by L. T. Marie
“Yeah?” Gary said.
“What did you find?”
“Nothing yet. Mayfield’s clean. Bastard doesn’t even have a parking ticket.”
“Bullshit. This guy is dirty. How about acquaintances? Family? Someone has to know something. Whoever’s feeding this prick information could be the same person leaking information to our UNSUB, knowingly or unknowingly. Either way, time is running out.”
“Wait!” Gary said. “I think I found something.”
“What?” Lee said.
“Shit! I can’t believe I missed this.”
“Damn it, Gary! What the fuck is it?”
“Guess who’s related to Mayfield and on Tory’s payroll?”
“Do I sound like I want to play twenty fucking questions?”
“Amanda Franklin,” he said, barely getting her name out before Lee slammed the phone shut and raced up the stairs.
Amanda was leaning against the kitchen wall chatting with Dan Powers when Lee grabbed the woman by the lapels and slammed her solidly into the wall.
“Lee, what the hell?” Dan shouted.
“Back off, Dan.” Lee shook the woman. “Have something to say, Franklin?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Amanda squirmed as the hands near her throat tightened.
“You might want to rethink that answer before I snap your neck.” Lee tightened her grip, thinking about the trouble Amanda had already caused. If Jo got hurt…
“Wait,” Amanda said, turning crimson.
Lee loosened her hold when Amanda placed her palms forward in an effort to prove she was ready to talk. Lee released her and stepped back, and Amanda fired a strike at her head, missing completely as Lee ducked. Lee returned the assault with a quick jab to Amanda’s midsection. She gave a loud umph right before Lee lifted her knee solidly into the woman’s face. A distinct crack of cartilage sounded before Amanda slumped to the floor. Tory ran out of her office and peered down at Amanda, who was holding two shaky hands over her face.
“What the hell happened?” Tory asked.
“Ask her,” Lee said through gritted teeth.
“I’ve been trying to figure the same thing out for the last few minutes, Ms. West,” Dan said, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Tell her, Franklin. Or I’ll make it a hell of a lot worse.”
“I leaked that information to the press, Ms. West.” Her words were muffled by the hands held over her face, trying to catch the blood from her broken nose. “Mayfield is my uncle.”
“You what!”
“I’m sorry.” Amanda struggled to get to her feet and Dan assisted with a hand on her arm. “My uncle raised me from the time I was ten. He was hurting for money and I thought this story would help him out financially. I didn’t realize it would get this out of hand.”
Tory signaled for one of the housekeepers to bring her a towel from the kitchen and handed it to Amanda. “Franklin, you’re fired. Dan?”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Get her out of my sight.” Amanda was quickly escorted away as Tory collapsed into a kitchen chair. “Lee?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t know what else to say. Thank you just doesn’t seem enough anymore.”
“As I said before, you don’t need to thank me. It’s my job. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot to do before tonight’s party. Are there any last-minute changes I should be aware of?”
“No. Dan has everything,” Tory said, holding up a hand to avoid Lee’s next question. “Really, I promise—no more surprises.”
Lee decided to do a spot check on Jo before searching out Dan and Amanda. She needed to question Amanda and find out everything she’d told Mayfield before the party. After the way her day had progressed, she seriously doubted there wouldn’t be any more surprises.
Chapter Twelve
Lee scanned the foyer from her position at the top of the stairs as it grew crowded with guests who huddled in small groups drinking champagne and enjoying the festive atmosphere. People had been arriving steadily all evening, making her increasingly uneasy as the crowd grew past the two-hundred mark. Jo still hadn’t made an appearance.
She’d been worried about Jo ever since finding out about Amanda Franklin and had taken undetected peeks into her room as she rested. Her need to know if Jo was okay bordered on obsessive. She’d wrestled with the overwhelming urge to lie down beside her, wanting nothing more than to take Jo into her arms and shield her from anything that could possibly hurt her. But once she knew Jo was awake and preparing for the party, like a good soldier she returned to her post, moved into the shadows, and trudged forward.
