by Jamie Hill
Then Nick wouldn’t have to be here, dummy, she told herself. In all their preparations for Doug’s paternity leave, the chief had never once mentioned bringing in another marshal. Jordan assumed she could go it alone, and probably would have, if Charlie Archer hadn’t been given a trial date. She handled male witnesses by herself all the time, but when it involved travel to another city, let alone halfway across the country, two marshals were always involved.
Damn it! Her stomach in knots, she shoved her plate back from the edge of the table.
“So Doug got married?” Nick glanced at her. “To a witness, is that what I heard?”
Ben spoke up. “She and her family were in Witsec, but they got out. So technically, not a witness.” He looked at the chief.
Rhodes smiled. “She was a witness. But yeah, they got out, so no rules were officially broken. I suspect quite a few were bent pretty badly, but I like Christine so I looked the other way. She’s a nice lady with cute kids, and what happened to them wasn’t their fault. I’m glad to see them happy.”
Olivia added, “Doug’s crazy about her. I can only imagine how he feels about that baby. I’m sure he’s gushing.”
Jordan glared at Nick. “He is. Most men like babies. Doug and Christi’s daughter is really cute.”
He gazed at her coolly. “I’m happy for them. They say it takes all kinds to make the world go round, right?”
Ben said, “I’d like a family someday, but it’s complicated with Witsec. I can’t imagine not telling my family what I really do.”
“Some things need to remain confidential,” Rhodes said. “It’s a vital matter of security, yours and theirs. Your parents don’t know exactly what you do, right? It’s just like that.”
Ben shook his head. “A wife is different.”
Nick broke off a piece of the last salty breadstick. “Marry a witness and you won’t have that problem, I guess.” He popped the bite in his mouth.
Rhodes waved his hands. “No more marrying witnesses. I put my foot down. Eventually, someone’s going to notice, and somehow it’ll be my fault.”
Nick grinned at him. “That’s why you get paid the big bucks.”
The chief snorted and they finished their lunch.
Jordan boxed up most of her lasagna to go, and back at the office she stuck the container in the fridge.
Nick entered the break room behind her. “You didn’t eat much. Watching your girlish figure?”
She gazed at him dully. “For some reason I lost my appetite.”
“Hey, I could have been less tactful when Blondie asked why I left.”
Jordan frowned. “Except you don’t come out looking good in that story.”
He chuckled. “True.”
She started to walk out, but paused. “I guess I should thank you for making up that business about your mom.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled. “Ooh, that had to hurt. You’re welcome. What makes you think I made it up?”
She shrugged. “Because I never heard you mention a mother?”
“Everybody has one. Mine happens to live in Chicago. She crawls out of the bottle occasionally to shoot me a poisonous text message. So you see, I didn’t really lie.”
Jordan’s gut clenched. In all the time she’d spent with Nick, she’d never known his mother was an alcoholic. They’d talked about how she lost her parents in a car accident when she was in college, and how she rarely saw or spoke to her brother. But she couldn’t recall anything about his family.
In no mood to feel sorry for him now, she pushed past him. “Yeah, well, life is tough all over.”
He grabbed her bicep. “It’s tougher when you’re alone though, isn’t it? Are you still alone, Jo? No ‘Mister Right’ lurking around?”
She tried to pull away but his grasp was firm. “Cabron.”
Nick laughed. “Ooh, you haven’t forgotten all the good words, have you princesa? No one’s called me a bastard in such a long time.”
Jordan gave him the evil eye. “You’ve been hanging with the wrong crowd, then. Because I can see you’re just as much of a bastard as you’ve always been.”
“And you still swear in Spanish. I love that. Does anyone know you got that from me?”
She jerked her shoulder roughly and pulled her arm free. “I got nothing from you, except maybe a STD. Leave me alone, Nick. I mean it.”
He raised his hands in surrender. “Me rindo. I give up. But we still have to work together, and it’ll be a lot easier if we get along.”
