“Who would think that you needed one?”
They were heading into dangerous territory again. She could tell from the sudden tension in the air that Seth knew it. As a matter of fact, she was pretty sure this was exactly where he’d been leading their conversation since it began. “I’m not sure.”
“But, you have an idea, right?” He turned onto a street near Spokane’s Riverfront Square, old buildings butting up against new ones, all of them brightly lit and beautiful.
“The fact that you’re withholding the truth isn’t helping either of us,” Seth continued when she didn’t speak.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry isn’t going to help if you die.” He drove into a parking garage, driving up to the nearly empty top floor and parking near the building entrance.
“Seth...” She didn’t know what she wanted to say, wasn’t sure what she could say.
He touched her shoulder. “Unless you’re going to tell me everything I want to know, don’t bother, okay?” The words were gentle, but his gaze was implacable.
She could feel the heat of his fingers through the thick layers of her coat and shirt. For some reason, that made her eyes burn and her throat clog.
When she didn’t speak, his hand dropped away. “The safe house is inside this building. Don’t get out of the truck until I come around to your side.”
“Safe house?”
“The company I work for owns it. We use it for clients who aren’t safe in their homes and communities.”
“I’m not a client.”
“No, but you’re a friend, and that counts for a lot.” He got out of the truck and shut the door, sealing her in with her thoughts and her silence.
He was probably angry, and she didn’t blame him. He and Logan were doing everything they could to keep her safe and to find her attacker. She was thanking them by keeping secrets.
She didn’t want to.
She really didn’t, but she wasn’t sure what else to do. In the years since the massacre, she’d prayed for direction and she’d asked for guidance. All she’d found was emptiness and fear.
Please, God, just help me know what to do.
She tried again, the words spinning through her mind and flying out into the universe. She wanted so badly to believe that God heard them. She wanted so much to grab hold of the faith that she’d had the year she’d traveled to Kenya.
Seth opened the door, the scars on his face faded evidence of all that he’d been through. He hadn’t let physical scars become emotional ones, though. He hadn’t let trials steal his faith or his joy.
“Ready?” He offered a hand, and she took it, his rough palm pressed against hers, the warmth of it more comforting than anything had been in a very long time.
“Yes,” she responded.
He led her through the parking garage and into an old elevator. It clanked closed, sealing them in.
Tessa had never been claustrophobic but the walls seemed too close. Seth seemed too close, that wintery fresh scent that always seemed to cling to him drifting in the air, bringing back memories of things she’d tried hard to forget.
Like the way it felt to stand in the shelter of someone’s arms. After Daniel’s death, she’d craved that. She’d longed to be close to someone again. To hug and be hugged. To link fingers and press palms close.
The elevator door slid open and she nearly jumped out, her heart hammering frantically.
“Slow down, Tessa. You’ll be safe once we’re in the apartment. Until then, stick close.” Seth snagged the back of her coat, pulling her up short.
“Where is the apartment?” She avoided his gaze, afraid he’d see the longing in her eyes.
“Upstairs.”
His left hand slid around her waist as he led her to a door at the far end of the hall. A security system panel on the wall was padlocked. Seth pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked it, then entered a code into the keypad beneath, his left hand still curved around her waist.
She didn’t pull away. She didn’t want to, and that terrified her almost as much as everything else.
Seth opened the door into a small entrance hall. Narrow stairs led up to another door and another panel. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d said she’d be safe there.
She glanced over her shoulder, sure that she’d see someone barreling through the door they’d just come in.
“Relax,” Seth murmured. “We’ve got security cameras inside and outside the building. If anyone followed us, Taryn would have already called me.”
“Taryn?”
“The other security specialist that will be working with me tonight. She’s not on a case so she volunteered to come out and lend a hand.”
“On a night like this?”
“She’s an interesting person. Her priorities are a little different than most, and she loves a challenge.” He punched his password into the security panel and opened the door.
The apartment beyond was spacious and pristine—dark hardwood floors, streamlined and modern furniture. The oversize living room opened into a dining area and an upgraded kitchen. The place looked lived in and well cared for. Nothing like what Tessa imagined a safe house would look like.
Not that she’d spent much time imagining one.
“That you, Sinclair?” a woman called from a hallway to the right of the living room.
“Who else would it be?” Seth responded, moving into the kitchen.
Tessa followed, watching uncomfortably as he bent over a computer monitor set up on the counter.
She should have insisted on leaving town. That would have felt a lot less awkward than standing in a small room with the man who made her heart flutter and her pulse race.
Just then, a petite blonde walked down the hall, her hair pulled into a slick chignon, her makeup perfect. She wore a long black dress, four-inch heels and drop earrings that looked like real diamonds. She could have been a model or a high-fashion socialite if not for the gun holster strapped low on her hip.
“Interesting look, Taryn.” Seth barely looked up from the computer, but Tessa couldn’t stop looking.