Franklin’s confession had kicked Lee’s protective instincts into overdrive. In the service those instincts had been a large factor in her promotions. They’d helped her prepare the men under her command for battle. Those soldiers had trusted her instincts. She’d taught them how to serve with honor and protect those that needed it. But lately her feelings for Jo far surpassed a simple need to protect. The thought of harm coming to Jo scared the crap out of her. So she watched over her like an eagle protecting its nest, and if someone dared threaten her, she’d bare her talons and fight to the death.
She had no way of knowing if Jo realized how much she’d be willing to sacrifice to protect her. After the untimely muscle spasm at the restaurant, she wondered if Jo doubted her abilities, doubted her in any way. She hadn’t wanted to talk about her personal life or her pain, but the look of understanding on Jo’s face as she carefully traced her scar caused a familiar stirring deep inside. That touch had made her want to forget her duties, forget her promise to protect. Restraint had always been her strong point, and Jo would never know how much control it took to not surrender to that touch.
Could someone so shielded from the world appreciate what a toll the war had taken on her? War destroyed people’s lives, made them value the simplest of pleasures. Could Jo ever understand what it was like to wonder if she’d wake up the next day, or if the person she was sitting next to would be dead minutes later? The more she thought about all those questions the more she realized she’d been fooling herself. Not only could Jo not understand any of those things, but she also had no idea what it was like to be trapped in a body that would forever fail her physically and mentally. She’d been surrounded by glitz and glamour, not desert sand and bombs.
The opening of a nearby door made her turn, and she tried not to gasp as she took in the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen. As Jo slowly approached, the flawless midnight-blue material swayed naturally around her lithe body. The material hugged her curves in all the right places, and even with crutches and only a hint of makeup, Jo was one beautiful woman.
Breathing evenly became more difficult as Jo slowly closed the distance between them. She dared not look into Jo’s eyes, afraid she would be able to peel back another layer and leave her feeling more exposed than she already felt. She willed herself to focus as the familiar scent of coconut and lime assaulted her senses.
“Hi,” Jo said shyly. “My sister tells me you’re my date.”
“Hello, Ms. West. And, yes. Sorry to disappoint, but we thought it would be good cover, plus it’ll keep me close and not draw extra attention.”
“Who said I was disappointed?” Jo locked her arm through Lee’s as Lee guided her down the spiral staircase. Suddenly she stopped and tugged lightly on Lee’s arm, forcing Lee to look at her. “You’re not disappointed, are you?”
Lee looked at Jo, the question surprising her. Of course she wasn’t disappointed. She was right where she wanted to be. And by the smile forming on Jo’s face, Jo knew it too. The problem was, Jo saw too much, saw beyond the façade of who Lee pretended to be. She really did want Jo to be on her arm tonight. But she wished she didn’t have to pretend to be the one by Jo’s side, smiling with the knowledge that Jo wanted her and no one else in that room. She’d entertained that fantasy since Jo had bought the dress. But seeing the way people were staring a
t Jo, and knowing she’d never be able to completely defeat her demons, made her realize that a fantasy was all it ever would be.
She jammed her hands into her trouser pockets, trying to hide their trembling as Jo accepted a champagne glass from a passing waiter. She quickly scanned the room for anyone who looked out of place, but all seemed clear.
“Relax.” Jo whispered so only Lee could hear. “We’re safe.”
“I’ll try.”
Jo slid a hand into Lee’s pocket. “Hey, look at me.”
Lee felt the warm fingers squeeze her hand and glanced down at Jo. She inhaled sharply. Why did Jo have to be so damn beautiful?
“I feel safe because you’re with me, because I know you’d never let anything happen to me. I trust you.”
“Jo…” Lee closed her eyes, allowing her words to settle over her. Trust. How could Jo trust her when she didn’t even trust herself?
