by Hope White
“I’m sorry,” Nate said.
She snapped her attention to him. “For what?”
“That you had to experience this kind of trauma.”
“Well, at least I’ve got you with me.” She looped her arm through his and leaned against his shoulder.
She felt him sigh, and she looked up into his green eyes. “What was that for?”
“What?”
“That heavy sigh.”
He shook his head and wouldn’t look at her.
“Nate?” She hesitated. “You don’t like people keeping things from you, yet you’re awfully good at clamming up. It makes people who care about you feel terribly insecure.”
“People who care about me,” he said in a flat tone.
“Yep, that would be me.”
“Well, you shouldn’t.”
“Too late, and I think you feel the same way. Unless I’ve been reading your signals all wrong, which I doubt because I’ve been paying pretty close attention to your body language these past few months. Wait, that makes me sound like a stalker.”
Nate pulled his arm free of Cassie’s and went to another window.
“I’m not really a stalker,” she teased, sensing he was about to shut her out completely.
He snapped his attention to her for a quick second, and the intensity of his eyes was nothing short of alarming.
“Whoa, what was that?” she said.
When he didn’t answer, she went to him.
“Nate? You looked at me like...like you hated me.”
He stared deeply into her eyes. “I could never hate you.”
She felt utterly lost when he looked at her like that. Was this what love felt like? Mature, adult love?
“I hate myself,” he spoke so softly she almost didn’t think she heard him right.
“What? Why?”
“Because I’m unable to keep you safe, unable to shield you from the brutality of what’s going on.”
“Hey, you’ve done a great job protecting me. I’m unharmed and alive.”
And in love. For the first time in my adult life.
He ripped his gaze from hers and glanced out the window. “Your cousin’s here.”
As he started to walk away, she grabbed his arm, stood on tiptoe and brushed her lips against his.
“I’m alive because of you,” she said.
When she released him, his brow furrowed like she’d spoken another language, one he didn’t understand.
But Nate was a grown man who surely had been in a relationship before.
He had to understand what the kiss meant.
With a tightly clenched jaw, he opened the door and went out to greet her cousin, Officer Ryan McBride. She packed up trail mix and beef jerky, a little dazed by the impact of the kiss. That was awfully forward of her, but it felt right and necessary. She had to let him know there was more to this whole cop-protecting-the-witness thing, a lot more.
Was he so dense that he didn’t get it? No, he was purposely dodging the issue, but why? Not because he didn’t care about her, because she sensed he did.
At any rate, she’d help with the case because she wanted it solved quickly. Then she could explore her relationship with Nate.
It struck her that she hadn’t thought about travel for a while now, not since she and Nate had gone off together, not since he’d challenged her to speak her truth—which she had to Becca.
Thankfully she was getting better at saying what she needed to say with clarity and compassion. The next subject of her honesty would be Nate. If he wouldn’t accept the kiss as an indication of her feelings, she’d have to come out and say it: she wanted to date him, explore a future together.
“Wow, can I do that?” she whispered to herself, zipping up the pack.
“Do what?” her cousin Ryan asked from the doorway.
“Um...stay at the resort without Aiden driving me loony birds,” she recovered.
“I wouldn’t count on it. Come on, coz,” Ryan said, shouldering the backpack. “Staying at the resort’s gotta be better than being stuck in the wilderness with the silent chief.”
Nate cleared his throat from the doorway.
Ryan snapped around. “Ah, sorry, Chief, that’s not what it sounded like, sir. I meant the resort is better than being out here with no running water or—”
Nate put up his hand to silence Ryan. “It’s fine. Let’s go.”
“Yes, sir.” Ryan rushed out of the cabin.
Cassie glanced around, looking for anything she might have left behind. She grabbed her shoulder bag and marched to the door, hesitating in front of Nate. “Just so you know, we’re not done talking.”
* * *
An hour later they were settled at the secluded apartment on the north side of Echo Mountain Resort. Nate didn’t like bringing Cassie, and the trouble that followed her, back to the resort, but the reality was they couldn’t get away from whomever was after her no matter how far they went. It seemed as if the mob had eyes and ears everywhere: in the mountains, in town, possibly even in the police department.
No, he was being paranoid. He trusted the former chief with his life, and Detective Vaughn was solid. They were the only two in the inner circle, the only two who knew where Nate and Cassie were at any given moment. At some point Nate had to learn to trust, even if it wasn’t second nature to him.
Neither was love.
He’d thought he’d heard Cassie say it back at the Horizon Point cabin when he was struggling to regain consciousness.
She loved him.
Not good for so many reasons.
“Are you talking background checks on everyone in town, Chief?” Detective Vaughn said, standing on the opposite side of the dining room table.
She was speaking to him, discussing strategy, yet he was so distracted by thoughts about Cassie that he barely heard her.
“Start with anyone associated with Echo Mountain Rentals,” Nate said. “That’s the hot zone. We also need to track down this mysterious laundry service. It all started with the owner of that company. I want to know who he is, how he got paid and where his facility is located. The Feds can assist with the search of the facility.”
