by Zara Chase
“Ms. McGuire?” a male voice asked.
“Yes.”
“I’m Riley, a friend of Raoul’s,” he said. “I’m in the area and wondered if you had time to meet for coffee.”
“Sure. There’s a Starbucks in town. Do you know it?”
“I’ll find it.”
“I can be there in half an hour.”
“That’ll work. See you shortly.”
Maddie hung up, glad that Riley hadn’t suggested meeting at the house. She’d spent so much time here alone that it felt as though the walls were closing in on her. Grateful for an excuse to escape, she swapped her dusty jeans for a clean pair, ran a brush through her hair, and winced when she glanced in the mirror and saw how tired and drawn she looked. Oh well, what did it matter? Grabbing her keys and purse she headed for her car, locking the house carefully behind her.
She pulled into the Starbucks lot, wondering how she’d recognize Riley. She wasn’t left in ignorance for long. Two men, dressed as casually as she was but with military stamped all over them, got out of a truck and ambled over to her. Instinctively aware that they were Raoul’s people, she was obliged to suppress a gasp when she lowered her window and looked directly into the eyes of the first guy. Easily six two, he had thick brown hair that touched the collar of his leather jacket, and the deepest brown eyes she’d ever seen in a man. Right now they twinkled with amusement, presumably because her jaw had literally dropped open. Gorgeous to look at, tough, rugged, and dependable were her first impressions. In other words, he was just the person she needed in her corner right now.
“Hey, you have to be Maddie. Raoul told us we’d know you when we saw you.” The man stuck out his hand. “I’m Riley Maddox, and this here is Axel Cameron, at your service.”
“Er, good to meet you both.”
She shook each hand in turn, wondering if she was hallucinating. Axel was almost as tall as Riley, with a riot of thick blond curls and eyes the color of spring grass. Tongue-tied by their good looks and physicality, Maddie didn’t know what to make of it when Riley climbed into the passenger seat of her car.
“Let’s talk somewhere a bit less conspicuous. Axel will follow behind in our truck.”
“Why? What’s wrong with right here?”
“We’re cautious by nature.” He shot her a reassuring smile, revealing a set of white, even teeth and perfect dimples, for God’s sake. “We’ve booked into the Fairview Park Marriott. Know where it is?”
“Sure.”
“We won’t be interrupted there.” He found the lever to push his seat back, offering more space for his long legs. “Just drive, and if anyone tries to follow us, Axel will make sure we lose them.”
“He can do that?”
“Darlin’, I don’t mean to boast, but there ain’t much we can’t do when we put our minds to it.”
Maddie didn’t doubt it. “Okay,” she said meekly, putting her car into gear and driving off.
Chapter Two
Riley shot sideways glances at their client as she drove the short distance to the hotel. He’d been away on assignment for Raoul when her father had died and hadn’t made it to the funeral. Pity that. He’d thought highly of the major and had wanted to pay his respects. He’d never met Maddie before, but his buddy hadn’t exaggerated when he described her as a real babe.
She was also wary and tense, with dark shadows beneath her remarkable eyes. Not surprising, given that she’d just had to deal with the trauma of her father’s unexpected death and now someone was poking their nose into the major’s affairs, probably frightening her stupid. When they’d first heard about her father’s untimely demise he’d agreed with Raoul’s opinion that it was mildly suspicious and would probably have left it at that. They couldn’t possibly right all the world’s wrongs.
In light of Maddie’s cry for help, leaving it alone was no longer an option. No one who worked for Raoul believed in coincidences, and the feeling that something wasn’t right about the major’s death had just been upgraded from questionable to a full-blown certainty. Since leaving the military, McGuire had been attached to one of the many secret government agencies that operated out of Virginia. Riley and Axel needed to find out which one and what precisely he did for them.
“Here we are.”
She pulled up in the parking lot, pushed a lock of long brunette hair behind one ear, and focused her gaze on Riley’s face. Her eyes, a fascinating shade of blue flecked with silver, were filled with a combination of sadness and anxiety. The urge to comfort her was compelling, but Riley reminded himself this was business and sat on his hands, figuratively speaking.
Business always came first.
“Let’s wait for Axel before we go inside.”
“He ought to be here, surely?” She glanced anxiously out the side window. “What’s keeping him?”
“Aw, honey, don’t worry about Axel. He can take care of himself. He had company to deal with, is all.”
She opened her eyes very wide. “I didn’t see anyone.”
“A green SUV followed us from Starbucks. I saw it in the wing mirror. You were concentrating on driving so I guess you missed it.”
“A green SUV drove past the house several times this morning.” She sounded breathless when she spoke. “I hoped it was nothing but—”
“It’s okay, Axel’s here now, and he’s alone.”
They got out of her car and Riley led her to the entrance of the hotel. Axel fell into step beside them.
“The guy realized I was on to him and took off,” Axel said cheerfully.
“Did he see your ugly mug?”
“I sure as hell hope so. Unfortunately I couldn’t see his.” He spread his hands. “Tinted glass ain’t playing fair.”
Riley snorted. “Tell me about it. Did you at least get the tag?”
