Cover of Darkness (Witness Security Book 3)

by Jamie Hill

  She smiled, and headed for the closet.

  * * *

  Addie couldn’t figure out where the hell they were going. Nick seemed to be driving around in circles. Just when she was getting ready to ask, he pulled into a driveway and punched the button on a garage door opener. He drove straight in then lowered the door. Another Jeep was parked inside.

  She stared at him in the darkened garage. “That took long enough.”

  Nick grinned. “Welcome to the world of Witsec.”

  She glanced back at Ben. “I think I’m going to get tired of hearing that.”

  He smiled. “You’ll learn to love it. Or at least tolerate it.”

  “Yeah.” Addie snorted and climbed out of the truck. As she followed Nick to the door, Ben came up behind and placed one hand on the small of her back. She nearly swooned. Their night together had been amazing, and while she’d been wishing it never had to end, this wasn’t exactly what she’d had in mind.

  He spoke quietly in her ear. “We have to drive around at least ten to fifteen minutes to make sure we aren’t being followed.”

  Addie nodded, feeling stupid she hadn’t thought of that herself. She had a lot to learn about the witness protection program. But now that she’d met Ben, she was eager to dive in and find out all she could.

  In the house, she saw Mitzi and the marshal she recognized as Nick’s wife, pacing in the living room.

  “Hey,” Nick greeted them. “How’s it going here?”

  “Awful!” Mitzi complained. “I can’t believe we have to leave already. Where’s the security in this ‘Witness Security’ program?”

  The pretty marshal rolled her eyes. “It’s going fine. She’s packed and good to go.”

  “Thanks.” Nick touched her arm. “Jo, you haven’t met the ADA assigned to the case. This is Addie Decker. Addie, this is Marshal Jordan Burke.” He gave a small grin. “AKA my wife.”

  Addie extended her hand to Jordan. “Good to meet you, Jordan. You must have the patience of a saint.”

  Jordan laughed. “I see you’re getting to know my husband. A heads up, I wanted to kill him numerous times before I wanted to marry him.”

  “I get that. I’m glad you worked it out. I’m also glad I have Ben as a buffer.”

  Nick’s smile widened. “Ben’s a great buffer. In fact, I hear Ben’s great at just about everything. What do you think, Addie?”

  She smiled at him sweetly. “I think I see why your wife wanted to kill you. Go ahead and thank Ben now. I expect he’ll be the only thing keeping you alive after a couple of days of us being confined together.”

  Ben moved between her and Nick and looked at Jordan. “God help me. It’s gonna be a freakishly long week.”

  Mitzi folded her arms across her chest. “Is anyone here concerned about my safety? I’m the one they’re after. Do you think we should, like, leave?”

  Approaching the window, Ben peered out between the slats of the blind. “We really prefer to travel under the cover of darkness, but I don’t think that’s an option now. We’ll leave, but be advised we’ll be driving around a while to make sure no one is following us.”

  Jordan nodded. “I’ll trail you for a bit, then I’ll call when I think the coast is clear.”

  Ben picked up Mitzi’s bags and looked at the witness. “Let’s get these loaded and we’ll put a vest on you.” He glanced at Nick. “Do you have two extra vests in your truck?”

  “I’ve got one,” Nick replied.

  Jordan added, “I’ve got an extra. You can grab it out of the back of my Jeep.”

  “Thanks.” Ben motioned Mitzi toward the door, then glanced at Addie.

  She nodded. Addie could tell Ben was trying to give Nick and Jordan a few moments alone before the team went underground. She headed to the door and glanced back long enough to see Nick pull Jordan into his arms for a passionate kiss. As ornery as he was, or obnoxious, maybe playful, the man seemed to love his wife very much.

  Will I ever find that kind of love? It was the fairytale stuff every girl’s dreams were made of. The perfect man, who’d come riding in to sweep her off her feet.

  Real life is never that romantic. And there was no such thing as the perfect man. Life had taught her that, the hard way.

