“How am I in good company?”
“Talked to a buddy of mine who’s an MP. Apparently, we’re having a bit of Mischief Night in December. Yours is the only incident I know of off-post, though.”
Something cold ran down Kelly’s back, raising the hair on the back of her neck. Shuddering, she straightened, still holding the pan she’d intended to put back in the cabinet. “What happened?”
Tyler’s voice was tight. “Some spray paint. A few slashed tires. A door kicked open, but no intrusion.”
“Sounds like a bunch of kids with too much time on their hands.”
“That wasn’t a kid who shot you. What did the doc say?”
“That I’m one blessed girl.” Kelly tried to keep sarcasm from stinging the words as she settled the pan into a cabinet by the stove. “That the biggest thing I’ll have to worry about is infection if I don’t keep the wound bandaged up. Though I’ll have to go and buy a new jacket.” She turned her shoulder toward him so he could see the tear in the jacket she still wore. “Think insurance will cover that?”
Tyler paused, a slight smile on his face. “You’re something else.” His gaze stayed on her longer than it had since he’d walked in, searching for something she couldn’t quite understand.
“Seriously.” Her voice dropped lower, the emotion behind the words tearing away the smile she’d flashed a moment before. “Thanks for staying late with me tonight. If you hadn’t been there and seen what was happening...” Fear gripped her at the idea of where she might be right now had Tyler Rainey not pulled her out of the way. “I could be—”
The rest of her words muffled against his chest as he dropped the couch pillow he was holding and crossed into the kitchen to pull her close. Her arms slipped around his waist of their own accord, even though her mind knew they shouldn’t. For one minute, she’d allow herself this feeling of not being alone in the world, of being protected by someone else.
Only for a moment, though, because she was the protector, and this interlude would only make her want things she couldn’t have. But boy, was she going to enjoy this moment, listening to Tyler’s heartbeat, feeling his chest move as he breathed. Feeling the warmth of his arms holding her close in a place safe from flying bullets, kicked-in doors and a shattered apartment.
“There’s something you have to consider.” His voice rumbled in his chest, a deep throb against her ear. “Everything on post might appear to be random, but your attacks seem targeted.” He set her away from him, hands braced on her shoulders, and tilted his head to capture her attention.
Green eyes scanned his, back and forth as if reading the words on his mind. As long as she didn’t see the ones beginning to form on his heart. Her muscles stiffened, triceps tightening under his fingers. With a sniff, she shoved him lightly. “Why on earth would someone come after me? I know no secrets, other than a few spouses have told me and, believe me, none of them merit this.” She swept her hand from her injured arm to her living room then stepped out of his grasp to lean against her counter.
Frustration pounded under Tyler’s skin. She shouldn’t be so nonchalant. There was no way she could miss that she’d been attacked twice, much more violently than any other family. The question was why. His fists balled at his sides. Let him find out. He’d take care of the problem before anyone could hurt Kelly again.
He pulled in a deep breath, seeking perspective. Stay on course, Rainey. He wasn’t going to push this line of thinking, not when he was wheels up as soon as his knee was cleared for duty. Someone else would have his office, his job, working with the Family Readiness Group and Kelly to aid the families in their battalion while he was half a world away. Getting invested in her problems wouldn’t be fair to either of them. “I’m just saying—”
“There are plenty of families hurting on post tonight, wondering why someone damaged their property. There’s no way I’m going to hole up in my house crying ‘why me.’ As soon as we get cleaned up, I’m going to try to sleep then head back to the Family Resource Center to hand out presents to some kids who need a little bit of joy.” She pushed off the counter and backed away from him, squaring off from what she must have deemed a safe distance. “That’s my job. It’s what I do. I’m here for others, not for myself. The last thing I need is you trying to put all of the focus on me.”
Whoa. Okay. Tyler held up his hands in surrender. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m tired and this mountain is really a molehill that I need to step around.” Not that he fully believed that, but if it would take some of the fury out of her expression, he’d go with anything.
