Red Zone

by Sherri Hayes

  Sidestepping a tackle, he found his man twenty yards downfield. Releasing the ball, he watched it soar through the air and hit its target right in the center of his chest. Perfect. A huge grin spread across his face as he jogged with the rest of his team to the new line of scrimmage. Maybe he could give Miss FBI agent a good show after all.

  In the end, they pulled out a twenty-seven to twenty-one victory. It was much closer than it should have been, but a win was a win.

  The guys were all tired but in a good mood as they walked through the tunnel and into the locker room. They were having a winning season thus far, so everyone was riding the high—everyone except Gage.

  He was happy they’d won, yes, but his mind still wasn’t where it should be, and he didn’t know how to fix it. Something had happened between him and the stuffy agent earlier that morning in the hotel room, and he didn’t know how to explain it. He’d let his guard down, something he never did around anyone but his family. It was just too dangerous. Add to that this stalker of his, and it was doubly so.

  Everyone stripped out of their gear and headed for the showers. No one was commenting on his lack of focus on the field, but he knew it would be a subject of conversation with his coach on Tuesday. He’d be lucky if he didn’t have to run a few extra drills because of it. Pro or not, the same basic principles applied, no matter if you were playing on a little league team or earning a paycheck. If a player couldn’t focus on his own, then it would be drilled into him through extra laps or some other training exercise. One way or another, the goal would be achieved.

  Gage wasn’t surprised to catch a glimpse of Agent Carson as he loaded the bus with the rest of the team to head to the airport. What did surprise him, however, was that she was standing with Tim. The boss didn’t usually stick around after the games, but Gage figured, given the uniqueness of the situation, he was making an expectation.

  Agent Carson’s brow was furrowed with what looked to be worry when he caught her stare. Of course, as soon as she realized, she smoothed out her features and the professional mask was back. He couldn’t help but smirk. The game was over, and for the next six days he could go back to having fun with his personal bodyguard. Maybe he could break through that shell of hers. Besides, Charlie should have her new wardrobe ready on Monday. He couldn’t wait to see her in her new clothes.

  Rebecca had never watched a football game in its entirety before. She’d never cared to. The thought of watching men tackle each other while tossing a ball around had held no appeal to her. After sitting—or standing, mostly—in a glass-enclosed booth for nearly four hours with Donovan and several others, she was beginning to change her mind.

  One of the things she loved most about her job was the mental aspect. There were rules she was governed by, just as the football players had rules to follow. Sometimes the people she was sent to find were bigger, stronger, or wealthier than she was. It wasn’t ultimately about what individuals had on the outside that mattered. It was the way in which they, or she, used the tools they had access to. In the end, the most important asset anyone had was his or her brain.

  She found herself being pulled into the intricacies of the plays that were being made below her on the field. Everyone was shifting and moving to counter the other, like a well-choreographed dance without the music. If nothing else, she gained a new respect for the sport.

  Unfortunately, Daniels hadn’t explained that the team would be going directly to the airport after the game, so she hadn’t brought her luggage along. Granted, it would have looked a little strange for her to arrive at the game with luggage, but she had a VIP pass and her badge. Security wouldn’t have been a problem.

  As it was, she had to lose sight of the bus and Daniels for the time it took Donovan to drop her at the hotel. She ran up the stairs to her room, not wanting to wait for the elevator, and threw her carry-on over her shoulder. She was grateful to find her luggage still in her room. The team must have arranged for late checkout or something. Either way, she didn’t care as she rushed back downstairs. Less than five minutes had passed when she jumped into a cab and was on her way to the airport.

  She caught up with the team as they were passing through security. Daniels saw her and gave her that cocky smile of his before turning his attention back to Zach and Kenny. She had a feeling that, as Daniels’s girlfriend, she’d be getting to know those two a lot better.

  The flight back to Nashville was uneventful. When they landed, she once again exited the plane before the team and waited off to the side for Daniels.

  The team loaded the buses and were taken back to the stadium where either their vehicles or their significant others awaited them. She got out of her cab and paid the driver before walking over to where Daniels’s car was waiting. Just to be sure, she walked around the vehicle, bending down at one point to look at the undercarriage to see if there were any signs of tampering. That was how he found her.

  “Not that I have any objection to the view, but what exactly are you doing?”

  To her embarrassment, he startled her and caused her to lose her balance. She lost her footing and fell none too gently on her behind. Of course, he laughed.

  She glared.

  That only made him laugh harder.

  Ignoring him, she stood and brushed herself off. “Are you ready to go?” she asked, unable to hide the irritation in her voice.

  “Ready when you are, beautiful.” Winking, he twirled his keys as he turned and got into his SUV. With a sigh, Rebecca followed.

  Chapter 6

  It was just after midnight when they walked into Gage’s Nashville home. Getting home late was part of the deal whenever they played away games. This time, he remembered to grab Rebecca’s bag and carry it into the house. He was usually ready to crash the minute he walked in the door, but for some reason, he wasn’t quite prepared to say goodnight.

