Hidden Sins

by Bolton, Karice

  “They do,” Luke agreed, as Mia stood up.

  “I’m going to go grab a drink,” Mia said. “Need anything?”

  “Two beers,” Luke replied, putting my hand in his as he took a seat next to me.

  “The ugliness in the world made me question what I thought about being human, and the more I grappled with that question, the less I could function. When I first discovered everything, I withdrew and fell into a deep depression. I literally couldn’t function,” I revealed to him.

  “I can understand that,” Luke said softly.

  “But then I realized inaction wasn’t helping anyone, and I pulled myself out of the despair by devising a plan. Interacting with my fiancé, who I’d continually avoided, became a priority. I wanted to look like I belonged in my community again. I hoped it would allow me the freedom to follow up on what I’d learned.”

  “I’m curious how you first ran across this?”

  “A year ago, I was hiking around the woods, contemplating my life. My upcoming marriage to a man I didn’t love had been arranged and announced, and I just wanted out. The forest provided me with the solitude I needed to think, so I often roamed around for hours, discovering little creeks and caves. I’d actually talked myself into leaving the community. I’m sure that sounds silly, but it was a big step. I’d be leaving everyone and everything that I knew behind.”

  “It doesn’t sound silly,” Luke replied.

  “As selfish as this sounds, I sometimes wish I’d never discovered what I did in those woods. I imagine what it would’ve been like if I just turned around, packed my bags, and never returned. But then all of the images of the people flood my mind. And I realize I’m better than that.”

  “What did you find in the forest?” he asked.

  “A large barn. At the time, I didn’t think much of it. I went inside and it was completely empty, but it was on our property, and I’d never heard it mentioned, which was odd. And it wasn’t for our animals. We had barns close to the compound for our horses and cows. You probably saw them when you were there. Anyway, I didn’t give it any thought until I was out traipsing around a few months later with my best friend, Tracy.”

  “Only this time it wasn’t empty,” Luke whispered, finishing my sentence.

  I nodded. Tears began to moisten my lower lids as the reality of everything hit. I was no longer hiding the sins of others. For the first time in a very long time, I felt like I might be able to stop the destruction of the NLC. Knowing that I wasn’t carrying this burden alone any more created a sense of genuine hope, which was something I hadn’t felt for a very long time.

  “I’m so exhausted,” I whispered. “Tonight just about threw me over the edge. I can’t believe what happened. I’m trying to push it out of my mind, but I can’t.” I pressed my hands on my chest. “I swear my heart’s still beating twice as fast as it should. It could’ve been us.”

  “We’ll take these bastards down,” Luke whispered, bringing me into his arms. “But we need to make sure you’re safe too. I want you and Mia to go into hiding—”

  I broke from his embrace. “Absolutely not. I didn’t come this far to hide until it’s all over.”

  Luke’s expression remained firm. “You aren’t any use to anyone if you’re dead. Being a martyr isn’t…”

  “I don’t intend to be a martyr,” I interrupted him. “But I do intend on being there when these people get caught.”

  Luke let out a sigh. His expression didn’t change, but I felt the energy between us switch. The closeness from earlier returned. “I think everything you’ve acquired needs to stay where it is until we’re certain that the proper course of action is laid out and will be taken.”

  Luke was very matter-of-fact as he picked up his cell and began to search for something.

  “I still plan on working at Buttons. If they’re following me as closely as it looks, they would certainly notice my sudden lack of interest in employment.”

  “There is no reason for you to continue. I’ll cover…”

  “There is every reason in the world for me to continue,” I interrupted. “First, I do need the money, and I will not be taken care of. Second, I don’t want anything out of the ordinary to signal that I’m getting antsy or might have talked. And third, I need an outlet. I have survived this long because I’m good at distracting myself. If I just sit and stew, my life will be unbearable. I need to continue to compartmentalize everything. All details need to be in their place. My nightmares are bad enough. I don’t need the images to surface during the day.”