Her shoulders relaxed, though her face remained hard. “Maybe.”
The sudden softness made Tyler want to reach out and pull her to him, although at this point all it would likely get him was a boot heel to his instep. His toes curled involuntarily.
Tyler was about to suggest that they might be better off if they called a full truce and went back to cleaning when there was a light tap at the door and a young woman peeked in. She wore a sweatshirt over fleece pajama pants, and her dark brown hair sat in a high ponytail. Tyler’s eyebrow quirked even as he stepped between Kelly and the newcomer. Right now, he didn’t trust a soul he didn’t recognize.
The younger woman took in the room. “What in the world...”
Kelly wasted no time shoving Tyler aside and stepping around him. “Stephanie. What are you doing here?”
She hugged the woman before Tyler could react, but that didn’t stop him from holding his breath until they broke apart and he could see that Kelly was still in one piece, no new bullet holes or stab wounds. Maybe Kelly was right. If he was suspecting twentysomething women in Snoopy pj’s, it was probably time to hit the rack for a couple of hours.
“I’m glad to see you already have company.” There was a teasing lilt to the new girl’s voice that made the back of Tyler’s neck burn.
Kelly heard the implication, too. When she glanced at Tyler, her cheeks pinked. With a tight smile, she shook her head. “This is Major Tyler Rainey, the Rear D commander over at 2nd Brigade. We work together. He’s offering moral support—and some grunt labor with the heavy lifting.”
The grin that tipped Stephanie’s lips said she didn’t quite believe Kelly’s story, but she didn’t force the issue. “Tasha, who lives a couple of buildings over, said something was going on here, so I thought I’d check on you. I tried your cell phone first, but you didn’t answer.”
Tyler stepped forward, still not quite sure he trusted the petite brunette. “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name.” Sure, Kelly had said it, but Tyler needed some control of the situation.
“Oh.” Stephanie held out her hand. “I’m Stephanie Anderson.”
The look Kelly shot Tyler let him know she knew his thoughts to the letter...and she wasn’t happy with them. “Stephanie is my Point of Contact with my dad’s unit.” Her voice was warm, but there was a chill underneath meant for him and his wariness. “You know how that works, Major. The Family Readiness Group passes down information through spouse volunteer POCs who check on family members, make sure everyone is in the loop and doing well. I’m sure you’re familiar with the process.”
Okay. So this Stephanie girl wasn’t someone random off the streets. Kelly didn’t have to be sarcastic about it. Her tone cut him down to three feet tall, and a retort flared in his chest. He swallowed it and shook her extended hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Kelly seemed unfazed by the underlying tension, turning instead to Stephanie. “Really. I’m fine. You didn’t have to drag out of bed in the middle of the night to check on me.”
“It’s okay. Jason called just before I got word about your apartment. We were video chatting and I was up, anyway. I was worried because you always answer your phone.”
“I shoved it in my purse after I called Major Rainey. It’s probably still on vibrate from a brief
ing earlier today.” Kelly’s forehead creased. “No telling who called needing something.” She shook her head. “Speaking of needing something... Have you heard any more from Tasha Pope, other than my house was a crime scene?” She graced Tyler with a quick look. “She’s a wife in Dad’s unit, one of the other Points of Contact. Married her husband right before the deployment and volunteered immediately. There was an issue with her husband’s pay.”
“As in he withdrew it all before she got a chance to pay the bills. Two months in a row.” Stephanie clamped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that out loud, Major.” She flicked a mortified glance at Tyler.
He dismissed her concern with a wave. “Nothing that hasn’t happened before. Some of the guys get into some high-stakes poker games when they get bored. She get it straightened out?”
“Major Pinser, his battalion’s Rear D, is on it.” Kelly patted his arm. “You can’t save the world, Major Rainey.”
There was nothing Tyler hated more than being patronized. Nothing. And Kelly Walters well knew it.
