“I know you’re right, but...” She shook her head.
“It hurt.”
This smile might have been a little better than the last one. “Finding out Wife Number Two might have already been knocked up even before he and I split was like...like an exclamation mark. He had everything I wanted, but me? Here I am, starting all over.”
“Did you want to get pregnant that night? Is that why you went to the tavern?”
Shocked by what was really an accusation, Lina jerked her face from his hand and shrank into the corner of the sofa. Away from him. “Do you really think that? I went out to pick up some guy and trick him into having unprotected sex?”
“I’m asking,” he said grimly.
“No!” Being on the verge of tears made her even madder. It had to be pregnancy hormones. “I don’t want to be here anymore.” Still hunching away from him, she swung her feet to the floor. “Find someplace else for me to go, or I will.”
“Lina. I had to ask.”
“No, you really didn’t.” She struggled with the zipper on his sweatshirt and, finally losing patience, tugged the whole thing over her head. When she threw it, Bran snatched the sweatshirt out of the air.
“Lina, please.” He sounded hoarse. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have said that. I just didn’t like to think—” He stopped abruptly.
Even through her anger, she got it. “That it was you only because you happened to be the one who sat beside me and started a conversation.”
“Yeah. Shit.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Picking up a guy never crossed my mind. I don’t do things like that. I just wanted to get drunk, something else I never do. Doing it in public seemed more—” God, this was humiliating to admit “—melodramatic.” She scrunched up her face. “Stupid.”
“Like me, a cop, deciding to get drunk, also in public and despite the fact I knew I’d have to drive myself home, that I’d risk my career if I got pulled over. All because the next day was supposed to be my wedding day.”
“Now that you mention it.”
The crease in one cheek deepened. “You didn’t have to agree.”
“You just accused me of being some kind of—”
He was still close enough to put a hand over her mouth. “Don’t say it. I knew better.”
“How can you?” Lina said honestly. “We don’t know each other very well.”
He opened his mouth, but then thought better of whatever he’d been going to say and closed it.
“What?” she asked, suspicious.
Bran only shook his head. “We’ll fix that. We’re going to be spending plenty of time together from here on out.”
“Because of the baby.”
“Because you’re staying with me.”
She should have realized that he hadn’t brought her here just to talk. “But...do you have a spare room?”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Not like we haven’t slept in the same bed before.”
Lina glared at him.
Bran didn’t react. “No, I turned the second bedroom into an office. I’ll sleep out here on the couch. You can have the bedroom.”
“I can’t take your room. Anyway, I’m smaller. I’d be comfortable on the sofa.”
“No.” His tone shut down any further argument. “You’re pregnant. You’ll take the bed.”
She hesitated. “Isn’t there anywhere else I could go?”
His gaze was direct and unapologetic. “Where? Anywhere you go, you could endanger someone else. I thought about my brother’s place, but Tess barely survived an attempt to kill her just this spring. I can’t put them in that position.” He shot to his feet. “In fact, let me give you a tour.”
“What?” Was there a secret compartment? A Murphy bed that would be tricky to lower? A—But she saw from his face that he was serious, so without argument she trailed him down the short hall to the door on the right, which turned out to open into a bedroom with a big bed. As with the rest of the apartment, the room was bare except for plain furnishings: a bedside lamp and clock, and another bookcase.
He bent at the foot of the bed and pulled out a tangle of metal bars and chains.
Lina blinked. Oh. A ladder?
“That’s right,” he said levelly, and she realized she’d said that aloud. “Hooks over the balcony railing. And do you know why I have this?”
Obviously, because the apartment was four stories up. But she could tell that wasn’t his point, so she shook her head.
He kicked the ladder back under the bed and straightened, his eyes boring into hers. “Because Tess almost died in a fire set by the asshole who intended to kill her. Made me think. It should make you think.”
Any protest died unspoken. She’d seen the terror on Maya’s face; seen her die. Watching someone else—someone she had put at risk? No. Bran had the skills to protect her. And he was right; they did need to get to know each other. She’d just have to live with the panic that made her want to run from him—the same panic that had kept her from telling him about the baby as soon as she should have.
She nodded. “I understand.”
“You ready to get back to work?”
“Yes.” She almost apologized for flipping out, but stopped herself. She was still angry at his accusation.
He held out the sweatshirt.
Subdued, she took it, turning it right side out before she put it on. It definitely did smell like him, she decided, as it went over her head.
He walked past her and, once again, she followed obediently. Without looking at her, he sank into his chair, picking up the notepad and pen on the way. “Where do you get gas?”
She understood his retreat. And this was important. Until she could remember where she’d seen that man, she couldn’t go home.
“Usually Safeway. You know, because of the discounts. But sometimes Arco.”
“Do you go inside to pay at Arco?”
“No. Lately I’ve been thinking about it, because the price is lower if you pay cash, but then I’d have to carry cash and I hardly ever do. So far, I’ve paid at the pump both places. If there’s an attendant at Safeway...well...I’ve never noticed him.”
“Prescriptions.”
“We could go on like this forever without doing any good,” she exclaimed in frustration. “I mean, what if I bumped into the guy on the sidewalk or in a parking lot?”
