by Rebecca Deel
In the gloom, a man relaxed at the far end of Madison’s couch, absorbed in the evening news. From the television’s glow, he knew the man wasn’t Scott Bates, was well-built and aware Nick stood at the edge of the room.
Without turning his head, the man on the couch said, “You better have a good reason for prowling in my sister’s house with that gun.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
In the hallway, Madison heard the familiar voice and squealed. “Josh!” She hurried past Nick and launched herself into her brother’s open arms.
“Hey, sunshine.” His tight embrace squeezed the breath out of her lungs with a soft whoosh.
“When did you get here? How long can you stay? Does Mom know you’re here? Have you called Serena and Meg?”
Josh laughed and tapped her lips with his finger. “Slow down on the questions or I’ll start calling you snoopy instead of sunshine.”
Madison grinned, eager to see the pained look on Meg’s face the next time Josh called their snoopy sister her pet name. When they turned seven, Josh gave each of his sisters a nickname. At least she hadn’t ended up with squirt, Serena’s embarrassing moniker.
Josh’s face hardened. “Who’s your trigger-happy friend?” he said, his voice cold.
She straightened and turned toward Nick. He holstered his gun, watching the reunion with an odd expression on his face. “This is Nick Santana. Nick, my brother, Josh.”
Nick moved closer and extended his hand. “Madison’s told me a lot about you.”
Josh rose, a speculative gleam in his eyes. “Weren’t you Luke’s partner?”
“That’s right.”
“You still with the Knoxville PD?”
Nick shook his head. “Private.”
Madison turned off the television and flipped on a couple of lamps. She sat on the love seat, motioning for Josh to resume his seat. “Are you on leave again?” She smiled at Nick when he sat beside her.
“No.”
Madison’s eyes widened. Explanations swirled through her mind. A stateside assignment? Rangers, or whatever unnamed title he now held in the Army, traveled wherever they were sent, but his usual trips gave her foreign stamps to admire. Another possibility sprang to mind. Her jaw dropped. “Are you AWOL?”
Josh burst into laughter. “Of course not.” His eyes still twinkled even as his expression sobered. “I resigned my commission.”
She stared. Her beloved brother—the boy who dressed like an Army Ranger at costume parties from four years of age—had lost his mind. No other explanation made sense. “But you love being in the military. Why did you resign?”
She stopped, a horrible suspicion cresting the murky depths of her mind. She searched his deep blue gaze for the truth. “Is it your leg?” None of his emails hinted at anything less than 100 percent recovery from his bullet wound last spring.
He waved off her concern. “Leg’s fine. The Army docs wouldn’t clear me for duty if I wasn’t fit.” He shrugged. “It’s time for me to do something else. I’ve slowed down a couple of steps in the last year, enough that I’m concerned for my team.”
Joy shot through her like a lightning bolt. “You’re home for good? Mom’s going to be thrilled!” Josh hadn’t been kidding when he’d hinted he had a surprise for her. What a relief to know he no longer fought the enemy in global hot zones. No more worrying about his safety when duty kept him away from email longer than usual. “Where are you staying?”
Josh chuckled. “I thought I’d bunk with each of you a few days until I find a place of my own. If I stayed with Mom or Serena too long, I’d weigh enough to be a linebacker for the Cowboys.”
“I can help you with that.”
“Emergency room visits aren’t my idea of a diet.” Josh grinned at Nick, mischief dancing in his eyes. “A word to the wise. If she offers you a brownie, don’t take it.”
“Wait a minute.” Madison glared at him. “My brownies aren’t that bad.”
“Even Serena’s dog won’t touch them. Be honest, sis. If you filed off the corners, the Nashville Predators wouldn’t need to buy hockey pucks.”
Madison wanted to be angry with both men, but ended up laughing with them. Her cooking lacked something. Maybe she should take Serena up on her offer of cooking lessons. How hard could it be for an intelligent thirty-something woman to learn to cook? “So, what are your plans? Will you take a few weeks off before looking for a job?”