Jordan narrowed her eyes. “Then keep your filthy paws off me, stop with the personal comments, and do your job. Act like a professional, and I will too.”
A grin twitched at the corners of his mouth. “I’m sorry, but that doesn’t sound like very much fun.”
Shaking her head, she glared at him again. “Maldito sea!”
The grin spread across his face and he pointed at her. “You’re doing it again. Saying ‘damn it’ to me in Spanish. I still love that.”
Heat soared through Jordan burning red hot, and for a moment she thought her hair might catch fire. “Here’s one for you then. Fuck you. Meaning’s the same in any language.” She spun on her heel and walked out.
He stuck his head out the door after her. “Was that an invitation?”
It took all the grace and energy she could muster to keep on walking. Straight out the door, she kept going until the crisp autumn air hit her face. She gulped a couple of deep breaths and tried to calm herself.
She hated the fact that Nick Pierce was back in her life, even if it was only for a month. She despised the perpetually smug expression on his face. The thing she abhorred most of all was the flushed feeling that tingled to her core when he trained his blue-grey eyes in her direction.
Jordan shook her head to clear the fog and regain her grip on reality. Nick is a pig. He’d been a dirty rotten scoundrel six years ago when he’d walked out on her, and she had no reason to believe he’d changed for the better. A filthy, mud-slinging pig. With a cleft in his chin and the clearest eyes, that always seemed to know what she was thinking.
“Maldito sea!” Damn it. Even cussing in Spanish wasn’t as satisfying now that he’d taken credit for it.
She kicked a pebble and it rolled off the sidewalk into the grass. Somehow, she was going to need to find a way to roll with the new development her chief had sprung on her. An immediate solution didn’t come to mind.
Her cell phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out. A text from Doug.
How’s it going with Pierce?
She typed back: Awful. We all had lunch together. He’s still a smug SOB.
Doug replied quickly. Sorry. Anything I can do short of cutting off my vacation time?
She smiled. If that’s off the table then no. But thanks.
His answer came back. If it’s any consolation, Avery just puked all over my shirt.
Jordan laughed. Yeah, that makes me feel better. Thanks.
He ended the exchange with a smiley face. Anytime.
She pocketed her phone, feeling a little more lighthearted. What seemed like an unbearable situation was only for one month. She’d gotten through worse things. She could certainly handle Nick Pierce. Couldn’t she?
* * *
Nick felt guilty for pushing Jordan’s buttons and decided he’d better give her some space. Teasing her, riling her up, was easy. It was when the conversations grew serious that he wasn’t sure how to handle himself.
He needed to offer an explanation for what had happened between them, and an apology. That was going to take some thought, and would have to be done at the right time. Too soon and it wouldn’t sound sincere. She obviously wasn’t ready to forgive him, yet. In her mind, she’d cast him in the role of the bad guy, and he understood why. He’d go with that for now. Hopefully, before their month together was over, he could make her realize that his leaving had been best for both of them. She’d wanted different things than he had. Unfortunately, he still hadn’t fig
ured out what the hell he really wanted.
Nick made a latte run and brought back drinks for everyone. When he returned, she was seated behind her desk, going over some paperwork.
He set a cup down next to her and settled into the chair beside her desk. “Peace offering. I think I remembered what you like.”
She shot him a look, but accepted the drink and took a sip. “Thanks.”
“Care to bring me up to speed on your current caseload?”
Jordan flipped through her files. “I have several cases right now, but only two with trials coming up. Willie E. is a tax evader from Atlanta. We flew there last week and the trial was continued, which thrilled me to no end.”
Nick chuckled. “I’m so sure. I know how you love protecting guilty witnesses.”
She shot him a quick look, but didn’t comment.
He could tell she hated the reminder that he recalled her likes and dislikes. It dawned on him that the more time he spent with her, the more he remembered why he once cared for her so much. Her attitude and orneriness were part of her charm.
