by Taylor Anne
What the hell was she doing there? Did she know she was sitting in his bar? How could she? If it weren’t for the mirror between them, she would be staring straight at him. Her brow knotted up and her eyes focused on something, but he knew that all she could see was her reflection. Or was it? Graeme leaned closer to the window just to make sure. Dammit. It was her. Abby Monroe.
Chapter Two
Abby gazed at the mirror. All she could see was the reflection of the other people around her. Nothing out of the ordinary. So what kept drawing her attention to the mirror? What was so intriguing about the smoky glass? The unseen stared back at her—studied her, reached into her soul. A little unnerving. This was not the same threatening presence she had over the last several weeks when she knew someone was watching her. This was different. This intense heat made her warm all over. Crazy. She shook her head and turned away. Get a grip, Abby. There was no one watching. It was only a mirror.
She looked up to search for the bartender so he could refill her drink. He was out on the floor taking orders. Since he was busy, she located the women’s room and vacated her stool for a few minutes. When she returned to her seat, she glanced around for someone else to get her another drink since the bartender was still busy. At the other end of the bar a man was bent down leaning over a box, his back to her. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. His dark hair hung just below the collar of his shirt in the back. Something about him was familiar, but Abby could not put her finger on it. Where had he come from? There was no one standing there a second ago. She spotted a door behind the bar. It must lead to the outside, or a storage area maybe. Wherever it led, that had to be where he came from.
The man grabbed a bottle of beer out of the cooler and swaggered toward the opposite end of the bar, further away from her. If only he would turn around so she could see his face. A noticeable limp impeded his movement. Abby couldn’t help but wonder what caused that? Was he born with a defective leg? Gunshot wound? Car accident? Could be any number of things, but his easy gait indicated he was accustomed to the impediment.
He set his beer down in front of a man about the same age as Abby. Then he turned around. His gaze locked with hers. She gasped, her hand flew to her mouth. He seemed to know she was sitting there. His familiar dark eyes were filled with a flicker of hardness. What happened to put that coldness in his eyes? His dark brown hair was longer than last time she had seen him. No wonder she didn’t recognize him from the back. He was still lean and firm, but had put on a few pounds. Abby and Graeme stared at each other for several seconds. Without breaking eye contact, he sauntered across the floor to her end of the bar.
“Another drink, ma’am?” His voice was just as she remembered—deep and sexy with a slight roughness. A three-day shadow and a few crinkles around his eyes made his face harder, more experienced, than it had been seven years earlier. But he still looked damn good for forty. Three years older than her.
She tilted her glass indicating she wanted a refill. She told him what her drink of choice was. “Please. Put an extra shot of vodka in this one.” I think I might need that shot for added courage. He paused before adding the additional liquor. He replaced the napkin on the bar and set the drink in front of her. Other than those few tense moments when he stared into her eyes, he hadn’t acknowledged that he recognized her. Did he remember her? Sure, it had only been one night, but could he have forgotten? Abby had never been able to forget him, or that night. The memory of what they shared came back to her every night in her dreams. He was not an easy man to forget, nor one that she wanted to forget.
More than wondering if he remembered her, she wondered if he would help her. When Laci suggested she enter into witness protection, Graeme’s image popped into her head. He was the one man capable of protecting her. The only man she trusted with her life. Funny she would feel that way toward a person she only met once, years ago.
She took another sip of her drink and wiped the condensation off the glass. He watched her out of the corner of his eye. In her mind, she had toyed with several ways of approaching this man about her situation. Seeing him now, all those ideas blew right out the door with the salty air.
“Graeme, I’ve spent the last several weeks trying to find you.”
****
Had he heard her correctly? She’d been searching for him? Instead of answering right away, Graeme watched her sip the pink drink. What in the hell was Abby doing back in Orange Beach tracking him down? When he first noticed her sitting at his bar, he thought his eyes were deceiving him. But the combination of black hair and blue eyes could only belong to one person. Sure, he’d seen other women with these same physical characteristics, but only Abby Monroe could carry herself with the confidence of the woman sitting across from him right now. She appeared ready to take on the world.
“It’s been a long time, Abby. What brings you here now?” He really wanted to ask what took her so long to come back, but decided to wait for that question. Another time. Another place.
“You.”
He wiped the bar in front of her, waiting for her to elaborate, but mostly to give his hands something to do besides reach out for her. She paused long enough for him to think she wasn’t going to say more. “Abby, what’s going on?”
She sighed, and it was at that moment Graeme realized something was bothering her. Her brow was drawn together, her breathing a little too quick. “It’s difficult. I just really need to talk to you when you have a few minutes.”
He glanced around the bar. The evening crowd was starting to fill up the place. His part-time girl was waiting on tables and Cooper had the bar under control. He hated leaving them alone, feeling like he was relinquishing his duties to them, but he could give Abby a few minutes now. Once the sun set, he wouldn’t have a break until well after midnight. He picked up her drink and motioned for her to follow him out through the side door.