Axel shot him a pained look. “Do I look like an amateur? I already phoned it through to Raoul. He’ll run it for us.”
They took the elevator to the top floor as a concession to Maddie. Normally they’d always use the stairs. Elevators broke down, or people got on with you. Sometimes they were people you’d prefer not to be in a confined space with. Since they’d taken up Raoul’s offer to join his unofficial band of investigators-cum-vigilantes, there were a lot of people who would probably prefer not to find themselves at close quarters with Riley and Axel.
“Here we are.” Axel opened the door to their suite with a card key. “Home sweet home.”
“You guys like your comfort,” Maddie remarked, glancing around the sitting room and smiling. “Am I paying for this?”
“Did Raoul mention money to you?” Axel asked.
“No, but I assumed—”
“Then you ain’t paying.”
“Of course I’m paying! I asked for your help, and you can’t work for nothing.”
Riley grinned. “We do quite a lot of work for the military, clearing up messes they don’t want to get involved with, and they pay top dollar. That means, if there’s stuff we want to do for people we respect, we don’t have to worry about greenbacks.”
“That’s kind, but—”
“Talk to Raoul if you’re bothered about the money side.” Axel walked around the room with a wand-like instrument that he waved over the walls and furniture. “Okay, we’re all clear.”
“What was that?” she asked.
“Checking for bugs,” Riley replied offhandedly. “Like I said earlier, we’re a suspicious bunch, often with good reason. Not everyone likes us.”
“Okay, honey,” Axel said. “Let’s sit down and talk about your problems. Can we offer you something to drink before we get started?”
“Coffee would be good.”
“Coming right up.” Axel picked up the phone and placed an order with room service. He then settled in the chair across from Maddie’s, draped his long legs casually over its arm, and smiled at her. “We’re real sorry about your dad, darlin’. He was a good man.”
“Thank you. Yes, he was.”
<
br /> “Where do you call home?” Riley asked, sitting beside her on the couch.
“New York. I’m a freelance interior designer. New York’s where it’s at, but as long as I have my laptop and cell phone I can work from just about anywhere. That’s why I decided to stay here for a while and sort through Dad’s stuff.” She managed a wan smile. “There’s certainly enough of it to go through.”
Coffee and cookies arrived. Riley tipped the server while Axel poured. Once they were alone again, Riley got down to business.
“Raoul mentioned that your father’s house was broken into but nothing was taken. Is that right?”
“Yes, as far as I can tell. If someone searched, they did it methodically, like they didn’t want anyone to know. And presumably they did search. Why else would they break in?”
Axel elevated one brow. “And the military did nothing about it?”
She shook her head. “They all but implied I’d imagined it.”
“Who came?”
“Army detectives.”
“CIDC.” Riley pondered that one for a moment, wondering why the detective division of the US Army would bother themselves with a local break-in. If he was in a charitable frame of mind he’d tell himself it was out of respect for the late major, but cynic that he was, Riley seldom felt charitable. “Did they do anything about it?”
“No, they just had a quick look around, left me their card, and told me to call them if anything else happened.”
“Sounds as though they’re expecting it to,” Axel said, scowling.
Riley nodded. “Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Did your father have a safety deposit box anywhere?” he asked Maddie.
“I’m not sure. I haven’t come across any documentation to suggest that he did.” She canted her head. “Funny, the military detectives asked me the same question.”
Riley and Axel shared a glance. CIDC obviously knew something was off about the major’s death and subsequent events—hence sending in the big guns—but seemed content to leave Maddie in the firing line without sharing what they knew with her. Riley wanted to feel surprised.
Unfortunately he didn’t.
“That’s something we need to look into,” Riley said. “If whoever’s tailing you didn’t get to it already.”
“You think that’s what all this is about? Dad has something that he shouldn’t?” She stared at Riley, pangs of disillusionment and a dawning anger lighting her expression. “Something that got him killed?”
“It’s just a theory,” Riley replied easily. “It’s early days yet, but we need to explore every possibility.”
“Who was your daddy working for here in Virginia since leaving the army?” Axel asked.
“He was with the Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.”
“Ah, I see.” Axel sent her another warm smile. “The eyes of the nation.”
“If you say so.” She shrugged. “Personally, I have no idea what they do and knew better than to ask Dad. He wouldn’t have told me anything even if I had.”
“They look for physical features and geographical activities relevant to American interests anywhere on the planet,” Riley told her. “It’s a fancy title that covers a multitude of sins, but basically they’re an early warning system for terrorist activities, natural disasters, stuff like that.”
“The GIS majors in information science,” Axel added. “Not sure what that means, but it’s how they promote themselves in their recruitment pitches.”
“But Dad wasn’t a scientist.”
“Honey, they have scientific folk crawling out their asses. Your dad would have been a damned sight more valuable to them, what with his experience in the military.”
“In decoding information, you mean?”
“Right.”
Axel laughed. “Their experts probably can’t spell half the places where your dad’s been stationed at, much less point to them on a map. There is absolutely no substitute for local knowledge.”
