“No. No, I don’t.”
“There. Now you can stay armed and dangerous.”
“Thanks.” Lianna didn’t know quite what else to say. Or why they’d had to come into Shay’s private quarters for this exchange. But Shay didn’t make a move to usher Lianna back out, which meant there was...more to this.
“Look, I know it’s a lot. To trust us. To put your life and your family in our hands.”
“I don’t really have another choice.”
“I guess not. Listen... It isn’t my job to tell you what to do. But it kind of comes with the territory. Being able to analyze people and if they’re ready to take on a challenge... I have to be able to do that. For my operatives.”
“Reece seems ready to handle any challenge.”
“Yes, he is. Even as...invested as he is in this, I think he’s capable and ready. I meant you, Lianna.”
Lianna let out a laugh, hoping it didn’t sound as bitter as it felt. “Another choice I don’t have. Ready or not, here it comes.”
“Yes and no. You could work on trusting yourself. One of the best ways a woman can be safe, stay safe, is to trust her gut. Listen to it. The gut doesn’t lie.”
That was never going to happen. Not after all the mistakes she’d made. “My gut lied. I never once thought Todd was...well, what he was.”
“I’m going to have to disagree with you.”
Lianna’s mind whirled around that. This tough woman, who ran some group with operatives and men like Reece and Holden looking to her for approval, seemed to think Lianna’s instincts were good. “You don’t even know me.”
“Sure, but you knew that Todd wasn’t a good father, right? You told us he traveled to stay away. Your gut knew that wasn’t right. Sure, you couldn’t have fathomed he was some kind of two-faced, lying bastard, but you knew something wasn’t right.”
Lianna felt like crying, because that wasn’t any better. Knowing and doing what she’d done. “I stayed,” she said around the lump in her throat, fingering the holster Shay had given her.
“Women have stayed with worse for much smaller reasons. No one goes through life without getting fooled once or twice. No one gets through life without regrets born of...well, all sorts of things. It’s kind of part and parcel of being human.”
“I find it hard to believe you’ve been taken in and fooled by a man. Especially a man that was the father of your child.”
“No, not the father of my child. But I have my own mistakes and regrets, ones I had to forgive myself for. It took a long time, but I got a lot more accomplished, helped myself and other people a lot better, once I did.”
Lianna looked up at her and saw...well, those regrets Shay had spoken of, right there in her expression as she continued to speak.
“We all make mistakes when love is involved. Fathers to your kids. Siblings. Parents. Friends. We all get mixed up and let feelings override reason, or make us ignore our gut feelings. Doesn’t mean your gut lies.”
“How can you tell the difference?”
“I think knowing there is a difference is the first step.”
Lianna didn’t know how that could be true, but she trusted this woman. Believed this woman. How could she not?
* * *
REECE WAS PRETTY sure Henry could spend the next year in the arcade room and only come up for food and bathroom breaks. Maybe a little sleep. Personally, Reece would like to get the kid outside, but he didn’t have any say. Not to mention, Henry probably deserved to do whatever he wanted for the time being.
“How long are we going to have to stay here?” Henry asked. His gaze was still on the screen, that glazed-over look to his eyes, but the way he stood had changed. As if he was a little bit more alert of his surroundings.
“It depends, but I have it on good authority your great-grandpa is going to come here to stay with you.”
Henry didn’t stop his game, but his gaze went sharp and his eyebrows drew together. “Why?”
“Why not?”
“Well, we’re in some danger, right? I don’t want Gramps to be in danger.”
“You and your great-grandfather will be safe here. I promise.”
Henry’s game character died on the screen. He turned to Reece, expression...very close to unreadable, especially for a seven-year-old.
“Why is he coming here? Really?”
Reece figured Lianna should be the one to tell him, but he could hardly lie to the kid. “Your mom and I are going to...” How the hell did he explain what they were going to do? “We’re going to try to get some answers on what’s going on.”
“You’re going to go away?”
“Not away, exactly. We’re going to go look into some things. We want you and your mom to be able to go home and be safe. So we’re going to make sure we can arrange that.” Could he possibly be any more vague or any less reassuring?
“My dad used to go away a lot.”
There was an accusation in that sentence. Blame. Reece felt an unaccustomed stab of...hurt. Guilt he would have understood, but how could he be hurt by a young boy’s words?
“This isn’t like that,” Reece said as reassuringly as he could manage. He crouched down so he could be eye to eye with Henry. He put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “It’s my job to keep you and your mom safe. Sometimes we have to go away to figure out how to do that, but that doesn’t mean we won’t come back. It doesn’t mean that our goal isn’t...going home. Both of you going home and being safe.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Where’s your home? You said you didn’t live here. Where will you go home and be safe?”
Reece had been shot, been in a building when it exploded. He’d been stabbed. He’d been neglected by his own parents. He wasn’t sure anything had ever hurt quite as deeply as that simple question did.
“This building might not be my home, but this group? It’s my home. It’s what I do.”
Henry chewed on his bottom lip. “You’re going to keep the bad men away from Mom, right?”
