Trust No One (Vista Security)

by Diana Layne

  Still with all the stops, they made it back to Whiddon by early evening. Instead of heading to Tex’s right away, she chose to let Angelina run around on the indoor play yard, planning to see Tex first thing in the morning. She didn’t feel like any sort of decisions after such a long day. Cy rested calmly on the floor, patiently waiting. The little dog did grow on you, MJ realized.

  She was glad to be home, though it did seem as if home had a more hollow feeling. Too many changes had happened in such a short amount of time, and many more changes to come. There was a little ache in her heart knowing that she wouldn’t be going into work to see Tex’s face every day. And Angelina, how would the change affect her? Finding a new caregiver for her after she’d been so happy at Dottie’s? Well, the little girl was tough and resilient. And so was MJ. They would survive just fine.

  When morning came, MJ put on her cover-the-now-fading-bruises make-up, but she was moving slowly. She told herself she was tired and let down from the recent excitement in her life. In contrast, Angelina seemed fine and full of energy.

  MJ had managed to consciously avoid thinking about Ben’s offer, but it was there, clacking on the edge of her consciousness like a car with a bad valve. She did her best to ignore it, trying to clear her mind to make logical, practical decisions.

  The southern air was warmer than in Tulsa. MJ decided to walk. With a warning to Cy to be a good dog, she left him behind, put Angel in the stroller and headed toward Tex’s house.

  The streets were busy with people heading to work, starting their day opening the shops downtown. MJ smiled and greeted the people, most of them she knew by name. All she knew by sight.

  When she made it to Tex’s, he opened the door and welcomed her with a hug. Dottie did the same, then took Angel out of the stroller.

  “Oh, baby, I’m so sorry,” Dottie said, squeezing Angelina. Tears streamed down Dottie’s face. Angelina seemed fascinated and traced the wet paths with her finger.

  Tex took a hard look at MJ. “Face still a little swollen. Doesn’t look too bad.” Then before she could answer, he added, “I just tried to call you.”

  “I should’ve called first, I’m sorry. I hope this isn’t a bad time?”

  “No, no. I just wanted to ask if you’d thought anymore about what we’d discussed.”

  Dottie wiped her face, smiled at MJ and scolded her husband, “Tex, give her a chance to catch her breath.”

  MJ did feel a little rushed, though she’d been thinking of little else.

  Tex rubbed his hand through his bushy head of hair. “I might as well tell you, I’ve had an offer. Last night. And if you don’t want to buy the business, then you might want to come down and meet the guy and see if you two could get along to work together.”

  MJ opened her mouth to speak but found no sound came out.

  “Oh, Tex is messing that all up,” Dottie said. “He’s worried about me, knows I don’t really want to stay in this house a minute longer . . . ”

  MJ turned to stare at Dottie.

  “But of course we don’t want to rush you into making any decision.”

  “Meet the guy? He’s . . . where? At the shop?”

  “I met with him last night. He’s supposed to be at the shop in a half an hour, yes. Wants a grand tour.” Tex chuckled.

  “I suppose, by all means . . . ” What else could she say?

  “I’ll watch Angel,” Dottie said, “unless . . . well, maybe you don’t trust me.”

  “She’ll be fine with you,” MJ said. “She’s in no danger at all anymore. Promise.” MJ gave Dottie a hug and kiss for comfort.

  “I wish I understood what happened.”

  MJ took her hand. “What happened wasn’t your fault at all. Just relax.”

  “We won’t be long, sugar,” Tex said, gave Dottie a kiss, then held open the front door for MJ.

  Tex and MJ walked to the shop. She made note how little things had changed inside the shop, pretty much the same jobs needed completion. She realized that Tex had closed shop soon after she’d left. It seemed a lifetime ago.

  In the corner, her tool box stood neatly closed. She’d have to load them up and find a place for them if Tex closed down, or if she decided not to work for this new guy. And in all honesty, could she work for anyone else?