Josh grinned at her. “I already have a job waiting for me.” He stopped. “Well, maybe waiting for me,” he said. “Depends on the town council.”
“Town council? What do they have to do with your job?”
“They have to approve the position and salary before Ethan hires me.”
“I should have realized Ethan was recruiting you in May. You two spent a lot of time together. I have to admit, though, it’s a great way to use your military skills.”
“When do you start?” Nick asked.
“If the council approves everything, Ethan wants to send me to the law enforcement academy for an eight-week training course.” Josh chuckled. “I’ll start issuing Meg speeding citations in a few weeks.”
Madison laughed. “Oh, this is good. All she does now is bat her eyelashes at Hernandez and he doesn’t remember what day it is, much less why he pulled her over. Meg won’t like seeing you in her rearview mirror.”
“I hear you’re staying with the folks,” Josh said to Nick. “You’ll be here for a while?”
“Your mother gave me an open invitation. Since you’re home now, though, it might be a good idea for me to find a rental.”
Josh shook his head. “Don’t pack your bags on my account. I’ll stay with my sisters until I find a place of my own.”
“Stay with me for a while.” Madison glanced at Nick, raising her eyebrow in question. When he nodded, she turned back to her brother. “In fact, you can help me with a problem.”
A broad grin on his face, Ethan shook the extended hand. “Welcome home, Josh.”
The big, blonde-haired, former soldier clapped him on the shoulder. “Good to see you again, Ethan.” He waved him into the kitchen where Nick and Madison waited.
“You’re a man of secrets, Ethan,” Madison said, with a wry smile. She slid a cold bottle of water in his direction. “We didn’t know Josh was thinking about leaving the military.”
“Thanks.” He unscrewed the cap and took several long swallows of the cool liquid. Between the day’s heat and the longest town council meeting in Otter Creek history, he felt like the sun-baked ground in his front yard. “I placed an opportunity in his path.” He turned to Josh. “Madison and Nick filled you in on what’s happening?”
Josh folded his arms across his broad chest. “Yeah. How can I help?”
A smile curved Ethan’s lips. “For now, take over night watch with Madison. I’m short-handed at the moment.”
“No problem.”
“Nick, what did you learn in Knoxville?”
The private detective handed him an envelope. Ethan withdrew a black-and-white photo. “Where did you get this?” He studied the picture of Bates and the pretty dark-haired clerk from the drugstore. Man, he hated to see her caught up in anything that involved Bates.
“Undercover cop got it from a narcotics stakeout in Knoxville. They were photographing the drug-dealer in the foreground. Caught these two by accident.”
Ethan frowned. “We’ll talk to Jenny tomorrow, explore her connection to Bates.” He eyed Madison. “The arson investigator confirmed that someone used an accelerant in your shop. We found an eyewitness who corroborated the time you and Nick were there. Mrs. Adler says Nick went into the shop empty handed and left with a bag about two minutes later. She was waiting for her husband to pick her up in front of the library. Had a perfect view of your store.”
“What about the fire? Did Mrs. Adler call it in?” Nick asked.
Ethan shook his head. “She waited until 9:10 for her husband, but didn’t see a fire. She did, however,
mention a dog barking as her husband pulled up. She thought it came from the alley behind the store.”
“Probably Moses,” Madison said. “He hangs out in the alley, waiting for the neighborhood cat to stroll by. The Griffins never put their dog on a leash.”
“Arsonist went in the back door. We didn’t see signs of forced entry.”
“So whoever got her car keys also copied Madison’s shop keys,” Nick said. He turned to Madison. “Good thing we bought new locks for your house.”
“You put them in yet?” Ethan shoved the picture of Bates and Jenny in the envelope, slipped it into his pocket. The sooner they changed those locks, the better he’d feel about Madison’s safety. He didn’t like the unease roiling in his gut.
Nick shook his head. “They’ll be in before I return to the Cahill’s place tonight.”
“I can help with that,” Josh said. “Got an extra screwdriver?”