Reece studied Henry. There was something about the boy... A guardedness Reece hadn’t seen in him before. “Can you tell me what you know about the bad men?”
Henry shrugged. “It’s just... You’ll protect her. You’ll make sure nothing happens to her.”
Reece knew Henry was worried. Scared. Whether he’d had a good father or not, the man had been murdered. It was only natural Henry should have some lingering fears about losing other people in such a sudden, violent manner.
But there was something about those questions, and the direct, imploring blue gaze of the boy.
“I will,” Reece agreed, vowed. But he didn’t stand up or let go of Henry’s shoulder. “Is there something you want to tell me? Something you’re worried about?”
Henry was silent and still for longer than Reece had ever noticed.
A ripple of dread skittered down his spine, but he didn’t know what to do with it. Because Henry shook his head. Nothing he was worried about. Nothing he wanted to tell.
He’d been through a hard time. Reece was reaching to be reading into his reactions and legitimate fears like this. But long after he’d left Henry under Sabrina’s watchful eye, the interaction bothered him.
He packed up what he thought he would need. Packed far more weapons than he’d originally gone in with. It would just be him and Lianna, so he didn’t have to worry about the safety of having weapons around a young boy. All he had to worry about was keeping Lianna safe.
It’s just... You’ll protect her. You’ll make sure nothing happens to her. Henry’s words, and the careful, almost adult delivery of them, repeated in Reece’s head the entire time. All the way up to when he went to seek out Lianna so they could head out.
She was in the kitchen with Henry and an older gentleman. She was
smiling at both of them, and even with the worry around her eyes, the love in her eyes for the two men around her cut straight through him.
More than want. More than...anything he’d ever known. He thought of last night and the way she’d touched him and he—
Had to focus on keeping her safe. That was the only thing.
“Reece,” she said, finally noticing him. She stood and Reece noted she hadn’t touched her plate of food. “This is my grandfather. Hank Young. Grandpa, this is Reece Montgomery.”
The older gentleman stood and extended a hand. His handshake was firm and his eyes were stern, but his greeting was kind enough. “Good to meet you. I hear you’ve been keeping our kids safe.”
“Yes, sir. I plan to keep it that way.”
“Good, good. We’re all eager for this to be over.”
Lianna walked over to Henry and pulled him into a hug. “Be good for Grandpa Hank and everyone here. I’ll be back soon. I promise.” She kissed his head, smoothed his hair. Reece watched as she took a deep breath and had to force herself to leave her son’s side.
That feeling from earlier swelled up in him, threatening to take him completely under.
She walked over to her grandfather, gave him a hug and whispered something in his ear. But Reece hardly had time to recover before Henry bounded out of his chair.
“Bye, Reece,” Henry said, flinging his arms around Reece’s legs. He squeezed tight and it seemed to squeeze around Reece’s heart like a vise.
“See ya soon, kid. No worries, okay?”
Henry let him go and nodded, but there were fears in the boy’s eyes. Fears he didn’t voice. Reece couldn’t help but frown over that as he led Lianna into the hallway.
“Does Henry know something?” he asked quietly, leading her to the front door.
She inhaled, and he knew she was trying to keep her composure over leaving Henry behind. “He’s just so smart,” Lianna said, somehow sounding proud and sad at the same time. “I’m sure he’s overheard things I’d rather he didn’t. I’m sure he’s put together things I’d rather he didn’t.”
Reece nodded. That had to be it. Regardless, they had other things to concern themselves with. “Are you ready for this?”
Lianna lifted her chin, a stubborn fighter’s light in her eye. “I am.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The sun was setting as Reece drove her up the familiar drive to her inn. The kind of early-summer sunset that usually gave her a giddy hopefulness that if the world could be that beautiful, things couldn’t be that bad.
Of course, things were pretty bad right now, so it was hard to access her usual joy.
“We’re going to do a quick sweep of the area,” Reece said, pulling to a stop. “Then the entire building.” He sounded every inch the...whatever he was. Operative.
“We’ll want to check your car, too,” he added.
“My car?”
“We’re just covering all our bases.” She supposed he thought his voice was reassuring, but the way his eyes seemed to take in everything around them didn’t put her at any kind of ease.
Still, she appreciated that he said we. It somehow made her feel...part of it. Even when she was reeling from the idea of a sweep of the area.
“If they can set up listening devices, they could easily set up cameras. So we’re going to have to make it look like we’re looking, but not too closely. If they’re watching, we want to give the impression that we’re cautious, but at least a little inept.”
“That we’re...” Lianna trailed off, irritated that heat was creeping up her cheeks. “I mean, I think we need to make it look like we’re...”
“We’re?”
He wasn’t going to make this easy on her, and that irritated her enough she straightened in her seat. “Involved,” she said icily. “Women do stupid things for men all the time. And vice versa.”
He made a noise, not quite an affirmation but not an argument, either. But he got out of the car, so she did, too. He grabbed the duffel he’d packed earlier. Lianna hadn’t had anything to pack except the holster Shay had given her.