Outside, he stopped at the edge of the overhead awning. Turning to her, he handed her the glass then rubbed at the muscle in his left leg. The damn thing had been acting up all evening. It was really going to hurt in the morning after a long night of standing. He looked at Abby. Her eyes were vibrant, but there was a dullness lurking behind that energy. “What’s wrong?”
“I witnessed something back home in New Orleans.” She turned her face up to the breeze, her black hair blowing in the air. “I have to testify at a case, but until it comes to trial I need protection.”
“If you need protection you should go to the police. There’s nothing I can do for you.” His gut tightened. Instinctively, he rubbed the top of his left thigh again. Surely Abby wasn’t coming to him for protection. Couldn’t she see with his injured leg he was in no shape to watch over anyone?
Her chin jutted forward. “How do you know there’s nothing you can do? You don’t even know what I saw.”
“I don’t want to know.” Sure, that sounded harsh, but Graeme really didn’t want to know. As it stood, he could keep believing that whatever she witnessed was trivial. Hell, she could be making all of this up for all he knew. The woman just showed up after seven years, asking for his help. He didn’t know what kind of person she was anymore. What could she be up to? Personal gain? Revenge? Graeme was not interested in playing any games.
“But—”
“No. Go back to New Orleans and go to the police. Let them help you.”
Abby flinched. Her finger circled the rim of her glass. She gazed out toward the ocean. He was looking straight at her face, but she didn’t see him. Her mind was a million miles away. Vulnerability was etched into her expression. He couldn’t let that persuade his decision about helping her. He was in no condition to offer her assistance.
“I’ve been to the police. They want me to go into witness protection.” She gulped down the last of her drink and set the glass on the table. She wrapped her arms around her middle. “I can’t do that.”
“Can’t or won’t?” He knew the answer to that without waiting for her to voice it. One thing
he learned about her years ago was that Abby was too close to her family to go underground for any reason. She would stand up and fight her way through whatever situation she found herself in before she would disappear from the ones she loved.
Graeme tried to wrap his head around what she said. The police wanted her in protection? That meant that whatever was going on was pretty serious. He had worked enough cases to know that when the words ‘witness protection’ were mentioned, someone was in some pretty deep shit. Damn, what had this woman gotten herself into? It didn’t matter. He could not get involved.
She squared her shoulders and defiantly stared him in the eye. “So you won’t help me? Won’t even listen to an old friend?”
Her eyes darkened to a deep sapphire. Was that a flash of fear in her eyes? It couldn’t be hurt. She was the one who walked away from him. He could take the time to listen to her story, but if he did, he would want to help her. And no one knew better than himself that he couldn’t protect her now. She wouldn’t understand, but her best bet was to do what the police were asking her to do.
Cooper leaned his head through one of the open windows. “Boss, I hate to interrupt, but this place is crazy. We could use your help.”
Graeme grumbled, “Coming. Abby, it’s good to see you again, but I can’t help you.”
“Can’t or won’t?” Hearing his own words thrown back at him scorched. Abby turned and stormed down the beach, away from him.
****
Well that didn’t go over like she hoped it would. As Abby walked away from Graeme, she could feel his eyes following her until she was far enough away to disappear into the darkness of the night. She trudged through the sand, inhaling the crisp night air, trying to clear her head and her emotions. Hell, he didn’t even want to hear about what she had seen. Abby didn’t understand. The man she met years ago would have jumped in an instant to help someone in need.
Then again, that was seven years ago. A lot had changed since then. Maybe he was not the same person he had been back then. Somehow during that time, he had managed to get a bummed leg that obviously bothered him. He constantly rubbed at it, and his limp was pretty noticeable at times. He certainly seemed the same other than the limp. The same, but aged just a little. His dark brown hair and dark eyes were still as captivating as before. His hair was just a little longer though. And one piece in the front fell over his eyes. Abby wanted to reach out and move it away from those hypnotizing eyes, but she resisted. That would have really thrown him for a jolt. The one thing that hadn’t changed at all was his voice. He still had that deep, slightly rough, sexy as hell rumble when he spoke.
She stopped at the edge of the water and stared out over the ocean. Waves crashed against the shoreline and sent salty spray into the air and onto her face. She closed her eyes and absorbed the salt, water, and moonlight. She breathed in and out several times, contemplating the wonderment of nature and not focusing on her problems. After a few minutes passed, she opened her eyes and breathed out one last breath of relaxation. Now she could think and deal with things much clearer.
What were Graeme’s reasons for not listening tonight? Maybe he was too busy with the bar and he didn’t have time. Or maybe it was the fact that she caught him totally off-guard showing up in his life again. She could’ve approached him in a different way. Or given him a call instead of showing up face-to-face. Most likely, none of those would have made a difference though. He seemed pretty adamant that he was not available to help. Well, maybe that’s what he thought, but whatever his reasons, she would give it a few days and try again. She would not give up that easily on obtaining help from the one person she believed capable of handling the situation.