“Don’t. I know you think I don’t because of what happened at lunch. But I do. Please believe me.” She gave her hand a little shake as Lee nodded. “Good. Now it’s time you escort me to dinner.”
“As you wish.”
The dinner was excruciatingly longer than Lee had expected, and the party moved into the expansive backyard for the remaining part of the evening. Torches lined the patio like soldiers standing at attention. The illumination from the hundreds of lights offered a romantic backdrop as people danced beneath the stars. For the first time in years Lee realized how utterly alone she was. She scanned the partygoers and kept a respectful distance from Jo. If she got too close, she might not be able to move away.
“Would you dance with me?” Jo asked, turning to face Lee.
“Ms. West, I don’t think—”
“You know what? Sorry. Just…forget I asked. That was out of line and not in your job description.”
Jo had already turned down many subtle and not-so-subtle offers by handsome young men and an equal number of gorgeous women. Obviously, it wasn’t as clear as they had meant it to be that Lee was her date. Lee let out a sigh of relief every time one of them turned dejectedly and walked away. She couldn’t just sit there and ignore the tortured look in Jo’s eyes. It was only one dance. What could it hurt?
“Actually, Jo, I’d be honored.”
They walked to the dance floor hand in hand, moving among the gently swaying couples until they reached the middle of the floor.
A slow melody began to play and Lee held out a hand. Maybe it was the use of her first name or the intensity with which Lee was gazing at her that made Jo’s voice catch in her throat. Regardless, without hesitating, she accepted the offered hand and moved into Lee’s arms.
Lee’s command on the dance floor shouldn’t have surprised her. From what she’d learned about her so far, her need to be in control was what made her the best in the military and so good at her job. As they slowly moved in time with each other, she caught a glimpse of Tory on the other side of the room talking with Gary. She’d seen what war had done to their relationship, and what it had done to Gary’s body. Recalling the look of agony on Lee’s face earlier in the restaurant, she wondered if Lee’s arm was bothering her now as it kept her in place, held her close.
“Is your arm okay?”
“It’s fine.”
“Good,” Jo said, resting her head against Lee’s shoulder. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“It’s personal.”
“Go on,” Lee whispered.
“You said outside the theater that you didn’t have a lover. Is that because of what war has taken from you?”
Lee tensed. “What do you mean?”
“Well, look at Tory and Gary. I remember them as a couple before Gary was shipped off to Iraq. They had been so goo-goo eyed over each other I couldn’t stand to be around them. But then he came back broken. And I don’t just mean physically. He’s still Gary but he’s not. Something’s…missing. You know what I’m saying?”
Lee closed her eyes. “You see too much.”
Jo tightened her grip on Lee’s neck. “I see what’s important.”
“Jo…” Lee stepped back, putting distance between them. “We should get back.”
“Something I said?”
“No.” She helped Jo back to the table and into a chair. “Sorry. If you’re too close to me, I can’t see around us and check for threats. Thank you for the dance. ”
Jo watched Lee move to the other side of the table and tried to keep her anger in check. Why was it that every time she thought they had finally made a connection—found some common ground—Lee found a way to back away? The person she had been dancing with and who had allowed her to see her vulnerability was not the Lee Winters she had just spoken to, not the Lee she’d asked about her life and her time in the service. No, this was the bodyguard, the person who returned to the shadows because that was her duty. She wanted to ignore the heat from that burning stare coming from a few feet away. Lee was so incredibly handsome, and in that simple black tux and matching-color shirt she was without a doubt the most striking woman in the room. Jo had ached to run her fingers through that unruly dark hair, pull those tempting lips down for a kiss. But once again, Lee had subtly rebuked her—she’d made it very clear that Jo was nothing more than a paycheck.
As Lee sat across from her at the table, her gaze distant once more, Jo wanted to scream. Once again someone had proved to her that she didn’t matter, that she wasn’t worthy of their time or attention. Her dream that someone could look at her and only her shattered the second their dance had ended. Because the truth was, she wasn’t special. Old feelings burned like acid through her veins, making her want to lash out at the one person who had done nothing but remind her that once again she was merely a casualty of her sister’s life.