“I was on a date, pal, and I haven’t had a chance to change.” She walked into the kitchen and offered Tessa a hand. “I’m Taryn, and you must be Tessa.”
“That’s right.”
“Hear you’re having a little bit of trouble.” She leaned against the doorjamb, her cornflower-blue eyes showing just a hint of amusement.
“I am, but I wish Seth hadn’t dragged you away from your date.”
“He didn’t. Our boss did. And I was thrilled to get the phone call. The guy I was out with was about as boring as an afternoon in front of the television.” Taryn grinned. “Come on. I’ll show you your room while Seth stares at the monitor.”
“Someone has to stare at it, Tar.” Seth finally looked up, and Tessa’s breath caught, her heart shimmying.
His hair was just a little long, his eyelashes thick and golden. The scars on his face gave him a look of implacable toughness, but his eyes were the deep blue of the summer sky.
How had she ever thought he was average?
“Nothing has moved on that street in forty minutes. Too much ice,” Taryn said. “But if you want to waste your time, feel free. Come on, Tessa. Your room is at the end of the hall. I’ll go over the rules on the way.”
“Rules?” Tessa tore her gaze from Seth.
“Did you think you’d get to stay here without them?” Taryn pulled Tessa from the kitchen. “No cell phone while you’re here. As a matter of fact, let me see it.”
She held out her hand. Tessa dug the phone from her purse, handed it over and watched as Taryn took out the battery and then handed the phone back to her.
“Hey—”
“You can have it back wh
en you leave.”
“I’m not going to—”
“We all have good intentions, Tess, but temptation can get the best of anyone. There’s no internet access in here, but there is a television.” She pushed open a door at the end of the call and gestured for Tessa to walk in ahead of her.
“I thought you said watching TV was boring,” Tessa protested as she stepped into an oversize room.
“It’s better than watching the wall.” Taryn grinned. “The bathroom is through that door. It’s stocked. You’ll find clothes in the dresser and closet. You’re tiny, but I think there’s probably something that will fit you.”
“I’m not—”
“If you need anything, give us a holler. Seth will probably stay glued to the screen until his shift is over, but I can get you what you need. First, though, I have got to get out of this dress.” She plucked at the silky fabric. “A waste of time shimmying into it, I’ll tell you that. See you in a bit.”
She walked into the hall and shut the door, leaving Tessa alone. Tess glanced around the room. Everything she needed was there. Bed. Dresser. Closet. A couple of chairs. And, of course, a television. All she needed was Bentley and she could hunker down until the trouble passed.
She frowned, not happy with the thought.
She’d been running for years, but that didn’t mean she’d expected others to step in and take care of her problems. She was perfectly capable of doing that herself. So, why was she standing in a room while Seth manned a security monitor?
Maybe, because she was too afraid to face him again, too afraid that what she felt when she was near him wasn’t just a product of fatigue or fear. She dropped onto the bed. Her head throbbed with every heartbeat, but she didn’t have the energy to go look for medication.
Voices and quiet laughter drifted into the room.
Seth and Taryn.
They’d be the perfect couple, both of them good looking, confident and accomplished.
She lay back on the bed, listening for several more minutes. She could go out and join them, but it was better this way. The two of them doing what they did best while she...
Hid?
She didn’t like how that made her feel, but it was the truth. She was hiding. Not just from her past. From Seth. And, she was just enough of a chicken to let herself do it.
She sighed, pulling the pillow over her head and pressing it against her ears as she tried to will herself to sleep.
TEN
Seth stared at the computer while Taryn gave him every minute detail about her date.
Not his type of thing. He’d much rather discuss football, basketball, hunting season...Girl Scout cookies.
Anything but dud dates and pinching stilettos.
“See anything?” Taryn finally stopped her diatribe long enough to show some interest in the job.
“Nothing worth noting.”
“I told you that there wouldn’t be.” Taryn opened the fridge and took out a can of diet soda. She’d changed into jeans and a T-shirt, braided her hair and scrubbed her face.
She still looked pretty, and nothing like what most people expected a security specialist to look like. But she was one of the best at the job, and he was glad to have her help.
“Hopefully, it will stay this quiet all night.” Tessa needed a good night’s sleep and a little peace. Maybe once she had that, she’d be more open to sharing her secrets.
And maybe flowers would bloom in the dead of winter.
He scowled, grabbed a soda from the fridge and chugging half of it down with Advil. His shoulder was throbbing, but that was the least of his worries. He had to get the truth out of Tessa. It was the only way to help her.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t sure she actually wanted to be helped.
“So,” Taryn said, nudging him out of the way so she could grab a yogurt from the fridge. “Is she the new woman in your life?”
“Did I have an old one?” He diverted the question, because he wasn’t sure how to answer. Tessa was part of his life. That was for sure. How much a part of it depended on her.
“Not that I know of. Which is why this situation is interesting.”