The evening was almost warm, and everything smelled and felt like summer. The green earth beneath her feet, the colorful pop of color from her gardens.
Lianna wished Henry were here. Wished this had all been a dream. She looked at the man standing in front of his car, waiting for her to close her door and walk to him. Maybe she didn’t wish it was all a dream. Well, it was a stupid wish anyway, because this was her life.
He looked at her, and there was something like...confusion in his expression. Like he was at a loss over what to do. It dawned on her that he must not know how to look involved.
Now, surely a man like Reece had been involved with a woman before. She remembered how desperate and bewildered he’d been by his own feelings. She understood both those, but he’d never had... She didn’t think he’d ever had anyone truly care for him, to the point he didn’t even know how to fake it.
Unaccountably sad, she skirted the car and slid her hand into his, forcing a smile that didn’t show all the sympathy inside of her. His hand was rough and warm, and even though she was talking about pretending to be involved, her heart skipped a beat like it didn’t know the difference.
“I’ve still got your keys,” Reece said, and she thought he was trying to be cheerful, but there was a rasp to his voice that didn’t pull it off.
“Let’s take a walk around the gardens first,” Lianna said, hoping her forced attempt at cheer didn’t sound deranged. “It looks like it rained, but I want to make sure nothing needs to be watered.”
“Good one,” he said under his breath.
Lianna doubted there would be any listening devices out here, but she felt like they couldn’t take any chances for the moment. She’d play a role. She’d learned how to get rather good at that, she thought.
So Reece dumped his duffel on the porch and they walked around the house. Lianna went ahead and checked the soil in her pots and beds, determining nothing needed to be watered. She chattered on about the flowers since she didn’t know what else to do, and Reece nodded along as though he was listening.
It felt cozy and intimate and right, and Lianna wondered what the hell was wrong with her that she could enjoy something fake, knowing it wasn’t real. Knowing she was in danger and her son was locked away with her grandfather just so he wasn’t in the cross fire.
Once they’d done a full turn around the house, Reece released her hand. It felt like a loss, and she shivered.
“It’s getting a little cold,” Reece murmured. “Let’s go inside. I didn’t see anything that would be a camera or a listening device. I think the outside is clear.”
Lianna nodded and they walked up the stairs of the porch. Reece grabbed his bag, then took her keys out of his pocket. He made a move as if he was going to hand them to her, then thought better of it.
He propped open the storm door and shoved the key in the main door’s lock. “I have to look like I’m taking advantage of you,” he said very, very quietly. “Using you. So I’m going to have to be a little heavy-handed. At least when there’s a chance of being watched or listened to.”
Lianna nodded silently, because she didn’t know what else to do. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, flipping on the lights. Lianna followed. It smelled like home, and she relaxed even knowing someone could have been in here poking around, setting up cameras or more listening devices.
“Nice to be here without your kid, huh?” Reece said, his voice light and flippant and not Reece at all.
Lianna rubbed at the pain in her chest. He was lying, acting. She knew that. Still, she couldn’t work it up to agree.
“Why don’t you make us some dinner? I’ve got to go check on some things.”
Lianna found this version of Reece made her tongue-tied. She didn’t know how to get u
sed to him pretending to be someone else. Which gave her the uncomfortable realization that even when he’d lied to her in the beginning, he’d been himself. Maybe he hadn’t been out taking nature photographs, but the stories he’d told, the way he’d been, was just...him.
“Knock knock,” Reece said sharply. “Anyone home? Some of us are hungry.”
“Right. Right.” She shook her head, trying to get it through her head he was playing a part, and she had to, as well. “Dinner. Let me see what I can whip up.”
They parted ways and Lianna moved toward the kitchen. It was home, but she felt so out of sorts now it felt a bit like a stranger’s house. Especially without Henry underfoot.
Still, the act of making dinner soothed and settled her. She couldn’t fully relax without Henry here or when she knew anyone could be watching or listening and just waiting to strike, but she had a good talk with herself. She had to play her role. Stay in character. Not get flustered when Reece was so utterly un-Reece-like.
She’d finished the quick spaghetti dinner and was setting plates out on the dining room table when Reece finally returned.
“Found a few more of those listening devices in the rooms. Took care of the one you found and the rest.”
“I don’t know why they’d be listening in to guest rooms,” Lianna said, trying to sound a mix of baffled and afraid. “I could lose this place if someone thought I did it.”
“This is why it’s important you tell me everything you know, Lianna. Who knows what you said without thinking while they were listening.”
“I’m sure I’ve told you everything I remember.”
Reece made a disbelieving sound, then prowled around the dining room. He’d said there was one in here, but as he came to take a seat at the table, he shrugged. “Don’t see any in here.”
“Do you think they’ll come after me if you took care of the other listening devices?” She tried to sound scared. A little over-the-top scared. Someone who wouldn’t even try to stand on her own two feet.
Then she wasn’t standing on her own two feet. In a deft move, Reece had tugged her into his lap. She couldn’t bite back the surprised squeak, especially when Reece’s mouth moved to her ear.
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