by Jamie Hill
Mitzi glanced at him. “So what about you, Wonder Boy? Did you have a troubled childhood that shaped your personality and made you the marshal that you are today?”
He chuckled. “Not quite. I grew up in a two-parent family with a brother and a dog and not much to complain about, except maybe my mom cheering too loudly for me at my football games.”
“Ah, one of those.” She waved him off.
Nick snorted. “Talk about your Goody-Two-Shoes. Christ, the saccharin is dripping off your lips as you speak.”
“Whatever.” Ben shot Nick a look but knew his teasing was good-natured. He was trying to make himself look better in Mitzi’s eyes. Nick was happily married, but playful flirting was just something he did. Everyone who knew him got that. He could only hope Mitzi knew it was all in fun. “Excuse me.”
He walked down the hall and found Addie sitting on the edge of her bed, flipping through folders. “Hey,” he said softly.
She glanced up and smiled. “Hey.”
“Sorry about that. Mitzi’s agreed to rein herself in. Not sure if that’s actually possible, but she said she’d try.”
“I heard.”
He raised his brows.
Addie smiled. “Yeah, I was listening at the doorway. I’d be scared the meet the mother who taught that woman to be a lady.”
He laughed.
Addie stood and faced him. “You think it’s safe to leave those two alone?”
“Nick’s all talk. My read on Mitzi is that she’s pretty much the same. They both act bold and tough, but when it comes down to it, I think she’s scared.”
“Scared enough that she’ll need to be comforted by a pair of big, strong arms?”
Ben chuckled. “Nick would never…in a million years. He went through too much to be with Jordan. I know that with every fiber of my being.”
Addie reached out and fingered his collar. “And if Nick isn’t interested, I wouldn’t put it past her to turn to the one marshal who’s unattached.”
He felt his face heat. “Uh, no. That’s not going to happen.”
“She thinks you’re hot.” Addie pressed the issue. “She already told me that.”
He saw something in her eyes that he couldn’t quite identify. Nervousness? Concern? Whatever it was, he liked it. It bolstered his confidence. “That’s flattering, but it doesn’t change anything. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her, but that’s all I’m here for.”
Addie released his shirt and nodded. She seemed slightly reassured. “Good.”
Ben’s mind warred with his heart. He wanted to say more, about not feeling so unattached. But it was too soon, and they’d suddenly found themselves in a ridiculous situation for two people who’d just spent one amazing night together. Their first, he hoped. First of many.
She cleared her throat. “And by the way, you’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. Growing up in a happy family may not be the norm these days, but it’s what every child deserves. Don’t let anyone make you feel guilty because you weren’t raised with a bunch of angst.”
He blinked. “I don’t. Why would you say that?”
Addie gazed into his eyes. “I told you, I was listening. Nick Pierce growing up under bad circumstances doesn’t make him a better, or a more savvy, US Marshal. His experiences shaped him, but yours shaped you, too. He’s sarcastic and bitter. You’re compassionate and caring. Those are good things.”
Ben smiled. “Well, thanks. I guess there’s room for nice guys. But the tough ones seem to do better, go farther, and advance quicker. You’ve had to see some of that in your line of work.”
“Oh, sure. I’m just saying, don’t idolize him so much. You’re great exactly the way you are.”
Ben’s face heated for the second time in as many minutes. “I don’t idolize him.”
Addie winked. “Whatever you say. I just call ‘em like I see ‘em.” She moved away and as she turned, he noticed a little extra sashay in her hips.
With a small smile he gazed up and down her body appreciatively. “I should leave you to your work.”
“I don’t have that much to do. You could stay.”
Ben glanced around the small bedroom. The only place to sit was the full-sized bed. An alarm echoed in his head. Danger, Will Robinson. He took a step back. “No, I really can’t. I should go into the other room. I’m stuck on level three-forty-six of Candy Crush. I’ve got five lives waiting for me.”
Addie smiled. “That is important. You go ahead. I’ll see you later.”