  Rebecca had been quiet on the ride back to his house. He’d noticed, however, that she had constantly been checking behind them in the side-view mirror just as she had the day before when they’d driven the same route. No one had been following them. He’d been checking, too. He always had, even before the stalker. Once he’d begun to make a name for himself, he never knew when a photographer would turn up trying to get a one-of-a-kind picture to sell to the tabloids.

  Luckily, he didn’t have to deal with that nearly as much as the Hollywood celebrities did. Not as many people cared what athletes did unless they were breaking the law. Plus, he was sure it helped that he was predictable. The only thing the press ever caught him doing was partying with Zach, Kenny, and whatever women they hooked up with that night. After a while, not even the public cared how many women he went through, as long as they were winning games.

  He set their bags down at the bottom of the staircase before strolling into the kitchen. “I could eat something. You hungry?” he asked, opening the refrigerator.

  She was standing about ten feet from him, gazing around the main room. He wasn’t sure what she was looking for exactly. The alarm had been set while they were gone and was still on and active when they’d arrived. As far as he could tell, there was no sign anyone had been there since they had left.

  Her gaze refocused on him briefly before returning to her surroundings. “Sure.”

  Pulling out eggs, milk, and cheese, he set them on the counter and went to get a skillet. He wasn’t the best cook, but he could make the basics. His mom had made sure all of her sons could cook enough not to starve or have to live off frozen dinners.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rebecca walk over to the patio door leading out to the pool. She stopped a foot from the glass and stared. The moonlight streamed in through the glass. From this angle, the delicate light framed her features, and he could see the red highlights in her hair as it rested gently on her shoulders. She’d left it loose the entire time they’d been away. It made her look softer, more feminine. She’d probably hate that. He smiled and turned his attention back to the eggs.

&nbs
p; With a stir, he sprinkled the cheese over the eggs and went to get two plates. It felt a little strange cooking for someone other than himself. The only people who’d ever stayed here with him were his parents, and when they were in town, his mom always did the cooking or they went out. He’d never brought a woman home. His relationships, if you could call them that, weren’t like that. Being in his home with a woman felt too intimate.

  He turned around with two plates of scrambled eggs and found her only a few feet in front of him on the other side of the island. Somehow, she’d managed to walk back across the room without him noticing.

  Setting her plate in front of her, he walked around the island and took the seat beside her. When he reached for his fork, his arm brushed against hers accidently, and he felt that tingly feeling again. Rebecca went rigid.

  Suddenly, he felt the need to get them back on comfortable ground. “Eat up, beautiful. You don’t want it to get cold.” Not looking in her direction, he dug into his eggs. As soon as he was finished eating, he ran up the stairs to his bedroom. He needed a little separation from Rebecca Carson.

  On Monday morning, Gage had been having a really nice dream about a brunette when the ring of his cell phone dragged him out of his imagined paradise. Groaning, he aggressively rubbed both hands over his face, trying to wake himself up before fumbling for the source of the annoying sound. “Hello?”

  An all-too-familiar voice came through the phone. “It’s eight thirty. Why are you still in bed?”

  Gage’s mouth opened wide as a loud yawn escaped. “I didn’t get to bed until almost two, Mel. What’s up?” he asked his manager.

  “I’ve got a few things for you to look over. Do you think you can stop by my office sometime today?”

  “Sure. Will this afternoon work?”

  “Of course. Let’s say one o’clock?”

  “I’ll be there with bells on.”

  Gage propped himself against the headboard, pressing the heels of his hands against his closed eyelids. The sun was bright this morning, and he hadn’t been ready to get up. Unfortunately, he knew falling back to sleep wasn’t an option. Once he was up, he was up.

  Tossing the sheets aside, he slid out of bed, then padded naked into his bathroom and turned on the shower. Looking in the mirror, he noticed the dark circles under his eyes. He’d stayed up too late, sleep evading him no matter how hard he’d tried. His thoughts kept drifting across the hall and the woman who made no sense to him. He’d never met someone who was so buttoned up. Yet, sometimes, when he’d push her just a little too far, he’d see a fire in her eyes. He wanted to tap that fire.

  Stepping into the shower, he moved to stand beneath the spray. The water helped lift the fog from his brain. Charlie would be stopping by at lunch with Rebecca’s new clothes. They were going out tonight with Zach and Kenny, and he couldn’t wait to see her in her new wardrobe. He had a feeling it was going to be difficult for him to keep his hands to himself. Lucky for him, if they were out in public, she couldn’t chastise him for touching her, and he planned to find ways to do just that as often as possible.

  Rebecca had always been a light sleeper. It probably came from growing up in a house where she had to be ready to move on a moment’s notice. That wasn’t something she liked to dwell on. The past was the past. She couldn’t change it even if she wanted to. The upside was being able to be fully awake and alert within seconds of opening her eyes, a skill that had served her well over the years. Most of her colleagues required multiple cups of coffee to get going in the morning. She, on the other hand, was running at full speed the second her feet hit the floor.

  Of course, that meant she was awake the minute she heard Daniels moving about across the hall.