What a fool she was to have paid special attention to every detail from her makeup to her dress before arriving that night. She wanted to catch a glimpse of desire in Lee’s eyes just like she had that afternoon in the dressing room. Lee was hot, yeah, but she was also intriguing. In the few open moments Lee allowed, Jo had glimpsed a witty, sweet woman who cared deeply about her work and her honor. That was the woman she wanted as her date tonight. Instead what she was witnessing in Lee’s blank expression was disinterest, and that reality hurt worse than the injuries she’d suffered in her accident. Fine. If that’s the way it was going to be then it was time to set her sights elsewhere. Someone in that room had to want her and only her, and she’d be damned if she stopped looking until she found that person.
*
Lee scanned the garden. She looked anywhere but directly at Jo, knowing she’d see disappointment in her eyes. She’d hated to walk away from their dance, but having Jo in her arms made her forget there were others in the room. Made her forget everything. And that put Jo’s safety, as well as her own sanity, at risk.
As she continually scanned the thinning crowd a woman from earlier caught her attention. This particular woman had stolen quick glances at Jo all evening but seemed unwilling to approach. Lee had recognized her from earlier as Charlene Avery, a close personal friend of Chance Dillingham, the bass player for Total Femme. As they stood a room apart, Jo’s eyes fell upon the tall blonde as she nursed a drink at the bar, and she scanned the woman in the Versace tux from head to toe. Jo smiled at the woman, giving her the go-ahead to come over. Lee’s insides plummeted and her jaw ached from clenching it so tight.
The woman approached Jo and offered her arm. Jo accepted it as they left the backyard and slowly moved up the spiral staircase with Lee not far behind. As they opened the balcony doors leading out onto the veranda, Lee didn’t follow, in an attempt to offer them privacy. She stayed just outside the door, far enough to not be able to eavesdrop on their conversation but close enough in case something should happen. She could hear their distinct voices, one of them unmistakably Jo’s sultry alto. Her heart faltered as Jo’s voice changed pitch and became even deeper, sexier.
Lee looked over h
er shoulder and watched as Jo wrapped her arms around the taller woman’s neck. She had her head thrown back and Charlene was kissing along her jaw. When Jo angled her head to accept the offered kiss, Lee rocked backward onto her heels as if she’d been struck and the breath flew from her chest.
A wave of dizziness caused Lee to brace against the doorway as her world spiraled out of control. The vision of Jo wrapped up in someone else’s arms was almost too much for her to handle. She revisited her conversation in Jo’s bedroom a few weeks earlier, the term private settings making her gut clench as if someone was removing her stomach with a spoon. Normally, seeing two women in a passionate embrace would have been a turn-on. But that was before Jo, before she had these feelings she couldn’t compartmentalize. Before now, she’d never contemplated how she’d feel seeing Jo in the arms of another woman. The reality was so much worse than she could have ever envisioned.
Her clenched fists were starting to lose feeling, and her legs were so wobbly she wasn’t sure how much longer she could stand. Not able to endure the torture any longer, she took up a post just outside the door where it was impossible to see them, trying with everything in her to erase the images of Jo in that woman’s embrace.
Protecting Jo was one thing, but she refused to watch her kiss another woman. She would never be strong enough for that. And as she closed her eyes and tried to block out the sounds of Jo being pleasured by someone else, Jo suddenly emerged clinging to Charlene’s arm.
Helpless to interfere, Lee followed the two women as they made their way down the winding staircase, appearing as if they were going to rejoin the party. She wanted to die all over again but this time for different reasons. Her throat constricted. Her insides swelled painfully, and not in a pleasant way. She had endured a lot of pain in her life, but little could match this emptiness. And as she stood there watching Jo hang all over her escort, she felt as if someone had pulled out her heart, watching what was left of her life beat slowly in their hands.