She looked at the case file before she handed it over. “So we could get a call any day that his trial is back on. I doubt we’ll get much notice.”
He accepted the folder. “And off to Atlanta we’ll go.”
Jordan shook her head. “I can take him by myself. I did the last time.”
He shot her a look this time. “You’re not taking him by yourself. You have a partner now. We’ll both go. It’s safer, and it’s protocol.”
She flicked her hair over her shoulder. “I’m not worried. I doubt anyone is concerned about slick Willie’s testimony.”
Nick read the overview of the case. “William Espinosa was arrested for nonpayment of taxes over a ten year time period. His barber shop fronted for a gambling ring and he offered information to the feds in exchange for immunity and placement in Witsec.” He glanced up. “Depending on his clientele, I can see where someone might be interested.”
“He’s a freaking bookie for Pete’s sake. What kind of information could he have? Some dude bet fifty bucks on Pretty Lady to win by a nose at the Steeplechase?”
Nick chuckled and shrugged. “I don’t know. Just sayin’, there’s a reason the guy’s in Witsec. Remember what happened to Ross Elliot.” He’d never forgotten the marshal who was his partner before Jordan. He and Ross were protecting a witness who really didn’t want to testify. The feds said afterward they thought the witness had tipped his partner in crime off. Ross was shot and seriously injured on the way to the courthouse. He’d recovered, but after two months in the hospital he wasn’t interested in returning to his marshal job, and took early retirement.
Jordan nodded. “I remember. Just last year, Ben was shot while he and Doug were protecting Doug’s future wife. He took a nasty hit to the shoulder.”
“That sucks. Glad he’s okay. More proof that you should never let your guard down.”
She sighed. “I know. I just don’t think Willie’s case is the one we have to worry about.” She lifted another folder. “Charlie Archer, he’s the guy we need to watch.”
Nick reached for the file. “What’s his story?”
“Gamer-tech-nerd living in California. Decided he needed to move to LA because that’s where the action is. Unfortunately, he moved to a really crappy neighborhood. One night he witnessed his neighbor get whacked by an ice pick to the temple.”
He winced. “That had to hurt.”
“Probably not for long. Anyway, Charlie saw the guy who did it, and the guy saw him. He got the hell out of there and spilled his guts to the local PD. The man he fingered, Pete Rossi, claimed he was just a hired hand. For a reduced sentence he offered to tell what he knew. He’s now doing time in the California State Prison system’s protected housing unit.”
“And the guy he claims is the mastermind?”
“LeRoy VanDyke. Also in CSP Corcoran, but not protected.”
Nick skimmed the file notes. “Apparently, the man can take care of himself. Mr. LeRoy VanDyke owns VanDyke Trucking, a company the feds have had their eyes on for a while.”
“Oh yeah. They say he’s been transporting stolen goods and drugs for several years. They’ve apprehended a few of his drivers, but before anyone could finger him, those people mysteriously disappeared.”
He didn’t like the sounds of this one. Rossi would be the main target, but Charlie Archer could provide the eyewitness ID that juries loved. If he was out of the picture, the DA’s case would be that much harder to make. He glanced at Jordan. “How’s Archer to work with? Cooperative?”
She shrugged. “Scared, mostly. Yeah, I guess he’s cooperative.”
Nick closed the folder and tossed it on her desk. “He’d better be. I don’t like you dealing with shit like this.”
Jordan blinked. “Excuse me? Are you kidding? I’ve handled a lot of cases in the six years you’ve been gone. I haven’t just been answering phones, you know.”
He smiled. “You do remember how long it’s been. I’m touched.”
She scoffed. “Touched in the head, that’s for sure. Maybe I only remembered because you reminded me. Or maybe because it’s been such a damn peaceful six years. Don’t think you’re gonna waltz in after all that time and start calling the shots. You may have been the senior partner before, but this is my ball field now, bucko. And since when are you concerned about me dealing with shit? Seems like you shoveled out enough of it back in the day. I managed to wade through all that just fine.”