  Or would she really consider moving and starting a new life when she had one here she was happy with? Still, with Tex closing down and he and Dottie moving, things would necessarily change. Who would keep Angel? Should she stop working until Angel was in school? She had the money; she could be a full-time stay-at- home mom.

  Questions peppered at her.

  Before her brain worked around to any solution, she saw a truck drive up. A very familiar truck. A 1966 Chevy.

  Even more surprising, Tex walked out to greet the driver, and not as a customer. The two men clasped hands. An ugly suspicion formed.

  When Tex and the other man started walking back toward the shop, Tex obviously marking the amenities of the old business, MJ found she’d again lost her voice. Was he kidding?

  She moved onto the sidewalk just outside the front door. Tex was still talking, she could hear his voice as they drew nearer, but her brain couldn’t register a single word. It was soon obvious the other man wasn’t listening either, but only had eyes for her. Eyes she’d seen in her dreams for over a year she realized. The nightmare ending when the strange man with the exotic chocolate eyes, would say, “Hang on, MJ.” And got her on the helicopter to save her life.

  The memory hit her hard, just how long those eyes haunted her. And now the man seemed destined to haunt her future as well. He was going to be her new boss?

  He drew to a stop in front of her.

  “MJ.”

  Ben, her mind shouted. Her voice still refused to work.

  “MJ, this is Ben Walker. He’s the one who made an offer.”

  “I know.”

  “You do?”

  “No, I mean I know his name. I didn’t know he’d made an . . . offer? To buy this place? Are you serious? You don’t know the first thing about working on cars.” Really, this had to be a weird joke. Ben and his humor.

  “You two know each other?” Tex asked, but no one particularly paid attention.

  “I wouldn’t say I didn’t know the first thing–”

  “Puhlease.”

  “I just don’t know very much. I figure that’s why I’m going to need a top rate mechanic.”

  “What about the ranch?”

  “Dad’s still young. Besides, he’s got girls, what’s he need me for?”

  “But I thought you had a home there . . .”

  “It’s always been my vacation home. See no reason to change that right now.”

  Thoughts of him stepping in to help out the poor woman who he’d felt obligated to marry. “You just have a need to rescue–”

  “You don’t need rescuing. This is what you want. Stability, small town, roots. You like it here, you said so. Why not stay?”

  “But–”

  “Son, she’s a good employee.” MJ jumped at Tex’s voice; she’d forgotten he was there. Tex continued, “If she doesn’t want to buy the place herself, I’d suggest you get on your knees to keep her here. By the time you get to my age, you realize begging works well with women.”

  “You’re a smart man, Tex.” Ben said.

  MJ realized how smart Tex was. He’d sized up the situation quickly.

  Still, she was surprised when Ben faced her and then dropped to a knee.

  She blinked. “What are you doing?”

  Tex shook his head. “Kids today. Take her hand, son.”

  Ben smiled at Tex, then followed his advice. MJ could only stare at her hand wrapped in Ben’s two larger, darker hands. Hands that had rescued her, comforted her, explored her body.

  “How about it, will you work for me if I buy the place?”

  MJ lowered her eyebrows. “Work for you? As in you’re the boss?”

  He looked away, as if grapplin
g for another idea. “Or, we could be partners, go in halves. I’m the brains, you’re the brawn.”

  “Hey, wait a minute.”

  He laughed. “Partners?”

  “Partners need to trust each other.”

  “You trust me.”

  Trust me, MJ. And then Ben took the shot to stop Keith. Reviewing the last few days—had it only been days?—he had been a man of his word through and through.

  “This is the strangest . . . offer I’ve ever had.”

  “Sounds like a deal to me,” Tex said. “He’s the brains and you’re the br- er, expert.”

  MJ frowned. “Wait a minute, whose side are you on?”

  “I’m not sure you’re helping, Tex,” Ben whispered loudly.

  “Well, it takes someone with brains to realize this is a great deal, buying for a steal an established business with a customer base. And having an expert mechanic all ready to work. All he has to do is take care of the business end, and MJ, you can do the repair work.”