  A few moments of silence passed between us, and I thought about Luke’s comments. It wasn’t the first time he’d mentioned it, putting me in hiding. I admit there was a part of me that was very intrigued by going into hiding, but I felt it was the cowardly thing to do. That wasn’t my intention when telling Mia and Luke everything. I wanted to look into the eyes of the NLC as they were led away in handcuffs. And maybe that was more dream than reality, but it was the fuel I needed to continue.

  I glanced at Luke and saw a drop of conflict behind his expression. It made me worry that what I was feeling between us was his uncertainty growing. I hoped not, but I’d understand. There was nothing but complication for the both of us, and it was only getting worse with each new development. Not to mention there were far more important things to be concerned with than a fleeting attraction.

  “I respect your opinion,” Luke’s voice shattered the silence. “My firm didn’t grow because I did everything singlehandedly. It grew because I have an excellent team and a large network composed of people who I can trust, both inside and outside the firm. You gave me the courtesy of trusting me, and I’ll return the gesture. If you think you need to return to your job for appearance’s sake, I understand. I wouldn’t do anything to put you or my sister in further harm’s way.” Luke balled his fists and glanced at me. “But I’m sure at some point you counted on being able to involve the authorities?”

  “Yes,” I responded.

  “Then you’ll understand my need to contact a man within the bureau who I feel can be trusted?” Luke asked. I had fallen into a professional slot, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say a part of me was relieved.

  I nodded. “But, please, keep me informed every step of the way.”

  “Absolutely.” His green eyes flashed to mine and I felt a rush, but as instantly as it was felt, it vanished. He was about to say something, and thought better of it.

  The tension between us was almost unbearable. I needed to break it up the only way I knew how.

  “So I guess our date tomorrow won’t be happening?”

  Luke laughed and leaned back in the chair. “I’m not going to let an attempted murder stop our fun. Besides, you want to keep up appearances, and I think that’s the only way to do it. It wasn’t easy finding a place that fit your requirements. We’re definitely going through with it.”

  I couldn’t help but smile at the heat behind Luke’s expression.

  “I’ll do what I have to do for appearance sake,” I smiled. “Besides something tells me that we won’t be alone.”

  “You can count on that.” Luke smiled and stood up, stretching.

  My eyes accidentally trailed to where his shirt lifted and my heart sped up at the sight of his bronzed skin. Good God.

  His eyes connected with mine, and he grinned while I flushed with heat.

  “You’re protected here. I have a few more men coming over who’ll be on watch. Try to get a good night’s sleep. We’re going to have a busy day tomorrow. It just might be what we both need.” He was only a foot away, and I could feel the spark between us intensify, but rather than kiss me, he smiled. He gently touched my cheek with his thumb before walking out of the room, leaving me completely in need of something I’d never had before.

  But before I could get wrapped up in the thoughts of desire that were threatening to make my night full of dreams rather than nightmares, I heard Mitch in the hallway, filling Luke in on some develo
pments on another case. He was headed out tonight on an emergency call and my insides twisted into knots at the thought of him leaving.

  Luke

  I knew I needed to push Hannah away. It was the safest thing to do, but the thought nearly destroyed me. She’d been through enough, and I didn’t need her thinking I was toying with her. That wasn’t my intention, and I would never do that to her or any woman, for that matter. Mitch’s appearance was a welcome one since I was about to turn back around and say something to her that I would surely regret, but I hated to leave her. I knew she needed me. I felt it. Saw it in her eyes, or maybe, it was what I wanted to see.

  “What’ve you got for me?” I asked Mitch in the hallway.

  Hannah stayed in her room, and I looked over my shoulder and watched her crawl under the covers. Feelings that shouldn’t take priority did.

  “The congressman had a break in while his family was asleep upstairs,” Mitch began, bringing me back to the reality that I needed to stay in. “Police have already canvassed the area, and came up empty-handed. But he wanted us to survey everything. He’s kicking himself for not hiring our firm. He didn’t want to believe the threats could be real.”

