisk. “They picked up a trail and followed it through a few of the neighboring apartment buildings, but the trail doubled back on itself. The perpetrator could be hiding out in any of those buildings or might have gotten into a vehicle and left the vicinity entirely. We’re not sure at this time.”

  Sophie drew her good leg up to her chest and wrapped her arms around it. The person who broke into her home was still out there. And the person probably wanted to hurt her, if not kill her. Since a bomb in her car was definitive, she really needed to get used to the idea that someone was trying to kill her.

  Brandon gripped the steering wheel, and even from the backseat, she could see his knuckles turning white. “So that lead isn’t going to turn up new information for you.”

  “Not at this time.” Ky sounded equally unhappy. “We’ve got descriptions on basic body build and height, but since he was wearing dark gear and had a hat on, there’s not a lot of chance we’ll catch up with him. We’ve done a door-to-door asking if anyone’s seen anything, and there are no hits. Whoever it was might even have changed clothes once he was out of sight. He managed to go unnoticed by every nosy neighbor in the complex.”

  Wow. Sophie wasn’t sure if even Brandon could manage that. Mrs. Seong had sharp hearing, and the elderly neighbor had called nine-one-one almost at the same time as Sophie because of the gunfire.

  “We did locate the bullet in the wall of Sophie’s apartment. That’s a priority with ballistics, and we’ll run it to see if there are any matches against any other crimes in the databases.” Ky let out a sigh. Sophie wondered if he’d been working around the clock on this. “We’re going to investigate Sophie’s former employer, too. I’ll let you know if we have anything new for you as soon as I can.”

  “Copy.” Brandon ended the call.

  “That’s it?” Sophie was startled. No questions?

  Then Brandon hit the button to roll down the driver’s-side window. Cold air rushed through the SUV and the air pressure buffeted Sophie’s ears. He tossed the phone out the window.

  “What are you doing?” Sophie sat forward and craned her neck to see where the phone landed. She thought she might be able to see it lying in the middle of the highway.

  “It was a disposable.” Brandon rolled up the window. “Or are you upset about me littering?”

  His eyes were framed by the rearview mirror, more brown than green in the dark of the night and barely discernable unless there was another car on the road to add their headlights to the reflection from the mirror. He’d been looking up into the rearview once in a while, and she was sure he was checking on her as often as he was checking for what was behind them on the highway.

  “At first, I was freaked because I thought it was your phone.” She pressed her lips together. “And I guess it makes sense to use a disposable. But I’m wondering how Ky knew to call you on the disposable number and how he’s going to call you in the future.”

  “What do you think?” Mild amusement tinged his voice.

  “I think you’ve got more than one disposable phone on you and Ky’s going to know the numbers of those the same way he knew the other one.” She considered for a moment. “How you coordinated the numbers and got them to him could be through too many possible methods for me to guess, but you can’t have bought that many disposable phones.”

  He didn’t answer.

  Miffed, she continued. “So if I go with my extensive knowledge gained by watching the occasional police procedural show, the disposable phones are to prevent anyone tracing our location with the GPS. Which is why you had me leave my smartphone back at Hope’s Crossing Kennels.”

  Brandon nodded, his gaze on the road ahead of them. “Exactly. And, granted, tossing the disposable phone out the window was on the dramatic side, but I did toss it hard enough to break it when it hit the asphalt. With any luck, somebody will run it over, too. I’ve got enough to cover us for the next few days. So we won’t be completely unreachable but a lot harder to track down.”

  Sophie leaned her chin on her knee. “And, yes, I’m somewhat concerned about you littering.”

  He chuckled. “I’ll arrange some community service to help clean up a park in penance after we get through all of this.”

  “Do you think I will?” Listening to Ky, the progress on the investigation didn’t sound encouraging. What if they never found the man who was trying to kill her? Mrs. Seong had told her about a new crime show on television that covered stalkers and the way those people hunted down the focus of their obsession until they eventually killed them.

  It was possible she had a stalker. Elisa had been able to get free of one only a few months ago.

  “We’ll take things one day at a time.” It was strangely comforting the way Brandon didn’t give her reassurances. Maybe other people would’ve wanted to hear that it would be all right. Or some ladies might want to hear Brandon tell them he’d keep them safe. His quiet, solemn voice colored with dark secrets and tempered with sincerity was certainly everything any romantic hero should have. But she didn’t want him to over promise or, worse, lie. “You should get some rest. Sleep, Sophie. I’m here.”

  Chapter Twelve

  We’re here.” Brandon put the SUV into park and slid out the driver’s side. “Hang tight while I see if they can accommodate an early check-in.”

  He walked around the side of the SUV and let Haydn out. He walked Haydn around the SUV once and left the dog sitting next to it with a single command: “Bewaken.”