  “You told me yourself you didn’t know if you could handle running a business and doing the work, too, as a single mom,” Ben pointed out. “This way you can do both, just like you’re doing now.”

  “But I’m losing my babysitter,” she pointed out. “I know there are other babysitters here in town, but . . .”

  “What if we added on to the office here, made a play area for Angel? I can watch her while I work on the business end.”

  “I’ll leave you two alone for a minute, so you can hammer out the details.” With a wide grin on his face, Tex sauntered out the door.

  “Smart man, knows when to retreat. Can I get up now? This concrete floor is hard on my knee.”

  She shook her head, amused in spite of the sense of unreality surrounding the whole exchange. “Yeah, get up.”

  Ben climbed back to his feet and then loosely folded her in his arms. His arms around her felt good. Comforting. Secure.

  “Relationships are work,” he said. “You have to have trust, and that’s the hardest part of all.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “But you’re a strong woman. There’s nothing you can’t handle, even if I turn out to be a jerk.”

  “Oh, you’re a jerk all right. What sort of fool would buy a business just so he could hang around–”

  “You’re still being prickly, Ms. Thornberg.”

  She remembered his poem. “I’m being honest.”

  “So how’s this for honest. I’m the sort of jerk who’s falling for you, who wants more time to get to know you, who wants to see if this relationship can be one of those happily-ever-after things.”

  She snorted. “Happily-ever-after doesn’t exist.”

  “Maybe not like the fairy tales. There’s probably a few bumps and potholes along the way, but I believe happily-ever-after exists if you want it to. Create your own story, write your own ending, MJ. Isn’t that what you’re teaching your daughter?”

  She thought of the fairy tales she read to Angelina, and the way she modified them. “You have a point.”

  “Of course I do. I can be your Prince Charming.”

  She laughed. “Charming, maybe. A prince . . .” She shrugged.

  “So we all have our faults. Part of life, good with the bad.”

  “And it takes the bad to appreciate the good.”

  “Exactly. And if it doesn’t work out with the two of us, at least we’ll make a business profit.”

  “You’re joking, right?”

  He raised his eyebrows.

  “Right?”

  His lips relaxed, “Yes, I’m joking.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  “I’ll do it.” She stuck out her hand. “Partner.”

  Ben looked at her hand and said, “A handshake? Now, you’re joking, right?” He pulled her into his arms and sealed the bargain with a kiss.

  Relaxing into his arms, the last rational thought she had before she lost herself in the passion of the moment, was maybe it wasn’t so bad after all to trust someone. As long as he was the right someone.

  Epilogue

  Early the following spring . . .

  MJ relished the sun on her face. The long gray days of winter were well past. Angelina’s chatter on their way to work competed with the birds as she delighted in the evidence of the earth coming back to life after its winter sleep.

  “Look, Momma, flower. Pretty.”

  Ben reached down and plucked the tiny yellow flower growing in the cracks of the sidewalk. “Pretty flower for a pretty girl,” he offered to the toddler.

  Angelina took the flower, smiled delightedly and crushed it in her exuberance.

  “I think she needs to work on the finer details of being a princess,” MJ said with a laugh.

  Ben chuckled and shrugged. “She’ll get it.”

  MJ enjoyed her walks to work, now more than ever since Ben made the trek with her. He was still living in his own apartment, but he met her at her front door every morning promptly at seven a.m. to make the daily walk to work with her.

  Today, though, as they walked the familiar path, something different crackled in the air. Something more than the rapidly warming air of the new spring season. Something that raised the hairs on the back of her neck.

  Someone was out there.

  She knew better than to ignore the feeling.

  Several deliberately casual sweeps of the area showed nothing out of the ordinary. A professional then? MJ frowned.

  At the end of the day as she nestled Angelina in the stroller to walk home, the feeling of being watched hadn’t abated. MJ’s protective instincts kicked in. She remained alert, constantly scanned the area but saw nothing out of the ordinary, nothing alarming. Yet her gut told her someone was there.

  Whoever it was, she was damn good.

  MJ had no doubt now, who was watching them.