  Addie stepped into the garage and pulled the door closed behind her. Let Nick and Jordan have this time. Their jobs were dangerous and stressful. They deserved every minute they could snag together.

  Ben was helping Mitzi with her bullet-proof vest. Once hers was on, he turned to Addie with another. “Here you go.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t need—”

  Ignoring her, he dragged it over her head, then paused to pull her hair out of the back. He looked into her eyes. “Yes, you do.”

  Addie’s heart zinged. The look on his face was pretty close to a fairytale. She needed to mind her heart, very carefully. “Whatever you say,” she whispered.

  He smiled and waggled his eyebrows. “Remember that for the future, will you?”

  She could only laugh. He was too damned cute for words.

  Ben ushered her and Mitzi into the back seat of the truck.

  Mitzi looked down at her black vest and sighed. “I can’t believe this. Do you really think we’re in danger? I mean, I’ve been living in fear for the past six months. But this seems like, I don’t know, imminent danger. They’re laying it on thick with the ‘cover of darkness’ cloak and dagger stuff.”

  Addie shrugged. “I think they’re just being extra cautious, Mitzi. They’re trying very hard to keep you safe.”

  “Can’t fault them for that I guess.” She picked at a string on her vest. “They’re both so frigging hot.”

  “Nick is married,” Addie said quickly, and then wondered why she responded so defensively. He was a big boy. He could speak up for himself.

  Mitzi waved a hand. “Lots of people are married. That doesn’t mean they might not be looking for some fun, or warmth and companionship.”

  Addie gazed out her window. Of course some people felt that way, or the divorce rate wouldn’t be so high. She did not agree. Married means unavailable.

  “The other one isn’t wearing a ring,” Mitzi continued. “He’s cuter too, with that shaggy dark hair and bedroom eyes. He seems like a real gentleman.”

  Addie’s gut and teeth clenched at the same time. He’s not available either. Ben would tell the woman as much if the subject came up. But what if he wasn’t given the choice? What if she cornered him, flaunting her naked body in his direction? He was just a man. How would he react to that?

  Depressing, horrible thoughts filled her mind. She didn’t know Ben, not really. Maybe she wasn’t a special case. What if he slept with lots of the women he worked with? One-night stands might be a regular thing for him.

  He opened the truck door and climbed in, then turned to them. “We’ll be going in just a minute.”

  She tried to rein in her feelings and remember how little she actually knew about him. But when he gazed at her with those deep brown eyes, memories of their night together came flooding back. Somehow she knew he was a gentleman, as Mitzi had suggested, and not a scoundrel who would sleep with anything in a skirt. She could just tell.

  Addie batted her eyelashes and offered a small smile. “Thanks.”

  He smiled back, his eyes twinkling.

  Her heart melted.

  Nick slipped into the driver’s seat and fastened his seatbelt. “Everybody ready?”

  “Ready as I’ll ever be,” Mitzi muttered.

  He chuckled and waited for Jordan to back her Jeep out. He went next, and pushed the button to lower the garage door. “Settle in for a ride. We’re trying to make damn sure this location remains secure so we don’t have to do this many more times.”

  Addie leaned back in her seat and tried to make small talk. “So, Jeeps and trucks are the preferred vehicles of US Marshals?”

  Nick glanced at her in his rearview mirror. “Oh, hell no. Most of them drive black or si
lver SUVs. Don’t ask me why.”

  “That’s pretty much all you see,” Ben agreed. “Last fall in California, the number of SUVs at LA Witsec was staggering. I’m not sure how they told their vehicles apart.”

  “You guys are rebels, then,” she teased.

  Ben chuckled. “That’s us to a ‘T’. Rebels.”

  Nick chimed in, “If we were any more rebellious we’d be on Harleys.” He checked his rearview mirror. “Ben, you see the white Buick riding my ass?”

  “Sure do. Should we have Jordan give us the tag number?”

  Nick pressed a button on his steering column, triggering his cell phone.

  Addie heard a dialing sound before Jordan answered.

  “You rang?”

  “Hey, baby. You’re on speaker. Can you read the license plate of the white Buick on my tail? I’ve given him plenty of opportunities to back the fuck off and he just doesn’t seem to get the message.”

