Bonnie reached over and turned off the lamp. In the dark, she stood up. “Give me your shirt,” she said.
Yes!
****
It was three in the morning, and Bonnie’s sleeping buddy was restless. His tossing and turning had awoken her several times. She reached over, sought his hand, and clasped it. His fingers curled over hers.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Sorry. Am I keeping you awake?” He yawned.
“Can’t you sleep?”
“No.”
“You haven’t been to sleep at all?” The quilt rode low on his body, and though it was dark, Bonnie could see the planes and curves of his torso.
He had been on his back, but he shifted to face her. My gosh, he had a beautiful body. Only when she felt the skin of his shoulder and bicep did she realize her hand was exploring what her eyes admired.
“No.”
“Do you want your shirt back?”
Brandt laughed that low sexy laugh he had. “Yes, I do, and I want to watch you take it off and hand it to me.”
“Dream on, Mr. Ninja.”
The best he was going to get was what Bonnie had already done. She’d turned her back to him when she’d slipped her gown over her head then put on his shirt.
Perching on the edge of the bed, she crouched down to pick up her gown where she’d dropped it. From behind her she heard him get up and put on his pants. The soft sounds of material against skin and the slide of his zipper made her body tingle.
The bed dipped with his weight. “It feels like we’re going backward.”
In a few seconds, she had her gown on and reaching behind her, she handed him his shirt.
“You probably think so, but I don’t. I appreciate that we can do this. It makes me know I can trust you.” She climbed under the covers and watched him put on the shirt.
He lay back down and folded the pillow under his head. “Bonnie?”
“Yes?”
“Did your ex-husband ever abuse you?”
Bonnie sighed. “No. Guy never did, but when I was in college, I went out a few times with a man who I think would have been abusive. We were kissing, and all of the sudden he was choking me. Luckily, he stopped, but he tried to talk me into letting him do it again. He said if I didn’t fight it, I could get a high from it. It was scary. He had choked me hard enough to leave bruises. I never went out with him again.” Bonnie didn’t speak for a moment. “When I think about my daughter and her being involved with Rex…that monster, I just want to kill him. And I want to shake her for thinking that how he’s treating her is okay. I thought I’d taught her better than that.”
“You have taught her better than that,” he said. “I’m sure of it.”
Brandt moved closer to her. He moved his fingers through her hair.
Closer still.
He bent his head and touched her lips briefly, then trailed tiny kisses across her cheek to her ear where he nibbled on her lobe.
“I want to make love to you with my heart, Bonnie, but I don’t know how,” he whispered, then he brushed his lips back and forth across her mouth so gently that it brought tears to her eyes. He settled next to her, folding his arms around her and sighing in contentment. His body relaxed, and in a few minutes, Bonnie noticed his breathing changed.
He’d done it again.
He’d fallen asleep.
He might not think he knew how to make love with his heart, but he sure could have fooled Bonnie tonight.
****
The following morning, Bonnie fixed breakfast, and they sat across from each other at the table.
“Listen,” she said. “If you can come over for lunch tomorrow, maybe we could go to the library and look through some of the old yearbooks. If your brother was adopted, maybe his name was changed, but you might still recognize him in a picture.”
“That’s a good idea. How about if I do that in the morning, then take you out for a nice lunch? I still owe you one after I had to leave you in Bellini.”
“It can’t be too nice. I only get thirty minutes.”
Brandt’s dark gaze met hers over his coffee cup. “Vivian won’t mind if you take a longer lunch if she knows you’re with me.”
“She doesn’t like that you had the lieutenant governor tell her what to do. Apparently, she’s a Republican.”
A secretive smile passed across his face. “She doesn’t have to like it.”
“Yes, but she’s still the boss of my boss. She can make trouble for me after you’re long gone.”
“Who says I’m going anywhere?”
“You’re a ninja. If a ninja settles down, it makes it hard for him to hide, doesn’t it? And besides, Louise Tackett said you were a rolling stone.”
Brandt set his mug down on the table and folded his arms in front of him. He studied her until Bonnie dropped her gaze.
“And what do you think? Do you think I’m a rolling stone?”
Bonnie thought he wanted her to help him find Marshall. After that, Bonnie didn’t think Brandt would come around anymore. She had to remind herself of that, because she was falling in love with him, and she couldn’t let that happen.
He’d break her heart.
“I think,” she said carefully, “that I’ve only known you for a little while. But I think you’re a good person, and I like you.”
Brandt looked away and shook his head. “What a very tactful answer, Ms. Moore.” He stood up. “I better go before your children arrive. We wouldn’t want them to get the wrong idea.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” Bonnie pushed her chair back, walked over to the counter and picked up a plastic container. “Here. This is what’s left of your cake.” She went to where he stood at the door and held it out to him. He didn’t move to take it, so Bonnie stepped forward and kissed him briefly. “I loved having you here. It was very nice. Do you want me to meet you somewhere for lunch tomorrow, or do you want to come by work and pick me up?”
He accepted the container and laid it on the table. Then he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a kiss that made her weak in the knees. He stepped back, and Bonnie held onto one of the kitchen chairs in case her legs gave out.