“Shouldn’t we handle that?” Detective Vaughn said.
“We need to focus on the local angle. Let Agent Nance deal with the mob side of things.”
“If he ever shows up,” Vaughn shot back. “Oh, and I finally located Cassie’s car.”
“Finally?” Nate asked.
“There was some confusion. It was towed the other day from Echo Mountain Rentals, but at first no one seemed to know where it ended up. Found it at Rutger’s Garage in Lake Stevens, but I haven’t had a chance to get down there yet.”
“That’s half an hour away,” Cassie said. “Why did they take it there?”
“Not sure,” Detective Vaughn said. “Want me to head there first?”
“No, focus on the new laundry service,” Nate said. “See if Mr. Anderson will give you contact information. Agent Nance and I will check on Cassie’s car.”
“Guys, I think I found something,” Cassie said, eyeing a laptop screen.
She was determined to contribute, so Nate had given her an assignment. He’d also given it to her to keep her busy so she wouldn’t demand more conversation about their relationship. The time and place for that was after everyone involved in this smuggling operation was behind bars.
“What’ve you got?” Nate asked Cassie.
“Over the past three months, six men reserved cabins through Echo Mountain Rentals.” She glanced up. “But not together and not at the same time.”
“They’ve smuggled six perps out of the country?” Detective Vaughn said. “Were they all originally from the same city?”
“We need to weed out which ones worked for the mob and which ones were innocent tourists,” Nate said.
“I’m on it,” Cassie said.
“How are you going to figure that out?” Detective Vaughn asked.
“I’ll do searches to see if any of these guys went on hiking trips or local tours. I’m assuming the criminals wouldn’t want to be seen in public so their names won’t show up on those lists.”
“Good point,” Vaughn said, and glanced at Nate. “I’m off to talk to Mr. Anderson and track down the laundry service.”
“Maybe I should go with you. I can have Agent Nance check out the car.”
“No need, Chief,” Vaughn said. “I’ve got this.”
“You sure?”
“I’ll call if I need backup, promise,” she said, and left.
“You’re worried about Detective Vaughn,” Cassie said.
Nate sat across the table from her. “When I offered her the position of detective I thought she’d be dealing with teenage vandals, not mob criminals. I don’t want anything to happen to her.”
“Because of Will and the girls?”
Nate nodded. Will had suffered enough after the loss of his wife, and then physical abuse at the hands of white-collar criminals. He’d survived an intense, dangerous situation, and ended up falling in love with Sara Vaughn, a former FBI agent who’d joined the Echo Mountain PD.
Will deserved a little peace. He deserved his happily-ever-after.
“She’s a smart cop,” Cassie offered. “She’ll be okay.”
A tap sounded at the door. “That’s probably agent Nance.” Nate got up and eyed the peephole. He spotted Cassie’s mom, sister and big brother Aiden in the hallway.
“You have company.” Nate swung the door wide. “Come on in.”
Cassie’s mom and sister, holding the little dog, rushed to her side and bombarded Cassie with questions about the last twenty-four hours.
“How’s it going?” Aiden asked Nate.
“We’re good. Thank Quinn for letting us set up base here.”
“Will do. So, have you lost your mind yet?”
“Not yet, but another few days of these guys running around my town and I might.”
“I wasn’t talking about the case. I was referring to my sister.” Aiden nodded toward Cassie. “Nonstop chatterbox, that one.”
“Doesn’t bother me,” Nate said.
“No kidding?” Aiden raised a brow in question.
“She’s your sister. You’re supposed to get on each other’s nerves,” Nate said, studying Cassie.
She wore a strained smile she’d never flashed at Nate, a smile that he suspected covered what she was truly feeling. Probably something along the lines of, “leave me alone, you’re hovering again.”
Another knock sounded at the door and Nate let Officer Ryan McBride into the apartment.
“Whoa, family reunion,” McBride muttered.
“Actually, ladies, can I have your attention?” Nate said.
Cassie, her mom and her sister looked up.
“I’m sorry, but we need to keep this visit short. Cassie is doing some work for me on the case. Time is essential if we’re going to catch these guys before they come after her again.”
“She’s helping you?” Cassie’s mom said. “Are you sure that’s a good idea, Chief?”
“Mom, I’m doing research on the internet,” Cassie explained.
“I have to get back to work anyway,” Bree said, standing. “I have a strict boss.”
“Hey, I let you leave early yesterday for a special date with Scott,” Aiden countered.
“A special date?” their mother asked. “What kind of date?”
“Thanks a lot,” Bree shot at her brother. “Now she’s going to expect us to announce a wedding date.”
“Well, shouldn’t she?” Aiden pushed.
This is what family looked like, Nate realized. They didn’t always agree on everything, and this particular family loved to tease one another. But the love they shared was obvious.