  “It’s a Kansas vanity plate that reads ‘Hotshot’. Benji, it’d be quicker if you texted Doug and had him run it.”

  “Texting,” Ben said as his fingers flew over his phone buttons.

  Jordan added, “Why don’t you pull into the gas station up ahead and we’ll see what he does?”

  Nick replied, “I don’t want to get blocked in somewhere.”

  “You won’t. Just pull in. If he follows you, keep going out the other side. If he doesn’t, I’ll trail him for a while.”

  “Okay. Be careful.”

  “You too, Hotshot.”

  Nick grinned and pulled into the corner gas station she’d mentioned.

  Addie looked behind them as the white car traveled down the road, with Jordan’s Jeep on his tail. “He kept going,” she said.

  “All right, then.” Nick waited a couple of beats before pulling back out, a distance behind Jordan. “We’re behind you, baby.”

  Jordan snorted into the phone. “Do you call every female you work with ‘baby’ or is that little gem reserved for me?”

  “Only the females who wear my ring.”

  Ben glanced at Nick. “Did that narrow it down?”

  Nick shook his head. “Fucker.” He caught Addie’s eye in the mirror. “Sorry.”

  She laughed. “What? I’ve heard it before. I’ve actually even said it before. And Mitzi owned a sex club, so I suspect she’s heard it too.”

  Mitzi shrugged. “Heard it, said it, did it. You name it.”

  Ben rubbed his temples. “Sweet Jesus. This is exactly what I was hoping to avoid.”

  “Prude,” Nick muttered jovially.

  Jordan came through on the phone, “Are you people giving Benji a hard time?”

  Nick started to respond but Ben held up one hand. “Text from Doug. The Buick belongs to an anesthesiologist here in town. Doug says, ‘Get it? Hotshot’.”

  “Yeah, we get it.” Nick shook his head.

  Jordan added, “The hotshot just turned into the medical center. I don’t think he’s a threat.”

  Ben continued reading his phone. “Doug says a hit man probably won’t drive a car with vanity plates.”

  Nick rolled his eyes. “Tell Doug to shut the hell up. I couldn’t see the tag from the front.”

  Ben texted back then said, “I told him that, in pretty much those same words.” He held his phone up so Nick could read it.

  Nick read aloud, “F.U.” He laughed. “Perfect. Thanks.” He glanced around the neighborhood once more. “Jordan, it looks like we’re good. I’m heading to the house.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” she replied. “Stay safe y’all. Talk to you soon.”

  “You too, Jo.” Nick ended the call. “Ben, I think the coast is clear, but keep an eye out.”

  “Yep.” He pocketed his phone and looked out the window.

  Addie smiled to herself. The camaraderie these people shared was evident. Working with them might be dangerous, but they totally had each other’s backs. She had no doubt they’d have hers as well.

  Plus, they were fun to be around. She’d already figured out that Ben had a quick wit. He meshed well with his partners, who all seemed to share the same sense of humor.

  She leaned back and folded her arms across her chest. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad, being the ADA assigned to work with the Topeka Witsec office. She could think of worse assignments, with much stuffier counterparts.

  Ben caught her eye and smiled before turning his attention back to their surroundings.

  Addie sighed. Nope, this might not be bad at all.

  Chapter Four

  Kansas City, Kansas

  “Any results yet?” He sipped a stiff whiskey, sitting on the veranda overlooking his massive backyard.

  “No, Mr. D. He’s been warned, but that’s all we were able to do.”

  “I’m sure you realize that doesn’t please me.”

  “I’m sorry, sir. The feds have him in a solitary block. He’s being watched pretty closely after the last incident.”

  “Which didn’t exactly please me, either. If that incompetent Jacobs had been on his mark, we wouldn’t have this problem any longer.”

  “He got one of them, sir.”

  “So fifty percent is the goal we strive for now?”