She’d already turned away. “All is well here. Why don’t you go home and get a couple of hours of sleep, and I’ll see you later?” Kelly was guiding Stephanie toward the door before Stephanie realized what was happening. “See you in a little while. You’re still coming to the toy giveaway, right?”
“Yeah.” Stephanie hesitated in the doorway. “See you later.”
As her footsteps faded, Tyler checked the time. “It’s nearly 0500. If we hurry, we can at least get some of this back to rights and grab some breakfast before we have to play Santa’s helpers. I’ll drive you, keep you from having to be alone.”
Kelly’s index finger tapped against the side seam of her jeans. She searched the living room, the kitchen, and the ceiling before she answered. “Okay. Breakfast is a date. But I’m driving. I’ve ridden with you one too many times, and I’d like to live till Christmas.” She was in motion, swiping more broken glass into the trash before the word date registered, and Tyler doubted she realized it had been spoken.
Although everything in him wished it were true.
* * *
“Now that was almost worth not sleeping all night.” Tyler shoved his plate away and stretched back over the booth, arms behind his head, red T-shirt pulling tight across his chest.
Kelly caught herself staring and looked away, downing what was left of her orange juice before she spoke. “Almost, but not quite.” She surveyed the room, looking anywhere but Tyler.
Eagle’s Nest was the epitome of a mom-and-pop diner. Situated off post on the Kentucky side, the small restaurant had been around since before either of them were born. Appreciation plaques from brigades, photos of soldiers and banners clogged with signatures from deployed units papered the sunny yellow walls. A brightly lit tree stood in one corner, while metallic garlands in a riot of red and green dripped from the ceiling. It ought to be chaotic, but the eclectic mix added to the atmosphere set into place by scattered square tables covered in red-and-white-checked vinyl cloths. Two waitresses bustled in and out of the open kitchen by the small counter, from which the scent of frying bacon and brewing coffee drifted through the room.
Kelly sat back in the vinyl booth and let the everyday down-home smell of country cooking soothe the knot that had been increasing in her stomach ever since the gun smoke cleared. No matter what Tyler said, she couldn’t make herself believe there was anything special about her. She was a girl, living out her calling, helping other families. Surely it was just mischief, like the other cases.
Or... The acid from the orange juice burned, and she gulped water instead. Kelly forced more negative thoughts away. She could not, would not, believe this was anything more coordinated than a bunch of kids running wild without their daddies home to rein them in.
She dropped her forehead into her hands. “I have got to get some sleep.”
“You and me both.”
“Think if I racked out right here in this booth, they’d have a problem with it?” Kelly peeked between her fingers at the nearly empty room, where only two other young men, civilians from the look of their hair, sat at a table in the corner. They avoided her gaze. “They definitely have the room.”
“Wait until about 0800. This place will be hopping.”
“Can’t believe I’ve never been here before. I keep hearing about it, but I never seem to make it over.” Kelly drew in a deep breath and forced her mind to the present.
“A lot of the joes come here. Good coffee. Homemade biscuits. And, of course, there’s bacon.” The words should have transmitted humor, but they fell flat. While he was talking to her, his focus was shot.
She knew that look, had seen it on her father after deployments, had watched many soldiers sport it when they came home. It was vigilance, a trained eye for threats. Kelly pulled in a deep breath and asked the question she really didn’t want answered. “Okay, Rainey. What’s running through your head?”
“Is it that obvious?” Wrapping his hands around his thick white coffee mug, he rotated the cup back and forth between his palms. “Very few people read me that well.”
Kelly cleared her throat and looked away as a young man stepped through the door, fingering his baseball cap as he took a seat between them and the two men in the corner. No way would she cop to learning every facial expression in Tyler’s arsenal. That would tip him off that she’d been paying attention. It didn’t stop the blush from warming her cheeks, though. “I’ve spent a lot of time with a lot of hurting people. I’m pretty good at telling when someone’s smiling through the pain. It’s similar enough to what you’re doing right now.” She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, hoping he’d buy the story.