  “I don’t blame him. Our services aren’t cheap.” I smiled. “What makes him think it’s the same people?”

  “They tagged his living room wall with the same symbol as in the letter,” Mitch replied.

  “Gotcha. Well, we’ll go take a look around and figure out how many men to station at the residence. Let’s send a team over to observe the premises.”

  “Will do, sir,” Mitch replied as I headed to the kitchen where Mia was taking a sip of her beer.

  “Oh, shoot!” She slapped her hand against her forehead. “I forgot to bring you the beers. Wait. What’s wrong? Why do you have that look on your face? Is it Hannah?”

  I shook my head and walked over to my sister. “No. I just need to go out tonight. Duty calls.”

  “Shoot. I thought we’d have some well-deserved brother sister time.”

  “Yeah, right,” I laughed.

  “Can you believe everything the poor girl’s been hiding from?” Mia asked, her voice quiet.

  “No. I really can’t imagine it. My mind has run through so many scenarios, but I never once thought of human trafficking.”

  “Kind of makes sense though.”

  I nodded. “Yeah. I can see a connection. If they’ve already got networks and smuggling operations built up for the drugs, why not just change up the product.”

  “Brutal,” Mia whispered, taking another swig.

  “Yeah. It really is.”

  “But something tells me with you on the case, their time’s almost up,” Mia said smiling.

  “Such faith you have,” I laughed.

  “You know it’s true.”

  “I just hope there’s a day that Hannah will be able to experience what life is supposed to be about. Having to constantly look behind you and feel like the weight of the world is balancing on your shoulders is more than most can handle for a long stretch,” I said.

  “Something we’re all too familiar with, wouldn’t you say?” Mia asked.

  “True. But at least I’ve been able to protect myself and my family. Or what’s left of it.”

  “You know,” Mia paused. “Don’t discount Hannah. She’s known about this for a while now and has managed to stay out of their grasp. She made it all the way across the country without them finding her. She’s going to come out okay.”

  “I’d say just making it out alive was a good start,” I confirmed.

  “Exactly. So don’t underestimate what that girl can handle.”

  I nodded. “I wouldn’t dream of it. But I do dream of making her life better.”

  “And that is why I think you’re such an amazing guy.” Mia beamed and I rolled my eyes.

  “Yeah. Yeah. I’m gonna go get changed. Do you mind letting Hannah know about tonight?”

  “Sure. I’ll go tell her that you’re putting yourself in harm’s way in the middle of the night. That usually always goes over well with girlfriends.”

  “It’s just tossing some security detail on the congressman. Nothing dangerous,” I said, flashing a warning glance to my sister. “And she’s not a girlfriend.”

  “Whatever you say, bro,” Mia laughed, as I left the room.

  Hannah

  “Hey, girl,” Mia said, pretending to knock. “We’ve had a slight change of plans.”

  “Plans?” I asked. “I didn’t think I had any other than to go to sleep. What do you mean?”

  “Some congressman needs to be babysat or something.”

  “Somehow I doubt that’s all.” I eyed her suspiciously.

  “My brother’s the best in the business,” Mia assured me, but it felt like she was saying it more for her own benefit.

  I didn’t doubt it, but that didn’t calm my fears any.

  “Does this happen often? Middle of the night excursions,” I asked Mia. “I heard Mitch and Luke in the hall.”

  Mia let out a sigh. “More than most people would enjoy. But honestly this one tonight is no big deal. He’s just doing a quick once over or something.”

  “Was there a bad guy involved?” I half-joked.

  “Yeah. There was,” she acknowledged.

  “And they’re still out there, aren’t they?”

  She sighed, “Yup.”

  “Well, that’s not safe in my book,” I muttered.

  “It’s what he does. But anyway, he’s getting ready and just wanted me to fill you in.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Have a good night. If you need anything, come find me.” She smiled and left my bedroom.