  Checking her phone, she saw it was after eight thirty. She stretched in the comfortable bed, feeling the pull of her muscles, before sitting up and placing her feet on the plush carpet. There was a lot to do. Not much in the way of information had been gathered over the weekend, given Daniels’s schedule. They needed to sit down and come up with a list of possible suspects.

  The shower turned on in the other room, and Rebecca figured it was as good a time as any to check in with her partner. Although it was doubtful he’d garnered any information over the weekend, she’d learned never to underestimate Hansen. Sometimes he was able to glean information from the most unusual sources. People talked to him. He could strike up a conversation with a perfect stranger and end up filling in a piece of the puzzle that led them to solving their case. It was uncanny.

  Pressing the phone to her ear, she listened to the three rings it took for her partner to answer.

  “Hansen.”

  “Still sleeping?” she asked.

  “Carson. Hey. Yeah. Late night.”

  “Anything I need to know about?”

  “Not really. I’ve been running background checks on the team. Several have had run-ins with the law, but nothing major and mostly as juveniles. It still takes time, though.”

  “So nothing we can use?”

  “Unfortunately, no,” he said, seemingly disappointed. “At least nothing solid. Anything on your end?”

  “No. Nothing seemed out of place while we were gone, and I did a walkthrough of the ground level of the house before I turned in last night. No sign of someone in the house while we were away. Of course, to my knowledge that hasn’t been the case in the past either. I’ll take a jog around the outside again this morning.”

  “And how are things going with your quarterback?”

  She rolled her eyes. “He’s not my quarterback, and they’re . . . fine. I’m hoping to sit down with him today and come up with a list of potentials.”

  “That would help,” he stated. “Right now the field is too wide open.”

  “I agree. We need to narrow it down.”

  With an agreement to check in with each other the following morning, they hung up. Rebecca wanted to do that perimeter check as quickly as possible. Hopefully, she could finish and be back in her room before Daniels made it out of his. She knew she was being overly optimistic, but a girl could hope, right?

  Lucky for her, everything outside seemed to be exactly as they’d left it two days before. Back inside the house, however, her luck ran out the minute she turned to go up the stairs and bumped into Daniels.

  “Good morning, beautiful.” A huge smile graced his face. It made him look even more handsome than he usually did, and he knew it.

  “Good morning, Mr. Daniels. My apologies. I didn’t hear you coming down the stairs.”

  “Oh, I don’t mind one bit. A lovely lady like yourself crashing into me first thing in the morning isn’t something that needs an apology.” As he spoke, he leaned his body closer to her. She stepped back, trying to maintain an appropriate distance between them, but it didn’t work. Every inch she moved, he countered by the same inch, sometimes more.

  “Mr. Daniels—”

  “Gage,” he insisted, nearly pinning her against the wall with his body. He was too close. The scent of the soap he’d used wafted up to her nose. It smelled good. He smelled good.

  She needed to get away from him. “Mr. Daniels, if you do not step back and let me pass this instant, I will physically move you.” This only caused him to smile wider, if that were possible, and there was a gleam in his eye she didn’t like.

  Instead of stepping back, he leaned in, holding his upper body so close she could feel the heat radiating from him. His breath caused tiny goose bumps to cover the left side of her face and neck. She closed her eyes, bracing herself.

  Then . . . it was gone . . . his breath, the heat, everything.

  She opened her eyes, not sure what she’d find, and discovered she was alone on the stairs. Closing her eyes once again and taking a deep breath, she tried to center herself. What was this man doing to her? If it had been anyone else, she would have kneed him in the groin and had him flat against the wall in five seconds. Why hadn’t she done that here? He’d cornered her. She had every reason.


  Before she could analyze it further, she raced up to her room. She needed a shower. Not only would it wash the sweat of her run from her body, it would also help to bring her back to her senses.

  Rebecca felt better after she showered and once again dressed in her work clothes. She was a professional here to do a job, and she would do that job and only that job. For some reason, Daniels seemed to push her buttons. When he was around, her brain didn’t want to work right.

  There was no logic behind it. He was completely the wrong kind of guy for her. The guys she went for were polished, solid. They all had college degrees and a stable career path.

  Granted, she didn’t do much dating. In fact, it had been over a year since she’d been on a date. Her work kept her busy, and dating wasn’t something she made a priority.

  A husband would be nice, someone to come home to. Hansen had that, and in some ways, she envied him. She wasn’t going to settle, though. She wasn’t going to end up like her mom. Like her little sister. She wasn’t going to let some smooth-talking guy sweep her off her feet and destroy her life. Her career, her job . . . that was what mattered. One day she would find a guy who valued the same things she did and they’d get married. One day. For now, however, she was certain of one thing. Gage Daniels was not that guy.

  Chapter 7

  Gage was just finishing his breakfast when Rebecca walked back down the stairs. She was back in her dress pants and buttoned-up blouse, complete with suit jacket. Even her hair was pulled back away from her face as it had been the first time he’d seen her. He frowned. Didn’t this woman ever just relax? Ten seconds later, he got his answer.