“There’s nothing interesting about it. She’s my physical therapist. She ran into some trouble while I was at her office. I’m trying to help her out of it.”
“Mmm-hmm.” Taryn nodded, scooping up yogurt and watching him like he was the most interesting thing that had happened to her all day.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” She tossed the yogurt container and stuck the spoon in the dishwasher. “But, I’m thinking your evening has been a lot more interesting than mine, and I’ve got to admit, I’m a little jealous. So, what’s the scoop on her troubles? An ex?”
“She’s not saying much except that it’s connected to her past.” He explained briefly.
Taryn’s eyes widened when he described the massacre. “Wow. That’s a lot to go through. No wonder she’s messed up.”
“She’s not messed up,” he protested.
“Someone wants her dead. She probably knows who and why, but she’s not saying. That’s not messed up?”
“She has her reasons.”
“And, you’ve got it bad.” She smirked, but he didn’t take the bait. Whatever he felt about Tessa was his business, and he wasn’t going to discuss it with anyone. Especially not anyone as nosey as Taryn.
“How long do you plan to keep her here?” she finally asked.
“Good question. I’ll have to discuss it with Tessa.”
“There’s no time like the present.” Taryn sat at the kitchen table, tapping her fingers restlessly. “Besides, seeing as how I’m a woman, I speak with authority when I say that she probably isn’t happy being in there alone. Not to mention the fact that she’s probably starving. That’s what happens to me when I’m bored.” She grabbed a package of cookies from the cupboard and ate two.
“Are you trying to tell me you’re bored?”
“I’m trying to give you some helpful relationship advice. Take it or leave it. It makes no difference to me.”
“Relationship advice? Aren’t you the woman who spent the evening with a dud?” He opened the fridge, grabbed everything he needed to make a couple sandwiches.
“Just because I date duds does not mean I don’t know how a woman wants to be treated.”
“You just don’t know any men who know how to treat women that way?”
“Exactly.” She laughed, just like he’d known she would.
He made a couple of sandwiches, dropped one onto a plate. “How’s this?”
“A good start.” She dismissed him with a wave of her hand, turning her back to him and leaning over the computer monitor.
He didn’t need an excuse to go talk to Tessa, but he took a sandwich to her room, anyway, knocking on the door and waiting impatiently for her to answer.
Someone rapped on the door, the hard knock making Tessa’s heart jump. She hadn’t been able to sleep. No matter how much she’d wanted to.
“Tess?” The doorknob rattled and Seth walked in. He had a plate in his hand and a smile on his face, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so happy to see someone.
“I brought you something to eat.” He offered her the plate, and she took it, staring down at the sandwich, her heart beating double time.
It had been years since anyone had made her something to eat. So many years that she couldn’t remember the last time it had happened.
“Thanks,” she said, her eyes burning with what felt like tears. “But you really don’t need to take care of me.”
“Is that what giving someone a sandwich is?” He raised a brow, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
“Isn’t it?”
“According to Taryn, the sandwich will help with boredom.”
“You and Taryn were discussing me?”
“She’s nosey,” he said, settling into one of the chairs. “And she’s helping us out, so I couldn’t be too upset with her questions.”
“I sound ungrateful, don’t I?” She sat on the edge of the bed and set the plate on the bedside table. “I don’t mean to. I really do appreciate what you’re trying to do.”
“You sound tired.”
“I am, but I can’t sleep.”
“Maybe if you told me what’s bothering you, it would help.”
“The past.” And you, she wanted to add, but didn’t.
“I understand,” he said quietly, and she thought that he did.
“You must miss your wife terribly.”
“I do, but we were only meant to have the time we had. It took me a while to understand that. Once I did, her death was easier to accept.”
“Accepting something doesn’t make it easy,” she said, forcing the words past the hard lump of grief in her throat.
“I didn’t say it was easy. I said it was easier,” he corrected her, his eyes dark with emotion. “After Julia died, I had to make the choice to believe that the deepest darkness only exists to reveal the brightest light. Otherwise, I don’t think I would have come home from Afghanistan.”
“What kind of brightness did you find?” she asked, because she really wanted to know what had carried him through, brought him home, made him into the man he was.
“My family. They might drive me crazy, but they were there for me when I needed them. I stayed alive for them, and because I really believed God had a purpose for my life.” He smiled, and Tessa’s heart seemed to reach for his, the sensation so unexpected, so surprising, she stood and paced to the window.
Outside, fat flakes of snow fell against a background of steel-gray sky and deep-redbrick. She wanted to be outside, her face tilted to the cold night sky, white snow falling on her heated cheeks.
“There was something else, Tess,” Seth said, moving up behind her, his hands settling on her shoulders, his breath ruffling her hair. “I knew that Julia wouldn’t have wanted me to waste my life mourning her. She’d have wanted me to keep doing what we’d always planned.”
Defender for Hire Page 9