  They’d driven through the night. Sophie had napped on and off along the way, tired but too wound up to sleep for long. Every time she’d awakened, though, there’d been Brandon driving. She’d asked a few times if he was okay, and each time he’d reassured her he was awake and fine to keep going.

  They stopped twice at rest stops.

  He’d walked her to the rest stop with Haydn at his side, then he and the German Shepherd Dog had checked over the SUV before letting her in again. Her new cat had protested once or twice along the way. Brandon had even experimentally taken her out of the carrier at a rest stop with a makeshift leash for her collar.

  She hadn’t run, thank goodness, and she had taken the opportunity to actually do her business. It’d surprised both Sophie and Brandon.

  Super convenient.

  At this point, though, it’d been a while since the last rest stop, and Sophie was ready to get out. Her stomach turned, queasy. Normally motion sickness wasn’t an issue, but sitting sideways across the backseat on the winding roads they’d driven in the past hour getting to wherever they were had been rough.

  The back of the SUV opened. She hadn’t even seen Brandon return, but it had to be him. No one else would’ve gotten past Haydn without a huge fight. And Sophie had seen Brandon’s dogs, dogs meant to serve as military working dogs. They could put u
p a real defense.

  “Haydn, over.” Brandon gave her a grin as she craned her neck to see him over the back of the seat. “Just another couple of minutes while we head to the cabin.”

  He closed the back and came around to the driver’s side. Seated, he started up the SUV again and put it into drive.

  “Our cabin has privacy, about a quarter of a mile away from the main house. There’s a lot of heavy woods in between, but it’s walkable along this road.” Brandon was in a good mood. “I think you’ll like it.”

  From the smooth ride, she was guessing the road was paved as opposed to the possible gravel or dirt. The woods they were passing were a mix of bare trees and evergreens. It made for a bare sort of beauty. A quarter of a mile wasn’t far, either. She could walk it if she took her time and wrapped her medical boot up with some plastic to keep it from getting dirty or wet.

  “I’ve asked them to deliver a late breakfast in about thirty minutes.” Brandon put the SUV into park. “It’d be best if you don’t go up to the main house unless absolutely necessary. They’re very friendly people, but they like to talk up their clients a little too much. It could get awkward, and I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

  Okay, so maybe she wouldn’t be walking the path for pleasure. He left Haydn to guard the car again while he went into the cabin. She guessed he was going room to room, clearing the entire building before letting her enter. Which was fine so long as he did it quickly because she had to pee.

  Brandon was there in minutes, though, opening the side door opposite her. “Ready?”

  She gave him a relieved smile. “So ready.”

  He tipped his head to one side. “You’d get inside and into your room faster if you let me carry you. If you walk, it’ll just take that much longer before you can pee.”

  When he put it that way, she could hold it a few minutes more.

  She set her jaw. “I can walk.”

  Amusement sparkled in his hazel eyes. He’d been teasing her again. She needed to work on not being such an easy target.

  She scooted her butt to the end of the seat and got out of the SUV carefully. It would’ve been worse if she’d tripped on her way out because he was still standing right there, ready to catch her. And he was justified; she’d done it in the past on two good ankles.

  With that in mind, she did place her hand in his to steady herself. His palm was warm and ignited tiny sparks under her skin, waking up the proverbial butterflies in her stomach.

  The air was still cold, but the humidity had the hint of lingering autumn in it. She smelled the faint aroma of apples baking mixed in with the rich tang of evergreen and the earthier scent of fallen leaves beginning to break down on the forest floor.

  These weren’t Pennsylvania woods. They’d driven south for too many hours to still be in the same state, but the trees here weren’t too much different.

  “This place is nice.” She wasn’t certain what Brandon was excited about, but he definitely had a smug look about him with a hint of a smile playing around the corners of his mouth. “You like cabins where there’s a clearing, right? So you can see what’s coming from far away?”

  Brandon placed a hand on the small of her back and encouraged her to start moving into the cabin. His fingertips rested against the curve of her spine and triggered more tickling sparks up her back and down her tailbone. “Yeah. This cabin sits in the middle of this clearing, so there’s the same space all the way around. Makes it harder to sneak up on the building. I’ve got a few Bluetooth cameras with me from Cruz so I can set up some surveillance.”

  As he’d been talking, he’d been herding her toward the front door without actually rushing her. She took it at her pace but she didn’t drag her feet, either, since he was so excited. The outside of the cabin was a lovely wood finish. From the windows, she’d guess it was more of a one-story rancher.

  “I’ll bring in your cat once you’re settled. I want to set up a cat litter for her before I bring her in because she’s going to want to go somewhere.” Brandon continued to talk about unpacking the SUV, but Sophie was distracted from the minute she stepped inside.