He grinned at her. “Not much choice. But yeah, you will.” He walked out, his feet dragging because he really didn’t want to go. He wanted to close the door and pull Addie onto the bed.
Ben shook his head. Thoughts like that weren’t going to help him get through the week. He needed to stay focused on the case and alert to their surroundings.
Nick and Mitzi were playing cards at the kitchen table as he passed through. He paused long enough to see what game.
“Texas Hold’em?” Nick glanced at him and motioned to an empty chair.
They were using pretzels instead of chips. Ben chuckled and shook his head. “Too rich for me.”
He checked all the doors and windows for security once more. Then, choosing a seat where he could see both the front and back of the house, he pulled out his phone and punched up his game. It was a mindless distraction, but sometimes that was just what he needed. He certainly couldn’t afford to be distracted by Addie, as much as he liked the idea. They were working, and the job came first. He kept repeating it, over and over in his mind. His head got it. The rest of his body wasn’t so sure.
* * *
Addie shuffled papers around for another half hour. She’d need to begin trial prep with Mitzi, but it could wait until later. They were all a bit stressed and on edge from the morning’s events. She stood, returning the files to her briefcase before pocketing her phone and heading to the front room.
Ben glanced up from his game. “You hungry? I thought about checking the cupboards and seeing what our choices are for lunch.”
She shrugged. “Sure. I’ll help.”
He rose and tucked his phone into his back jeans pocket. “Good. I’ll let you.” He placed a hand on the small of her back and walked her into the kitchen.
Nick and Mitzi were munching on pretzels as he returned a deck of cards to its box.
“Who won?” Ben asked.
“Don’t ask,” Nick muttered jovially.
Ben glanced at Addie. “Tells me all I need to know.”
“Yep,” she agreed.
Mitzi smiled and looked at Addie. “Hey, sugar. I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I’m not really sorry because I still mean it. But I shouldn’t have said it out loud.”
Addie shook her head. “No need to apologize. I know you think I’m a prude or a Goody-Two-Shoes or whatever you called me, but that’s really not true. I understand your feelings. Since I’ve been practicing law I’ve tried some real scumbags, and it gave me great pleasure to put them away. I’ve just never wished death on anyone. It seems harsh.”
Nick rose. “It does, and Mitzi agrees. We’re only going to think happy thoughts from here on out.”
Ben snorted. “We’re going to figure out what we’ve got to eat.”
Nick nodded. “See? Now that makes me happy.”
Addie opened cabinets while Ben checked the contents of the freezer. They didn’t have much fresh food but were stocked with frozen items and non-perishables. Between the two of them they prepared a beef stir-fry meal and got out some chicken and noodles to fix for dinner.
She was pleasantly surprised that the conversation over lunch was so…normal. Nick and Mitzi seemed to be on their best behavior, politely discussing the weather the house, and of all things, sports.
“The Royals are having a great season,” Mitzi commented about Kansas City’s baseball team.
Nick snorted. “Yeah, they can have their dream until the series, when they’ll likely meet up with
my Cardinals. We all know how that’ll end.”
Her eyes twinkled. “Talk about dreams! It’s not even July yet. So you’re a St. Louis fan?”
He nodded. “I lived there for six years. The Cards are an easy team to love, unlike those up and down Royals.”
Mitzi sniffed haughtily. “Fair weather fan.”
Ben chuckled. “I don’t follow religiously, but I know the Royals are doing pretty well this year. Granted, they haven’t had a lot to brag about over the long haul.”
Mitzi glanced at him. “Not a baseball aficionado? What about football? The Chiefs are looking good on paper.”
He looked at Addie and shrugged.
She smiled and shrugged back. She knew enough to engage in conversation when necessary, but wasn’t a big sports fan, either.
Mitzi shook her head and said to Nick, “No baseball, or football? What the hell do they do?”
A wicked grin crossed Nick’s face but before he could reply, Ben cut him off.
“We work like fiends, that’s what we do. No time for that other stuff.”