He loved the fiery spark in her chocolate brown eyes. Some of what she accused him of could be attributed to just that—his wanting to cause that spark to flicker. He simply couldn’t resist, even now. “Take it easy, darlin’. I get that it’s your ball field. I’ll be sure to mind my balls.”
Slapping her hands on her desk, Jordan rose, her face flushed red. “Left myself wide open for that one. It’s been a while since I had to choose my words so carefully. Doug doesn’t have such a filthy mind.”
Nick laughed. “Sure he does. He’s a guy, and guys are basically all the same.”
Her eyes flashed again. “Men are not all the same. Doug is a stand up guy who would never walk away from an uncomfortable situation.”
“Is that what you think I did?”
“I know that’s what you did. You were a coward, Nick.”
It was hard to deny. He had left, after all. He’d never imagined himself a coward, but he could see why she might. He shrugged. “Maybe. I’d like to think I’ve changed over the years.”
Jordan scowled. “In my experience, people don’t change all that much. Even though they’d like to think so.” She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a handbag. “I’m taking off. It’s been a long day. Thanks for the latte.” She tossed the empty paper cup into a nearby waste basket.
He stood. “You’re welcome. Would you like to grab some dinner?”
Her jaw dropped open.
“Something casual and friendly. Nothing fancy. We both have to eat, after all.”
“I’ve got leftover lasagna.” She gathered her purse close to her and stared at him coolly. “That’s all I need.” She headed to the kitchen and retrieved her carry-out container, then went straight to the door. “Goodbye.”
“See you tomorrow.” He watched her go thoughtfully. Is that really all you need, Jo? He suspected she needed so much more, but she’d be damned if she’d let him be the one to give it to her. If he was thinking along those lines, then he definitely had his work cut out for him.
He decided to call it a day, and got the keys and address where he was staying from Evan. Not particularly hungry, he realized he’d need to eat at some point so he drove through a taco shop for takeout food.
The department kept several empty residences as temporary quarters for witnesses who needed a place to stay on short notice. The house was close to the office and only a couple blocks from the home he’d rented when he’d lived in Topeka the first time. He couldn’t resi
st driving down the old street and checking it out. Nick smiled when he spotted a child’s tricycle on the front porch. Some things change, some remain the same.
A few blocks over, the safe house appeared modest and non-descript, typically low key for Witsec. He tucked his grey Chevy Avalanche into the garage of his new digs and entered the ranch style home. The furnishings were expectedly plain, but the place was clean, and suitable for his meager needs.
He hauled his two bags inside and tossed them on the floor of the bedroom. He preferred to travel light but also wanted to be prepared in case they were called on to leave quickly. This way he had a packed bag ready if needed.
He ate watching Wheel of Fortune then checked his email and the latest news online. If he were home, he’d grab a bite to eat then spend a few hours on the web, or maybe take a long run. This place was light years away from his modern condo in St. Louis. His computer and stereo systems there were top notch, state of the art. Here he had a small TV with roughly ten channels and his tablet.
It was strange thinking he used to consider Topeka his home. Back then, evenings consisted of dinner with Jordan, working out together, and watching old movies on TV. Nights were filled with a different kind of workout. The memories were so vivid, so painful, they nearly took his breath away.
The combination of fast food and corny TV had made his stomach queasy. Tossing away his trash he returned to the bedroom and peeled out of his clothes, heading for the shower. He wasn’t usually the ‘early to bed’ type, but then again, he didn’t normally find himself in the situation he had today.
Evan and his own chief had given him the choice. He hadn’t been forced to come back and fill in. When he’d first heard the offer, his initial reaction was a resounding ‘no way.’ Evan hadn’t been privy to anything that had happened between him and Jordan or he might never have asked. Likewise, his chief had no way of knowing. Nick had been given a glowing recommendation which, of course, hadn’t been written by Jordan. Or Doug. Her new BFF. If the guy wasn’t married, Nick might be jealous.