Apparently, he did, though he never looked up from the coffee cup he palmed. “Just watching...and sitting here thinking I should call Shorty.”
Her eyebrow quirked. “Sounds like a mob hit man. I’m pretty sure a busted front door and a mess in my house don’t merit a call to the mafia.”
“Don’t forget the shooter. That worries me a whole lot more.”
Kelly wanted to wave off his concern, but he pinned her in a gaze that said more than she wanted to hear. He was worried. About her. Specifically. All of a sudden, she couldn’t swallow. A look that intense was not something she should be on the receiving end of. This could not be about her. “So.” The word choked and died, so she downed half of her water and tried again. “Shorty?”
“Captain Shorter. My buddy I was telling you about with the military police. I’m itching to talk to him since your house got hit after you were shot.”
“Grazed.”
“Call it what you want. Someone aimed at you and pulled the trigger.”
The water she’d chugged turned to ice in her stomach. The more he brought that up, the more he tore down her convictions that the events of last night were random.
That, and he’d showed his protective streak. This was getting too familiar, and she suddenly regretted calling him last night...and inviting him to breakfast in a moment of weakness this morning. She tore the edges of her napkin into fringe, anything to keep her hands busy, to distract her from her thoughts—and from the man sitting across from her.
Oblivious to her edginess, Tyler kept talking, intent on scanning the room, as if there was a plan that only he could see written in the air. “I’m thinking a call to him could help connect the dots, maybe put some gas to this fire and get the investigation rolling a little faster.”
Behind Kelly, the door squeaked open, bringing a rush of cold air into the room.
Tyler followed the movements of a young soldier who stepped into the diner, rubbing his hands against the cold. “You don’t need to be flippant about what’s happened to you.”
“And I don’t need to jump to conclusions, either.”
Tyler didn’
t seem to hear her. Instead, he reached across the table and laid a hand on her fidgeting fingers, the muscles in his face tightening. “Listen to me. I want you to get up and walk out ahead of me right now.” Releasing her, he pulled some bills from his pocket and dropped them onto the table.
“What—”
“Come on.”
Kelly slipped out of the booth as Tyler blocked her view of the rest of the room, then rested his hand on the small of her back and urged her forward. They cleared the door and the glare of sunrise on snow stole her vision for an instant. “What’s going on?”
His pace didn’t slow as they crossed the small parking lot toward her car. “Call me paranoid, but there was something about that guy who came in earlier.” He pressed her faster. “He knew I was watching him and still eyed you, like he was daring me to confront him.”
For the first time, a real sense of danger leaked over Kelly’s skin. She couldn’t swallow, and she stumbled, trying to look over her shoulder.
There was no pause in their footsteps until they reached the far side of her SUV, out of sight of the restaurant’s door. Tyler held out his hand. “Give me your keys.” His voice was hard, allowing no room for argument.
Kelly reached into her coat pocket, cold fingers fumbling for her keys, which clattered to the ground. She bent low to grab them, then straightened so fast she backed square into Tyler’s chest, her feet almost slipping from beneath her.
He gripped her biceps, steadying her, though she hardly felt it. All of Kelly’s focus was on her front tire, where the thick handle of a knife protruded from the sidewall. It was as though her peripheral vision fell away and there was nothing else but that rubber-gripped metal.
Tyler’s fingers dug in tighter, then he unlocked the car and shoved her in. “Stay here and lock yourself in.” The SUV rocked as he slammed the door and was gone, vanishing inside the restaurant before Kelly could turn to track his movements.
Her pulse pounded so loud in the silent vehicle, it was a wonder the mirrors didn’t vibrate. She scanned the street in front of her, the backseat, constantly in motion, constantly waiting for someone to throw themselves against the door like a bad scene from a low B horror movie.
Holiday Defenders : Mission: Christmas Rescuespecial Ops Christmashomefront Holiday Hero (9781460341254) Page 17