“Complete your handyman jobs in the next week, Josh,” Ethan said. “After that, you’ll be at the academy.”
“The town council approved hiring Josh?” Madison asked.
“Couldn’t turn down the town hero without making themselves look bad.” He didn’t tell them how hard he’d badgered, lobbied and cajoled each councilman in that meeting. In the end, he had the approval for two new officers. If things kept progressing with Madison and Nick, Ethan figured he might have another recruit before long. Provided his questions about the weird happenings surrounding the PI were answered.
He’d hear some complaints about hiring so many family members, but Josh and Nick’s experience and expertise would weather any questioning. Those men could stand on their own merits and Otter Creek’s residents would be safer with them on the force.
Ethan rose. “One more thing.” He tossed his empty bottle in the trash on the way to the door. “Ballistics report from the TBI crime lab should arrive late tomorrow afternoon.”
“Ballistics report?” Josh looked from Ethan to Nick. “What haven’t you told me?”
“Grab a couple of screwdrivers.” Nick rose. “I’ll tell you while we change out hardware.”
Josh tightened the last screw on the front door’s new lock. “A Marine sniper rifle?” His blue eyes focused on Nick’s face. “You’re lucky to be alive.” He nodded toward the kitchen where Madison brewed iced tea. “Does she know?”
“How close I came to dying?” Nick said with a look over his shoulder at the empty hallway. “I didn’t go into that much detail with her. If I hadn’t turned at the last second, I’d be playing my guitar in front of the pearly gates right now.”
He grabbed the box containing the lock for Madison’s bedroom door. The new lock, along with her solid wood door, should slow someone down long enough for the cavalry to arrive, provided her stalker broke into the house in the first place. With Josh on night watch, Nick doubted that would happen.
Nick gathered their tools, moved to the bedroom door, and removed the screws holding the doorknob in place. “Didn’t want to scare her. I waited until I’d healed enough so the docs wouldn’t send out a recon patrol.”
Josh wiggled the knob, pulled it free. “She’ll figure it out, you know. And when she does, she’ll behave like a cornered cat.”
Nick ripped open the box with the new hardware and handed Josh a couple of pieces. He steadied the equipment as the other man worked from inside Madison’s bedroom. “Any advice?”
From the other side of the door, Josh’s voice rose above the noise of the screwdriver. “Fewer scratches on your hide if you confess before she pieces it together on her own.”
A few minutes past midnight, Madison stepped outside into the bright moonlit night. She breathed in the scent of pine trees, grass and damp evening air. The breeze riffling her hair, she listened to Nick exchange a few last words with Josh and close the front door behind him. A shiver ran down her spine at the touch of his hand on her back.
“Come sit with me a few minutes.”
She peered at him through the veil of her lashes. His body almost vibrated with tension. “All right.” She led him to the porch swing and relaxed in the shelter of his arm, waiting.
“No rule changes because Josh is here with you at night,” he said. “Keep the cell phone with you at all times, always charged.”
She nodded. The beautiful night encouraged her to push aside the tragedies of the past few days. Reality could return after sunrise.
“Change the access code to your alarm system. I assume Josh had the code since it didn’t go off when he entered the house.”
Madison licked her lips and, again, said nothing. Maybe he wouldn’t notice the silence. Not wanting him more uptight, she made a mental note to take care of the alarm system tomorrow.
Nick squeezed her shoulder with his hand. He studied her expression. “You do know how to change the code, right?”
“Sure.” Madison focused on his chin. If she looked him in the eyes, he’d know. Luke used to kid her about her transparent face and guilt-ridden ocean-colored eyes.
“What aren’t you telling me?”
Irritation flooded her. “Do I have a neon sign flashing you a message or something?”
He raised his eyebrow at her outburst.
“Oh, all right,” she said as her gaze met his. “My alarm service isn’t activated.”
He stiffened. “Why not?”