  Ben met her gaze, his own dark eyes serious. “Yeah, I feel it, too.”

  He often did that, seemed to read her mind. It always left her debating whether to feel grateful or alarmed. Lately, she’d been deciding more in the grateful column.

  Like today.

  “When do you think she’s going to make an appearance?”

  “She’ll be at your apartment when we get there,” Ben predicted.

  He was right.

  MJ noted right away the string was gone from her door. And when she stepped into the apartment, Tasha sat on the couch, and the string was in the little dish on the table.

  Cy squirmed in Tasha’s lap. When she let him down, he scrambled over to MJ as fast as his short little legs would run.

  As MJ bent to scoop him into her arms, Angelina squealed her greeting, “Cy! Cy!”

  The little dog, boisterous as ever, wiggled his greeting and tried to bathe every inch of MJ with his tongue. “Eww, dog, I don’t know what you’ve been eating.”

  “I’ll have you know I brush his teeth.”

  MJ grimaced. “He still has doggie breath.”

  Ben had taken Angel out of the stroller. MJ moved close enough so Angel could give the dog an exuberant hug.

  “Careful, don’t crush him,” MJ warned, thinking of the flower earlier that morning.

  “I need you to babysit again,” Tasha said, without preamble.

  MJ had kept Cy until Tasha checked out of the hospital. Taking care of him had helped Tasha with her physical therapy.

  “You feeling okay?”

  “Good as ever.” Tasha didn’t expand on her health, but instead turned to Ben, and changed the subject. “I’m surprised you haven’t moved in here yet.”

  Obviously she’d taken time to explore MJ’s apartment and noted Ben’s things weren’t here.

  He shrugged. “These things take time.”

  “Looks about time to me.” Tasha nodded, indicating Angel in Ben’s arms. “You make a cute family.”

  “I think so. Tell your sister.”

  Tasha sent MJ a sharp stare. “She knows,” she told Ben. “She�
��s just scared.”

  MJ didn’t like the direction this conversation was going, and changed the subject. “Speaking of family . . .”

  Tasha took the hint. “Yeah, I’m going after him.”

  “Alone?” MJ had hoped that Tasha’s former partner would at least go—a team was better than one.

  “Looking like I’ll be alone, yes.”

  MJ tightened her lips, how the hell was Tasha going to pull this off? “Any plans on how you’re going to get him?”

  “Nothing definite yet. Although there’s a new guy at Vista who’s on my side.”

  “Seriously? Who?”

  “His name’s Dave Armstrong, former FBI suit. Dave paid me a visit, and we had quite the chat. He’s suspicious of Jeff.”

  “I like him already,” MJ said.

  “What’s up with Jeff?” Ben asked.

  “Still the esteemed head of Vista, last I heard. I hope to change that.”

  “You think you’ll get the proof you need?”

  “I don’t need much proof, at least for my own brand of justice.” Tasha smiled grimly. “But yes, I think I can get enough proof to force him to resign if not land him in prison himself.”

  “Always the superhero.” MJ offered a whimsical smile. “Good luck to you. I wish I could go with you and help.”

  “No, you don’t. All you need and want is right here.”

  MJ realized her sister was right.

  “You stay here, get this man moved in with you, maybe even marry him,” she sent MJ and Ben a pointed look before she continued, “and have a good life. I’ll get Niko out of prison, take care of Jeff, and we’ll all be happy.” Tasha laughed at her own predictions and took Cy back from MJ, giving him a hug.

  “I’ll miss you, little rat.” Cy gave Tasha a wet kiss. “I left his dog food and bowls in the kitchen.”

  She’d really made herself right at home. MJ shook her head and glanced toward the kitchen.

  Tasha handed Cy back and hugged MJ around the dog. “Take good care of him. The dog, that is.” She turned to Ben and gave him and Angelina a group hug. “Take good care of these two, as well.”

  “I will,” MJ promised, reluctant to let Tasha go off on her own, but knowing her sister could handle just about anything. And MJ did have her own important job here. She glanced at Ben and her daughter and smiled.