Brandt’s eyes glittered at her as he picked up his cake. “I’ll come by and get you. Twelve noon.” He opened the door and left without a backward glance.
Chapter Seventeen
The next day Bonnie sat at her desk and watched Brandt walk toward her door. Their eyes met as he approached. Bonnie had her phone to her ear, so she could only wave him in when he stood at her threshold and waited for an invitation. She pointed to the chair in front of her desk and finished up her phone call.
“Didn’t we have a deal about you not sneaking in to secure locations, like my floor?”
Brandt lounged in the chair, gracing her with a lazy smile. “I thought I’d see if Vivian had put any of our security suggestions into effect. Obviously, she hasn’t.”
“We’re state employees. Everything takes a long time to do.”
“Where are we going for lunch?”
“About that lunch.” Bonnie opened a drawer and picked up her purse. “I have a huge favor to ask. Dan and Frances Little were in charge of the concessions tonight at the peewee football game, but they’ve got the flu. How do you feel about grabbing something in the drive-thru, and going with me to get food and drinks to sell at the game tonight?”
“Sounds like fun.” He followed her out of the office.
They stood in front of the elevator. “It doesn’t sound like fun to me. They should have bought that stuff already. And who am I going to get to help me in the concession stand?”
“I could help you.”
Bonnie turned disbelieving eyes to him. “You?”
“Sure.”
“You can’t help. Anybody who works the stand has to have a criminal background check.”
Brandt rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone. He began to tap the screen.
> “What are you doing?”
The elevator doors opened, and they entered. Bonnie pushed the button to the ground floor. She planned to remind Tammy on the way out that Brandt did not have security clearance, and she should not let him get past her.
“I’m sending you verification that I’m safe to sell hotdogs and pop to peewee football players. I’m a level four which means I can get in the White House if I wanted to.”
“You’re kidding.”
He pushed his screen one more time and raised an eyebrow at her. “Verification sent. Where are we going to buy the junk food?”
“You can’t really go in the White House, can you? I mean, you could probably sneak in—I can believe that—but…”
They arrived at the receptionist desk. Bonnie paused. “Tammy, you see this man? He isn’t supposed to go upstairs unless he’s accompanied by a state employee.”
Tammy looked from Bonnie to Brandt then back to Bonnie. “He didn’t go upstairs.”
“Yes, he did. He just walked into my office.”
“He couldn’t have. I’ve been sitting here the whole time.” Tammy stood up. “How’d you get upstairs? Did someone let you in a fire door?”
Brandt grinned. He took Bonnie’s hand and guided her toward the door.
Bonnie went grudgingly. “If it is true that you have security to get in the White House, you still don’t have clearance to get in our building, so stop it.”
“Is this going to be your tactic with a disgruntled tax payer or claims person who decides to come in here with a gun? Take them to Tammy and tell her not to let them in again, then tell them not to come back? Why did Vivian even ask for help closing the security holes when she hasn’t done anything about it?”
“It’s only been a couple of weeks. I told you it takes time.”
“Inefficiency.” He led her to his car parked at the curb.
“We should take my car. We won’t be able to get everything in your spy car.”
“I can fit two bodies in the trunk. It’s big enough.”
“Of course, you’re joking. You said you had a missile launcher in the trunk.”
“Of course, I’m joking. Then and now.”
That evening, Brandt showed up, as promised, to help with concessions. Bonnie hoped having him there hadn’t been a mistake. Though Curtis was playing football, he would likely see Brandt and remember him. And because Bonnie was going to be in the stand during the game, Andy would likely be in and out the entire time. Still. Bonnie needed the help, and when Brandt arrived, wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and a baseball cap, he could have been a dad to any of the players on the field.
He blended.
Of course, he was a ninja. They were good at that.
Suppressing her anxiety, Bonnie introduced Brandt to Andy who had settled on a metal chair in the corner with his tablet, intent on playing a video game.
The boy glanced up at the man before returning to his game. “Hey.”
“How’s it going?” Brandt said.
“Good,” he said absently.
Bonnie and Brandt’s eyes met. Brandt gestured his hands. See? No sweat.
“You just wait. Curtis is going to remember you,” she said in a low tone.
“We’ll be in big trouble then.” Brandt patted his pocket then pulled out a sheet of paper. “I’ve been meaning to give you this.” He handed it to Bonnie. “It’s information on a self-defense class. You and Kayla could take it together—you know, sort of a mother/daughter bonding thing, and you can learn to kick anyone’s butt who’s messing with you.”
Bonnie looked at the sheet of paper and Brandt’s small neat handwriting. This was the kind of gesture that endeared him to her. Brandt put on plastic gloves and began the preparations for the hotdogs. In between customers, their conversation turned to Brandt’s search for his brother.
“So, were you able to find anything out at the hospital?” Bonnie asked.
Brandt shook his head. “No. They never had a Marshall Sherrod as a patient.”
“They told you that without a court order?”
“I have a lawyer friend who walked me through it.”
“What about the county hospital?”
Brandt shrugged, but the disappointment was evident in his eyes. “We checked both hospitals. We even checked the hospital in Port Helen. It’s the next closest hospital. I guess the police report was wrong.”