Still smiling, Nick added, “Yet you’re on level—what? Three hundred of Candy Crush Saga?”
“Three-forty-six,” Ben corrected.
“I’m only on level three hundred,” Addie confided.
Nick and Mitzi exchanged glances.
Addie couldn’t help but smile. When the mealtime chatter wound down, she said, “We’ll need to start trial prep this afternoon. I think we should put in a few hours each day to make sure you’re ready.”
Mitzi sighed. “What exactly does that involve?”
“Telling your story, and then telling it again. We’ve got to go over it detail by detail.”
Nick frowned. “Why should she have to do that? We all know what happened.”
Addie replied, “We do, but the jury doesn’t. North’s lawyer will try to trip Mitzi up at every turn. He’ll take the slightest slip and drag it around until the jury thinks she’s not a reliable witness because she can’t keep her story straight.”
Ben nodded. “So the details need to be clear in her mind.”
“Crystal clear.” Addie gazed at Mitzi. “You got it?”
“I’ve got it. I’ll be ready whenever you are.”
Addie stood. “I’ll just get these dishes cleared, then we can get started.”
Ben rose and took the plate from her hand. “Nick and I will do the dishes. I don’t think either one of us needs to hear the story again.”
Nick agreed. “And again, and again, and again. No thanks.”
Smiling at Ben, Addie then cast her glance at Mitzi. “All right. Shall we get going?”
They poured over details for more than three hours. They veered off track a few times, Addie noticed Mitzi had a habit of doing that. But she was always able to steer the woman back to the subject at hand. By the end of the afternoon, Addie was confident they’d put in a good day’s worth of prep.
They strolled to the living room where Nick watched a game show on TV. She glanced around, but there was no sign of Ben.
“Taking a nap,” Nick commented without looking up.
“Excuse me?”
He looked at her. “Ben. He went to take a nap. When we’re under, marshals take turns sleeping in shifts.”
“Oh. I see.” Addie nodded, slightly embarrassed she was so transparent.
He smirked.
She looked away. Addie shuffled some more paperwork around in her briefcase while Mitzi joined Nick watching TV.
Her stomach growled sometime later, reminding her it was dinnertime. She returned to the kitchen and began preparing the meal they’d partially thawed. Nick and Mitzi joined to help, and Ben arrived just as they placed dinner on the table.
Nick chuckled. “The man has a nose for food.”
Ben grinned. “Call me anything, just don’t call me late for supper.”
They ate and talked, and had finished with everything cleaned up before seven p.m.
Mitzi yawned, mostly out of boredom, Addie guessed. “I’m going to turn in. I don’t want to burn up all the excitement the first day.”
Nick folded his arms across his chest. “Look at it this way. You could be on the run from the people who don’t want you to testify, hiding out in some smelly warehouse with nothing to eat and not a pot to piss in.”
She blinked. “Sounds like that comes from experience.”
“Oh, yes it does. We’ve been in dangerous situations more times than we care to count. So this may be boring to you, but believe me, Ben and I appreciate the boredom.”
Ben gave an enthusiastic nod.
Mitzi smiled. “Since you put it that way…” She turned to walk down the hall. “It’s still boring, but I’ll quit complaining about it. Night all.”
“Good night, Mitzi,” Addie called.
Ben echoed her words.
Nick watched until Mitzi’s bedroom door closed. “Can’t please everyone.” He shrugged. “But she’s right. This is boring as hell. I’m going to go shoot some obscene texts to my wife.”
Ben chuckled. “Make sure you use the right number. Wouldn’t want to send those to the chief.”
“Ha!” Nick cackled as he strolled down the hall.
“Good night,” Addie said. She looked at Ben. “How can he use his phone? I thought we weren’t allowed.”
He nodded. “We have special devices on ours, blocking the GPS from anyone who might try to read our signals.”
She stuck her lower lip out in a pout. “I want that.”
Ben planted himself in front of her. “It’s pretty pricey, but if you’re going to be working with Witsec maybe we can check into it. Your boss might like to have the access.”