  The thought of Luke going somewhere in the middle of the night was unnerving and unease crept up my spine. There was so much more I wanted to learn about Luke. The thought of getting to unwrap him and discovering what created him strummed through me. The way he looked at me, his smile, humor, and touch were all things I wanted more of. I needed to see Luke. I couldn’t let him leave without thanking him for everything he’d done so far. He’d saved my life.

  I threw off the duvet becoming more and more determined to tell him thank you. As I walked down the hall, rehashing what I wanted to tell Luke, I realized it sounded like I was worried he wasn’t coming back. Reworking my words came to an abrupt halt when I heard Luke speaking into a cell. He was in the master bedroom at the far end of the hall, but I heard enough that garnered my attention.

  I walked slowly along the wall, listening to him explain everything and more. The NLC’s drug connection and everything else Luke had dug up on his own was hurriedly coming out of his mouth, followed by what I explained earlier. The door was open and I walked into the room, not expecting to see him half naked. Luke’s back was turned toward me as he changed into dark clothing. Luke wasn’t wearing a shirt and my eyes fell along his beautifully chiseled back. The dips and curves of his muscles were even more carved than I had imagined. As he turned, his green eyes caught mine and a flicker of amusement appeared before he continued his conversation.

  “Yes,” Luke replied. “And I understand that. We’d like to meet with you in two days.”

  His eyes looked to mine for confirmation, and I nodded.

  “Okay. Take care.” Luke disconnected the call and turned to look at me.

  I looked away quickly, blushing. I’d been caught. But rather than look at him, my eyes drifted along his chest, committing every beautiful curve of his body to memory. I imagined my fingertips running across his flesh, feeling every dip of definition. The tattoo I’d only seen glimpses of was now in full view. The black outline of a scorpion, tail up and ready to sting, caught my eye. I wanted to know the story behind it.

  “Interesting how chemistry works, isn’t it?” Luke asked, his voice lowered.

  My eyes darted to his. “How so?”

  “Even in the darkest hours we’re still human. We still crave touch…love.”

  I took a ste
p forward and debated what to say, but as I stood quietly taking in this God of a man, wondering what my next move should be, he closed the gap. His hands gripped my shoulders and his gaze fell on mine. He was only the distance of his arms from me, but it felt like miles. I wanted to be in his arms. I wanted to be held by him. I wanted this entire mess to vanish. The frisson of electricity that ran between us was impossible to ignore. It cut through everything else that attempted to overtake our lives. It made the fight seem worth winning. I knew he felt it, the slight buzz of current running through us with every step closer we took toward one another. So why was he ignoring it, pretending it no longer existed?

  “Tonight’s no big deal,” he muttered.

  “As long as everything goes according to plan,” I replied.

  His grip tightened and his gaze intensified. “Everything will go according to plan.”

  I tried to take a step forward, but his arms stiffened, keeping the distance between us.

  “I don’t understand.” I searched his expression for answers and found none.

  “I’ve jeopardized too much that’s important to me because I was impulsive. I didn’t follow protocol.”

  “That’s why I wanted to leave. I had no intention of putting your sister in harm’s way. I thought if I could just get enough—”

  “I was referring to you,” Luke interrupted, his voice low, almost hoarse. “I missed signs. I didn’t enforce rules to help protect you, hide you. That needs to change. I never involve myself with clients. Impulse doesn’t work in my world.”

  “I was never a client. I never asked to be protected.” My pulse raced as the words left my mouth. “You’re not running from this because you’re worried about protecting me. You know very well, you can protect me with your eyes closed. It’s what you do, remember? You’re running because you’ve never done a relationship. Well, neither have I, and I’m willing to try. I’m willing to get hurt, have my heart broken, if it means that I get a chance to give my heart to you in the first place. I’ve never fallen in love, but I’m willing to bet that I’m about to, if you’ll let me have that chance.”