  “Of course not! I’m sorry, Mr. D. I didn’t mean…”

  “I know what you meant. Quit stumbling over yourself, Acres. Cultivate another insider ally, and see if we can’t get this situation taken care of, once and for all. After what happened in Atlanta, I expect they’ll try to move the trial up. Which means the DA will make one last stab at flipping Ryan North. If that happens, nobody is going to be happy, starting with me. Remember which direction shit flows, Acres.”

  “Oh, yes, sir. I definitely remember. Thank you, sir.”

  He ended the call and tossed his phone on the table next to him. Acres was a putz, but he knew he could trust the man. He appreciated the loyalty. He just wished the guy would man up, and didn’t sound like he was pissing his pants every time they talked.

  With a chuckle, he downed the last of his drink and snapped his fingers for another. It wasn’t long in coming. Wealth has its privileges. One of them being able to snap his fingers and have someone know what he wanted. Life is good. For the most part.

  * * *

  Topeka, Kansas

  Ben wandered through the safe house, making sure the windows were secure and that everything looked to be in place. There were three bedrooms, which was usually the norm, and it worked fine because he and Nick would sleep in shifts. He gave the back two bedrooms to Addie and Mitzi and placed his bag in the front room next to Nick’s.

  “Don’t unpack,” he told the women. “It’ll make it easier if we need to leave quickly.”

  “This is ridiculous,” Mitzi muttered. “You don’t make me feel all that secure.”

  Nick smiled at her pleasantly. “We could leave if that’d make you feel safer.”

  She scowled. “Or you could catch the creeps that are threatening me so I can go back to my regular life. I didn’t ask for any of this.”

  Nick shrugged. “Sorry, sister. Our job is to babysit. We don’t get to play crime fighter on this one.”

  Ben stepped in between them. He shot Nick a look, then turned to Mitzi. “We know you didn’t ask for any of this, and we’re sorry for what’s happened. But he’s right, we’re doing what needs to be done to keep you safe. If we get the sense that this place isn’t cutting it, we’ll pick up and leave again. Whatever it takes.”

  She rubbed her hands over her upper arms. “I know. It’s just frustrating, is all. I’ve been on pins and needles for the past few months and I thought things might get better coming here.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not sure why you thought that. The time between now and the trial will be the most dangerous, for you and Ryan North. The cartel is anxious to take him out and make this all go away.”

  Mitzi made a face. “I wish they would.”

  Addie gazed at her with surprise. “That’s an
unkind thing to say.”

  The older woman’s eyes flashed. “North and his partner killed two of my friends in cold blood. I’m supposed to forgive him, and feel sorry because some drug dealers are threatening him and want him dead? Not gonna happen. I wish for him the same treatment he gave Dave and Tricia. A little slower and more painful, maybe. He deserves it.”

  “Wow.” Addie blinked and turned away. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go over some of my case notes.” She walked to the back of the house.

  Mitzi rolled her eyes. “Somebody needs to tell little Miss Goody-Two-Shoes how things are in the real world.”

  Nick stepped forward. “Look, you’re entitled to your opinion and I honestly can’t blame you for the way you feel. I might feel the same way myself. But the ADA doesn’t come from the same world that you and I do. So maybe, just for the sake of getting along, you could go easy on the verbal ‘wishing him dead’ stuff?”

  She gazed at Nick levelly. “So you think you come from the same world that I do? Exactly what world is that?”

  He shrugged. “I have no idea how you grew up. Personally, I grew up on the streets of Chicago with an absentee father and a mother who drank too much and still does, God bless her. I just know the world that you were working in when this all went down. You’re tough and I’m sure a very classy dame. You’ve seen more in your life than she’s probably read about in books.” He nodded toward the hallway Addie had walked down. “She’s smart, and I’m sure she’s tough in her own way. I can’t wait to see her courtroom skills in action. But just for now…” He raised his eyebrows questioningly.

  Mitzi nodded. “I get it. My mother raised me to be a lady, and my father taught me that I don’t need to speak every thought that pops into my head. That’s come in handy over the years, I assure you.”

  Ben smiled and when Nick caught his eye, they nodded at each other.