“I still don’t understand why his work with the GIS should put his life in danger.” She straightened the sleeve of her shirt, scowling at it like she bore it a grudge. “And if it did and it’s now endangering me, why are they pretending otherwise?”
“That, darlin’, is what we’re here to find out,” Riley said. “And to do that we’ll need to help you look through your father’s stuff. See if we can find anything to do with a safety deposit box, for starters.”
“I haven’t come across anything that looks official, but then I wouldn’t expect to. Dad believed in obeying the rules. If he wasn’t supposed to take his work home then it would stay in the office.”
“Unless he found something that wasn’t right,” Riley suggested. “What would he do then?”
Maddie shrugged. “Report it to the right authorities, I suppose.”
“Unless he suspected them of being involved,” Axel mused. “Perhaps he wasn’t sure who to trust.”
“Some sort of cover-up?” Riley nodded. “Wouldn’t surprise me.”
“He’d want to get all his ducks in a row before making accusations,” Maddie said, hair cascading over her face as she nodded vigorously. Riley, feeling an overwhelming need to reach forward and push it aside for her, looked away until the moment passed. “He wasn’t one to cast aspersions without being sure of his facts.”
“Well then, he would have kept his evidence somewhere safe. Otherwise, why all the interest in him and you?” And why was he killed? “You need to think where he might have put it. Did he have secret places? A home safe would be too obvious.”
“I’m not sure.” Once again she frowned. “Everything’s such a mess. He never threw anything away, you see.”
“It’s untidy?” Axel asked, sounding surprised.
“Oh no, everything perfectly orderly, like you’d expect from a man who’d spent so many years in the military.” A tiny smile replaced her earlier frown. “There’s just an awful lot of it, that’s all.”
“Which makes it easier to hide things in plain sight,” Riley replied.
“Do we really have to go through every single sheet of paper? It’ll take forever.”
“Unless you can think of a better plan.” Axel sent her one of the full-wattage smiles that almost always got him what he wanted, especially when it was directed at a woman. Whoa, buddy, stay focused on the job in hand. “We’re here to help.”
“Has the house in Falls Church always been your family home?” Riley asked.
“Yes. Not that I spent too much time here as a child. Dad was always being posted somewhere or other, and Mom and I often went along.” A shadow passed across her eyes, implying that she’d resented always moving from pillar to post. Riley was aware that a lot of army kids felt that way. “But yes, it’s the only place I’ve ever called home.”
“It’ll be a wrench to sell it then,” Axel said.
“Yes and no.” She sighed. “Memories are in one’s head, not in bricks and mortar.”
“Said like a true army brat.” Riley winked at her. “Anyway, we’ll check out of here and come back to the house with you. You need us close by, just in case you have any more uninvited visitors, and we’ll make ourselves useful by helping with the search.”
“I thought you would have met with me there in the first place.”
Axel smiled. “If someone broke in and didn’t steal anything, they probably planted bugs, hoping to hear something interesting.”
“Like your reaction if you found anything to do with their business,” Riley added, thinking he probably didn’t need to point out that she’d have outlived her usefulness once that happened. She seemed like a smart girl and would join the dots quickly enough for herself.
“If they want me to do the searching for them, why try and spook me?”
“That’s just the point. They don’t want you involved at all. Presumably they thought you’d be gone as soon as the funeral was over, which is when they would have moved in.” Riley shook a finger at her and chuckled. “You’re not being
very cooperative, darlin’.”
“Well, excuse me for breathing.”
“Tell you what, babe,” Axel said, standing up and stretching. “Riley and I will buy you an early dinner, then we’ll go back to your old man’s place and start searching.”
“What about your booking here?”
“No problem. We paid in advance for one night,” Riley replied. “Shall we go?”
Chapter Three
Maddie stared at the two men, wondering what to do. When she’d called Raoul she hadn’t expected to be offered round-the-clock protection. She might not be in the military herself, but she was no pushover, either. Well, she lived in New York, so that went without being said. She kept fit and knew how to take care of herself but also valued her privacy. Riley and Axel seemed genuinely concerned about her situation. Unlike the army detectives, they saw human shapes where she’d only sensed shadows.
What were you involved with, Daddy?
Knowing the men believed her eased her paranoia. Even so, the thought of having strangers under the same roof as her twenty-four/seven was unnerving. She’d feel a hell of a lot safer, but would she just be exchanging one type of danger for another? The house was large enough to accommodate them with ease, but that didn’t mean there was enough space for Maddie to suppress the misplaced feelings that had stirred within her dormant body as soon as the pair introduced themselves.
It seemed disrespectful to be contemplating sex so soon after losing her father, but the prospect had filtered into her brain the moment she met them, and refused to budge. Despite her self-imposed embargo on relationships, she wouldn’t turn either of them down and would have a tough job choosing between them if it ever came to that. They were exceptionally fine specimens of the masculine form—handsome, fit, and smart—and she could sense their interest in her went beyond the professional. She’d already seen every female head in the lobby of this hotel turn to follow their progress and also intercepted an array of envious and malicious glances that were sent her way. She’d have to be blind or half-dead not to react to them in the same way.