“Can we come back and visit Cassie later, Chief?” her mom asked.
“Yes, but call first. Please be as discreet as possible. These guys could be keeping an eye on your entire family in order to find Cassie. I’ve got Harvey assigned to you.” He nodded at Cassie’s mom. “And Scott will stick with Bree when he’s off shift.”
“Do you know what all this is about?” Bree asked Nate. “What they want from Cassie?”
“We have our suspicions, but I can’t discuss details of the investigation at this time.”
“Come on, everyone out.” Aiden motioned and then eyed his younger cousin Ryan. “You’re protecting her, right?”
Officer McBride nodded that he was.
Aiden jabbed a forefinger at Ryan’s chest. “Don’t mess up.”
Once family members had left, Ryan settled at the breakfast bar with a cup of coffee.
“You’ll be safe here with Ryan,” Nate said to Cassie.
She glanced up from the laptop. “You’re leaving?”
“I need to retrieve the laundry from your car. Finding the fake passports will help us track down the suspects.”
“But those are new identities.”
“Agent Nance can run facial recognition. Speaking of which...” Nate called the agent.
“Nance,” he answered.
“It’s Chief Walsh. I thought you’d be here by now.”
“Rental car broke down.”
“Need me to pick you up?”
“Nah, I got another one. Are you at the resort?”
“Yes, but I’m headed to Rutger’s Garage in Lake Stevens. Cassie McBride’s car is there and I suspect we’ll find evidence inside.”
“I’ll meet you there.”
Nate ended the call and glanced at Officer McBride. “I’ll be back in a few hours. Keys?”
He handed Nate keys to the patrol car.
“Do not open the door to anyone,” Nate reiterated.
“Yes, sir.”
Cassie walked Nate to the door. “What else can I do to help?”
Nate hesitated. “Stay safe.”
“But is there other research I could do, like—”
Nate pressed his fingertips against her lips, so soft, so perfect. She stopped talking, and her blue eyes widened.
“I can do my job better if I know you’re okay.” He smiled. “Okay?”
She nodded and gave him a quick hug.
“I’ll see you later.” Nate glanced through the peephole to make sure the hallway was empty, opened the door and left the apartment.
The burn of worry simmered in his gut as he walked to the squad car. But he couldn’t be in two places at once, and he had to trust that between Officer McBride and Aiden watching over her in the fortress apartment, Cassie would be safe, at least until he returned.
Besides, Nate hadn’t been all that successful at keeping her safe. It had been one disaster after another up in the mountains, starting with him practically passing out in the car. What was that about? His gunshot wound wasn’t that serious and Spence didn’t think the bleeding had caused Nate to drift in and out of consciousness.
Well, he was feeling okay now, and ready to take on the men who were terrorizing Cassie. Hopefully he’d find the cash and passports in her car, and get the word out that she was no longer in possession of the items. Then, maybe, they’d leave her alone.
If only it were that easy.
* * *
When he arrived at Rutger’s Garage, the place looked abandoned. He slowly approached the building, eyeing the closed sign. Closed in the middle of the day?<
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Nate withdrew his firearm, went to the front door and peered inside. No one was at the counter. He twisted the door handle and found it unlocked. Taking a step into the reception area, he quietly shut the door behind him. A muffled voice echoed from the other side of a closed door a few feet away.
Carefully crossing the small office, he flipped the bolt and flung open the door.
A man rushed out of the closet wielding a broom. Nate pinned him against the front counter.
“I’m a police officer,” Nate said, flashing his badge in the guy’s face. “Okay?”
The guy nodded. Nate released him. “I’m Chief Walsh from Echo Mountain.”
“Cory Rutger,” the thirtysomething man said, running a nervous hand through thick red hair. “He had a gun and told us to get in the closet.”
“Us?”
“Megan, you can come out,” Cory said.
A young woman stepped out of the closet, arms wrapped around her midsection.
“How long ago did this happen?” Nate asked.
“It’s hard to say. We were pretty freaked out,” Cory said. “Five minutes, maybe ten?”
“It felt like forever in there,” Megan whispered.
“Stay here and call 911,” Nate ordered.
Nate continued past the counter and looked into the shop where the mechanics worked on cars. It was a small operation, with only three bays. Two of them were occupied, while the third was empty.
And neither of the two cars was Cassie’s bright red compact.
“Cory, was there a red VW back there?”
“Yeah, he took the keys to that one.”
“So you fixed it?”
“Yep, someone tampered with the ignition pins.”
“What did the man look like who took her car?”
“Twenties, black spiked hair.”
“Was he alone?” Nate questioned.
“Yes, sir.”
“No,” Megan said. “I remember seeing him drive up. There was a woman in the passenger seat.”
Nate studied the garage. He didn’t holster his gun just in case, but suspected Tony got what he wanted: Cassie’s car, along with the money and passports.
“You’re the only ones here today?” Nate said.
“Yes, sir, my other mechanic is at lunch,” Cory said.