Two girls came to the counter. “What will it be, ladies?” she asked.
“Two colas, and two giant pixie sticks,” one girl said.
“I want a ring pop,” the other child said.
“Okay, a giant pixie stick and a ring pop.”
Brandt put ice in cups and poured the drinks while Bonnie took the money and retrieved the candy. After the children left, Brandt threw the gloves away as Bonnie had instructed him to do.
“You know, there were two police officers whose names are on that report. Janet Pino and Eric Tatchocelli. Eric died fourteen years ago, but I haven’t been able to track down Janet Pino. Maybe she would remember.”
Brandt wore a grim expression and walked outside. Bonnie followed him. He lifted the grill lid and turned the hotdogs on the rack.
“If it was easy, you would have already found your brother,” Bonnie said.
“Even if you do find her—Janet Pino—there’s no way she is going to remember something that happened thirty-five years ago. That was one night on a job for her. She probably saw thousands of cases just like it.”
“Well, if she doesn’t remember, then we keep looking. If Child Protective Services was involved, then there had to be a case worker.”
Brandt skewered the dogs and placed them in a tin, then closed the lid. He went back inside. “I’ve already looked. No one from CPS remembers anything. There are no records. The first family I was with don’t remember anything.”
“Except that you were seven when you went there.”
Brandt had been putting the wieners in buns. He stopped and looked at her. “What?”
“You said you were seven when all of this happened, but you were six. That means you were somewhere else first. We need to find that first family.”
“No.” He shook his head. “My first foster family were the Myers. I must have been mistaken about my age.”
Bonnie looked at her son. “Andy, go check on the game. If Curtis is on the bench, ask him if he wants a snack.”
The boy got up from where he sat and ran out of the room. Bonnie turned to Brandt. “But you were so sure you were seven. Don’t you think that’s odd?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Do you remember going to the Myer’s house? The day you arrived, I mean.”
Brandt rubbed the bridge of his nose in a gesture of fatigue and frustration. “Can we stop this? I don’t want to think about it right now.”
“Okay.” Poor man. This was taking a toll on him. Bonnie stepped close to him and held on to his belt loops. “I’m sorry. I know this is hard.”
He put his hands on her hips and pulled her closer. “No, I’m sorry. You’re trying to help me, and I’m making it more difficult. It’s just… I try to remember, but it all goes blank.”
Bonnie stood on her tiptoes and kissed him quickly, then stepped away. Andy would be back in a minute.
A knock sounded on the sliding window, and Bonnie opened it. “Hi. Can I help you?”
It was halftime, and Bonnie and Brandt worked steadily serving the customers. Bonnie liked working with Brandt. He was efficient and quiet, staying in the back of the kitchen with food preparation while Bonnie served customers. Kayla showed up. Guy must have brought her. He’d had to work late, but he’d told Curtis he’d come to watch him play. Since Kayla had band practice, Guy had picked her up and brought her.
“Hey, Mom,” she said at the doorway. Her attention left Bonnie and went to Brandt, who was leaning on a back counter with arms folded across his chest. Anxiety stuck in Bonnie’s throat. Would Kayla recognize him?
“He’s in the bleachers with Andy. We got here about halftime.” She looked at Brandt. “Whose dad are you?”
“No one’s.”
“Huh.” Kayla turned her gaze to Bonnie.
“This is Brandt Sherrod. The Littles have the flu, so I needed some help.”
“I could help,” Kayla said.
“Great,” Bonnie said with enthusiasm she didn’t feel.
Brandt’s mouth turned up at the corner as he watched Bonnie and her daughter. He pushed off the counter and walked outside. Kayla put her hands on her hips and pivoted toward Bonnie.
“What’s his deal?”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s here, and he doesn’t even have a kid? Who is he?”
“He’s umm. His name is Brandt Sherrod.”
“Yeah, you told me his name already.”
A knock sounded on the window. Guy stood on the other side of the glass. Bonnie slid the window open.
“Hey, Bonnie.”
“Guy. Thanks for bringing Kayla over.”
“Sure. I’ll take a couple of dogs. Got any chips?”
Bonnie glanced behind her to see if Brandt had come back in. Kayla was no longer in the building. Now where did she go?
“Yes, we’ve got chips. Is Curtis playing?”
“Yeah. One of the kids on the other team just ran the wrong way. Scored a touchdown for our team.” Guy laughed.
Irritation prickled at Bonnie. “I’m sure they won’t count it.”
“Well, they should. He made a touchdown.”
“Yeah, but his own team isn’t going to tackle him, and our team probably wouldn’t either because he was running the wrong way.”
“One of our kids was yelling at him to go the other way instead of tackling him—giving the other team strategy. Little idiots, but they’re so cute.”
“Don’t call them idiots. I’m sure they’re doing the best they can.”
“Glad I’m not coaching.”
Yeah. You and me both.
Bonnie walked to the door and saw Brandt cleaning the grill. Kayla stood outside of the door, her attention on Brandt’s actions.
Unforgettable Heroes II Boxed Set Page 109