“Nick, this is Otter Creek, not New York City. I lived here eighteen years before I married Luke. Not much crime happens here, and now my sister’s engaged to the police chief. Nobody has bothered me since I moved here eighteen months ago.”
If her porch light shined bright enough, would she see Nick’s face flushed a deep red? He closed his eyes, turned his head, his lips pressed into a tight line. Oh, yeah. His face revealed more than anger.
“Someone’s stalking you, Madison.” His words sounded clipped. “Whoever it is had the key to your house. We’re lucky your close call featured a camel.”
“I’ll take care of it tomorrow.”
He nodded and shifted his gaze to an orange-and-white tomcat prowling in her yard. “Sometime tomorrow we’ll find out if the sniper rifle is the same one used to shoot me a few weeks ago.”
The change in his voice caught her attention. His face showed as much emotion as a rock. Did all cops take a class in masking feelings? The academy could call it Poker Face 101. “And if it’s the same gun?”
“The police will have a lot more questions for Bates.” Nick’s voice dropped to such a low level she had to lean close to catch all of his words. “If they can tie him to the weapon, they might charge him with attempted murder.”
She stared hard at the tight features of his profile. What was he getting at? She already knew somebody shot Nick. Then, as if somebody flipped on a light in a darkened corner of her brain, she understood the meaning behind the words. Ice water poured through Madison’s veins. The tremors began inside and worked their way out. Her hand shaking, she cupped the side of his face and turned him to look at her. “How bad was it?”
He pressed a kiss into her palm, his eyes black in the dim light. “The doctors had to revive me twice.”
She felt as if someone had sucker punched her in the stomach. She couldn’t catch her breath. He almost died and she hadn’t been there. “Someone should have called me, Nick. You didn’t have to go through that alone.”
Nick lifted her hand from his face and wrapped his strong hand around hers. “Remember what I said when I first told you about this?”
Only two days had gone by and yet it seemed like two lifetimes had passed. “You were afraid for me to come. But that wouldn’t have made any difference. I would have been there, no matter what.”
“And that’s why I didn’t tell you.” He wrapped strong arms around her, leaned his head against hers. “Don’t you understand? I would rather die than let anything happen to you.”
Shudders wracked her body at the import of his words. They sank into the depths of her soul like an anchor
racing for the ocean floor. She tightened her arms around his neck. “Why tell me this now?”
“I made you a promise Tuesday night.”
No more secrets.
“And I don’t want anything to hinder what’s happening between us.”
The kiss. Remembering, her cheeks flamed. Uncertainty and doubt riddled her emotions. She shouldn’t feel this way. Nick had been here a couple of days, and yet she acted like a teenager falling in love with Brad Pitt.
What must he think of her? Did he feel something for her or was this all part of the white knight syndrome? Did she create a fantasy world out of Nick’s kindness and loyalty to Luke? That thought more than any other jerked her back to reality. She stiffened and pulled away. What was she doing? Could she trust these feelings for Nick or were they just a product of her imagination?
She stood, walked to the steps, stared at the clear, star-filled sky, arms hugging her midriff. He moved to stand behind her. “Nick, I don’t know if I’m ready for . . .” She couldn’t finish her sentence, didn’t know how to finish it.
He slipped his arms around her waist, held her. When the stiffness left her body, he said, “I’ll wait, as long as it takes.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Madison leaned close to the mirror and dug in the vanity drawer until her fingers closed around a bottle of eye drops. She squirted liquid into her bloodshot eyes. Friday morning. Ugh.
After Nick left around 1:00, she stumbled to bed and tossed for hours. Madison replayed his words in her mind. The bed covers reflected her tangled emotions. The bedspread lay in a heap on her floor and the sheets, crooked and wrinkled, hung half off the bed. She stripped the bed and remade it with fresh linens.
Madison showered and made a fresh pot of coffee. She needed a caffeine infusion. She’d rather drink a cappuccino, but this would do.
She carried her mug outside to the deck, awake enough now to enjoy the sunlight. A warm breeze hinted at the heat to come later in the day.