  The cabin or rancher or whatever it was called was huge on the inside, much roomier than the impression she’d gotten seeing the front. The foyer floor was set with cool, flat, walking stones leading in a curving path toward the back of the house and a large kitchen with an open layout. To her immediate right was a sitting area equipped with a settee and chairs arranged around a low coffee table. To her left was a living room with a couch and a pair of armchairs arranged facing a large stone fireplace. There was even a stack of real wood on the hearth, ready for a fire to be started in the fireplace.

  “Rooms this way.” Brandon urged her forward and farther into the rancher, past the living room area and down a small hallway. There were four doors, and she sort of wanted to open each one individually. But he coaxed her past the first set of doors. “Half bath and a linen closet.”

  Okay, fine, maybe not as interesting, but she still planned to come back and poke her head in when she had time to explore the place at her own pace. The last two doors were both open, looking into two rooms.

  Their floor plans were mirrored in design, big enough to each have a king-size bed and…

  “Do these rooms share a bathroom?”

  Brandon sighed. “Yes, but you’ll have your private space.”

  Because there were two bedrooms.

  “Which one would you like?” Brandon asked.

  He wasn’t planning to share a bedroom with her.

  All that planning with Lyn and Elisa was going to be for nothing. Those kisses, the way he’d coaxed her into melting under his mouth; they were just supposed to be ignored.

  Seriously?

  Like hell.

  She stepped away from him without entering either of the rooms. Turning to face him, she folded her arms across her chest and prepared to break open the topic. If she didn’t, she was going to let it slide for the rest of the trip, and if she let this go now, she’d regret it.

  “Did you kiss me the other night?”

  Brandon’s expression immediately went blank, but he didn’t look away. “Yes.”

  “Did you intend to?” This was an opportunity for an out if he wanted to take it. She’d be irritated and hurt, but it was a salvageable moment.

  “Yes.” There was an intensity in his voice, one that was new to her.

  She kept her own tone calm even though the answer to her next question was one she was afraid to hear out loud. “Do you regret it?”

  “No.”

  Relief flooded through her, but her belly was still wound up tight. There were still more questions, more things to straighten out, and some of them had waited since the day of high school graduation to be answered. She’d planned to see him in the evening after the ceremonies, waited for him to come to her house. And when he hadn’t shown up, she’d gone looking for him, starting with their favorite meeting place along the route to their bus stop. Finally, she’d gone directly to his house, only to discover that he’d already left for basic. He’d had to have known in advance and he hadn’t told her he was leaving. He hadn’t said good-bye.

  But she’d start simple and get to those when she was ready to reopen those old hurts. “So why? Why are we sleeping in separate rooms?”

  Brandon dragged his hand through his hair, a sure sign he was frustrated and unsure. “Because you’ve been through a lot this week. And I want you to rest, heal, recover. All those things are going to happen faster if you have your own space. You should take the time.”

  Oh no. There were a lot of things she should do, ought to do, like call her family. But she hadn’t for the first time in her memory. She’d placed her trust in Brandon. And now she was so frustrated she could hardly breathe.

  She choked out a laugh. “You’re so damned good at giving all the orders. Telling other people what to do. I’ve done exactly what you thought was best, and now I’m standing right here.
Well, here’s some instructions for you. Step up or get out of the way.”

  He frowned at her. “What do you mean?”

  Here she was, in a romantic cabin tucked into the woods with him and he’d just told her to choose her own room. What the hell?

  “You’ve been trying so hard to keep us in stasis. Friends. And you care about your friends, protect them. That’s just great, Brandon. But you’re a colossal cock block, too. Either step up and address this thing between us. Say it out loud. Acknowledge how much I’ve loved you since we were in freaking high school!” She sucked in a deep breath and gave him a hard stare. “Or get out of the way and let me figure out if I can possibly deal with the idea of finding happy with another man.”

  Somehow, the words had been different inside her head, but what came out felt more true to her heart. She’d spent a lot of years not even considering other men because he was the focus of her heart and mind. He’d been everything to her.

  “Is that what you want? Me to get out of your life?” His brows drew together, and his face had flushed. His hands balled into fists.

  He wouldn’t hit her. He’d do damage to himself before ever coming close to hurting her. But he trusted her enough to let her see his temper rising. Trusted her to be around him.

  And there was still a damned wall of friendship between them. If he wasn’t attracted to her in that way, she could’ve understood. But his kiss hadn’t been chaste and hadn’t been uninterested. There’d been hunger to match hers, and she needed him to acknowledge it or tell her she was wrong. She needed it to be spoken, even if it wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

  She shook her head, angry tears beginning to burn her eyes. “No, I don’t want you out of my life. Not ever! But this pretending to just be friends is killing me. It’s dooming us both to a lifetime of the friend zone, and I sure as hell don’t want to live the rest of my life celibate—not with you around, doing insane things to my libido just by standing there. And I can’t even stand the idea of you touching another woman…”