****
It was one thirty in the morning when Graeme finally locked up the bar. Instead of walking up to his house, he trudged down the sandy beach. An earlier phone call to his best friend Kyle was all it took to find out that Abby was staying at a beach house that belonged to her Uncle Mark, Kyle’s father-in-law. Graeme’s conversation with Kyle didn’t reveal much about why Abby was there. Kyle said he just thought she was visiting for the summer, taking a break from the city life. So she hadn’t told her family what was going on.
Graeme knew different. He had seen the hint of fear in her eyes earlier. She was a brave woman, but she was well aware that she needed to be careful. He wanted to know what it was that she witnessed in New Orleans
He dug his cell phone out of his pocket. It was late, but Marcus would take his call. Mostly because he would think something had to be wrong at this hour of the night. Graeme pressed one key that hooked him up directly with Marcus’ personal cell phone.
He answered on the second ring. “This better be important.”
“You know it is. I hate to bother you, but I need you to check something out for me.”
“Now?” Graeme heard movement and imagined Marcus would be sitting up in bed, grabbing his notebook off his nightstand. Some things never changed.
“Tomorrow’s fine.”
“Well since there’s no hurry tonight, thanks for letting me sleep before putting in your request.” The urgency left his voice, but concern was still evident. The two of them went back a long way. No matter what, they would always be there for each other.
Graeme sighed. “Sorry, man, but this has been on my mind for the last several hours. I just got off work and I know I won’t be able to sleep without unloading it on someone. So, I figured if it wouldn’t let me sleep, why should I let you?”
Marcus laughed. “Gotcha. This sounds serious though. What’s up?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “That’s just it. I don’t know. All I can tell you is that something went down in New Orleans a couple of weeks ago. I need information on what it was and how Abby Monroe is involved. And—”
“I remember that name,” Marcus interrupted.
“And,” Graeme continued, ignoring his remark. He was the one person who knew all about that night with Abby. The only person. “The police want her in protection. That tells me it is something pretty big. You and I both know they don’t offer protection unless it’s serious. Basically, that’s all I know.”
“That’s not much to go on, man.”
“I know. But that’s all I could get at the moment.” Not true. He could’ve gotten the whole story if he would have taken the time to listen to Abby. Now he could kick himself for not listening to her. Hell, when she walked away with fear in her eyes, he wanted to grab her and keep her under his eye all night. At that point, he knew she wouldn’t allow that. He had already killed her expectations.
“Okay. I’ll get back with you first thing,” Marcus said.
“Thanks man. And tell Pamela I’m sorry about waking you.”
Marcus laughed. “No worries. She’s safe and sound at home with the grandkids tonight. I’m miles away on a tough one. So, if you don’t hear from me right away, that’s why. But I will make sure someone lets you know what I find out.”
“Got it. Night.”
Graeme slipped the phone back into his pocket as he stopped in front of the single story house. A small light illuminated the porch area, but the inside was completely dark. Out of instinct he silently walked around the house, checking things out. All the windows were closed, and he hoped locked. Just to satisfy his curiosity, he walked up the back steps and tested the door. He held his breath as his hand gripped the warm metal knob. He twisted. His hand met with the resistance of the lock, and his heart relaxed a little. Once he was sure there was no activity going on around the house, he walked back down the beach to his place.
What had Abby gone and gotten herself into? Why did she seek him out for protection? Whatever her reasons, he couldn’t help her. He gave up that life a long time ago. Of all the questions he had for Abby, one haunted him all night. Why in the hell did it take her seven years to come back to him?
Chapter Three
Morning coffee on the back deck. The best thing in the world. Nothing beat watching the sun
rise above the still ocean, preparing the day for the tide. The dewy air tickled Abby’s nose as she inhaled its freshness mixed with the brisk aroma of her coffee. Her eyes closed for a moment just to savor that feeling.
She spent the morning logged into her employer’s website, thankful she could do her editing job from anywhere. Email, internet, and Skype made that possible. Back in New Orleans, most days she worked from home, curled up on her sofa in her favorite pair of sweats. Three to four days a month she actually got dressed and made an appearance at the office. But since most of the editors worked from home, there never was much activity going on at the office.
She checked a few emails and then opened an attachment from a coworker who needed her to edit an article for the newspaper. Her growling stomach alerted her to the fact that she had been sitting there for hours. Gazing out over the beach, Abby realized it had filled up. People were scattered all along the shoreline. The blue beach chairs were full of sunbathers soaking up the sun, while others relaxed in the shade of umbrellas. Kids ran and jumped into the waves. Others drifted in the water on tubes or inflatable floats. That time of year the water was still a bit cool to Abby, but it was okay for some people. Laughter rolled up above the crash of waves, over the sandy beach, up to her ears. She smiled at the joy these people exhibited.
The sound of footsteps on the side porch startled her. Who could be there? Abby slipped the bottle of mace out of her pocket and held it securely in her hand. Ready to face whoever approached, she held her breath. Brooke popped her head around the corner of the house. Abby’s heart settled and she laughed to herself. See, not every sound was impending danger. Brooke walked over the deck to join Abby at the bistro table. “Hey.”