“My boss? Nah. I was thinking more like my mom.” Addie smiled. “She’s texted me a couple of times today. I haven’t replied, of course, but I’m feeling guilty. And she’s going to wonder when I don’t answer her.”
He nodded. “We should probably get word to your boss, and he can let her know you’re working on a case. She can’t know exactly what, of course.”
Addie sighed. “I should have called her before we left, but I was rattled and completely forgot. She won’t worry as much during the week, but when the weekend rolls around and she hasn’t heard from me, things could get bad.”
“We won’t let that happen.” He smiled. “So what about you? Turning in for the night?”
She glanced around. “It’s seven p.m. I doubt I could sleep.”
Ben waggled his eyebrows. “We could watch a movie.”
Addie smiled. “Our second date. This day just got a lot less boring.”
“What are you talking about? Our first date hasn’t actually ended yet.” He reached for her hand and drew her into the living room. Before he sat on the sofa he flipped a switch, leaving only one dim lamp glowing. Ben sat and pulled Addie down next to him.
Their denim-clad legs rubbed together. She thought about moving a safer distance away from him, but really didn’t want to. Before she could decide he leaned in, sliding one arm around her shoulders.
Ben buried his face in her hair, nuzzling her ear. “What kind of movies do you like?”
Addie’s mind was unfocused. She couldn’t have formed a coherent thought if she’d wanted to. “I, uh… Aw, hell. I don’t know.”
He chuckled, the low rumble tickling her ear. “Yeah, me too. I couldn’t tell you the names of three movies right now.” Ben nibbled her earlobe and drew the fleshy part between his lips.
Addie sighed. “Maybe we should find something to watch.”
“Or maybe we could sit here in the dark and neck.” His breath felt like a whisper against the skin of her cheek.
She bit back a groan. “As lovely as that sounds, if Nick came walking out, he’d never let us hear the end of it.”
“Is that really what you’re worried about?”
Addie tried to think. His lips on her earlobe made that next to impossible. “Well…”
Ben f
inished the thought for her. “Or, are you worried that once we start we won’t want—or be able to—stop?” He brushed back her hair and nipped at the base of her neck.
Addie gasped. “Yes, that’s it. Exactly.”
Ben chuckled again. “I know. And as much as I’d like for it to, nothing can happen while we’re tucked away here in Witsec.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “I agree. As much as I’d like it to, as well. We just can’t.”
“I know.” He pulled back and ran a finger over her neck. “What’s this from?”
“Hmm?” She was barely coherent.
“This little scar on your neck. And here’s another one.” He traced them gently.
“Oh.” Her mind raced. “Bike accident when I was a kid.”
“I’m sorry.” He kissed the scar, his lips eventually finding hers.
Addie chuckled. “We were going to stop, remember?”
Ben sighed. “I remember. Kiss me like you mean it for about three minutes. Five minutes tops. Then we’ll find the remote and look for a movie to watch.”
“Five minutes,” she agreed breathily.
He smiled. “Seven max.”
Addie laughed, and did as directed. She was pretty sure they didn’t stop at seven minutes. And she was equally sure that neither of them cared.
* * *
When Addie woke the next morning, the house was quiet. She paused in the hallway long enough to hear soft voices coming from the kitchen. Everything sounded calm. She took a few minutes to hop in the shower and change her clothes before heading out to join them.
Ben was flipping pancakes in front of the stove when she entered. His eyes lit up when he smiled at her. “Good morning.”
Addie’s heart thudded. She wasn’t sure when or if he’d slept, but he looked damn good first thing in the morning. His hair was unkempt and shaggy and he needed a shave, but he was the type who looked better that way. His jeans and T-shirt were sexier than any suit a guy could wear. She would have been quite happy to attack him there on the spot, had there not been another person in the room. Addie cleared her throat. “Good morning. Good morning, Mitzi.”
“Hey, sugar. Ben’s been impressing me with his skills. He’s quite a charmer.”