“How would he have known who you were?”
“Maybe he wrote down my license plate.”
“Why?”
“He was pissed. Or attracted. Take your pick. You’re the one who suggested—”
“Let’s go with the odds,” he suggested, unperturbed by her outburst. “Prescriptions.”
Lina sighed. “I don’t have any regular ones, but I’m getting my prenatal vitamins at Walgreens.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
BRAN HAD NO sooner poured himself a second cup of coffee the next morning when an irritating buzz startled him. He swore when he spilled coffee. Growling, he ran cold water over his hand before he grabbed a dish towel and finally went to the speaker.
“Yeah?”
“It’s Zach. Buzz me in.”
Without another word, he did. He cocked his head and heard the shower running. The knock on his door came seconds later.
Zach stomped in, scowling. “Do you ever answer your phone?”
“You know I do.” He suddenly wasn’t sure where it even was, an unusual state of affairs for him. Charging, that was it. “I slept in,” he muttered.
“I left two messages yesterday. Texted.”
Crap. He did vaguely recall ignoring his phone when it vibrated yesterday evening. He hadn’t wanted to interrupt Lina or stop the flow of recollections.
“I was tied up.”
>
His brother’s gaze went to the pair of cereal bowls sitting in the sink. His eyebrows rose. “You have a woman here.”
Annoyed, Bran said, “Not like you’re thinking. It’s Lina.”
Zach smirked. “How’d you talk her into this?”
“She can’t go home.”
Zach frowned. “Because of the bank robbery? I thought you’d decided—”
“I decided wrong.” And Bran really hated making mistakes. “Didn’t you hear? Someone shot at her yesterday.”
“What the—”
Bran told him what had happened as he poured them both coffee. The two men sat at the table.
“Man, she used up a lifetime of luck,” his brother said, shaking his head.
Bran glared at him. “Don’t say that.”
“It was a figure of speech.” Zach shook his head. “Was it the cargo van?”
“No. She saw only a blur as she dove for cover, but says it was gray. The two witnesses agreed it was a sedan, and kind of a beater. One of them looked for the license plate, and says it was covered. He thinks a white plastic grocery sack was tied around it.”
“Which could be ripped off in about ten seconds as soon as they were out of sight of the high school.”
“Yep. The driver was the shooter, too. He presumably already knew where Lina was parked, so he came up the aisle behind her so he could shoot out his driver-side window.”
“He’d followed her,” Zach said thoughtfully.
“Had to have.”
“Not good.”
“No. We talked to people using the gym and the pool, but nobody noticed a car fitting that description even though he had to be hovering somewhere.”
“Most people don’t pay any attention to their surroundings.” Zach took a swallow of coffee. “You talk to the FBI agent?”
Bran told him what Novinski had said.
“I can see why she thinks that.” Zach held up a hand before Bran could explode. “A coincidence like this might happen in a high crime neighborhood in Seattle, and that’s her turf. Here, not so much. I agree you have to act on the belief that the shooter was the robber she saw.”
Bran realized the shower had cut off a few minutes ago. Lina would be emerging any minute. He’d have felt compelled to warn her they weren’t alone, except she wouldn’t step out of the bathroom without being fully dressed down to shoes and socks anyway. Despite his optimism over the holiday, they were a long way from her relaxing that much around him.
“I’m going by her place this morning to pack some stuff for her,” he said. “I wanted to do it in full daylight so I can be damn sure no one follows me back here.”
His brother scrutinized him. “What’s your next step?”
Bran updated him on what he and Charlie had found from the security cameras, then went to get his notes from the night before. He handed his brother the notebook. “If you can think of anything I forgot...”
Zach flipped through the pages. “So far, you’ve come up with squat.” He went back to the beginning and skimmed again. “Hairdresser,” he said after a minute. “I know her hair is long, but she might still get it trimmed or, I don’t know, lightened.”
“The color is natural.” Bran cleared his throat. Why did he have to say that? “But it’s a good thought.”
“And how about one of those places that does nails?”
Paige had gone for a mani-pedi more often than Bran washed his Camaro.
“What are the chances of her seeing a man there?”
Zach shrugged. “I guess men get theirs done, too.”
A businessman or a salesman, maybe. But a bank robber?
The bathroom door opened and both men turned their heads. Lina stepped out, her eyes widening as she saw that Bran wasn’t alone.
“Oh! Um, hi, Zach.”
“Hey,” he said. “I hear you had some more excitement yesterday.”
She made a face and came toward them, wearing yesterday’s maternity jeans and, he assumed, her own long-sleeve tee under the sweatshirt he’d loaned her. Her feet were bare, and her braided hair was wet. Swallowed by the oversize sweatshirt, she looked extraordinarily young and innocent, giving him a glimpse of the girl she’d been.
“I guess you need a hair dryer,” he realized, hoping the huskiness in his voice went unnoticed.
“That will be on my list.” She looked ruefully at their coffee. “My herbal teas, too.”
“Really?” Zach sounded startled. “By choice?”
She chuckled. “No, I like my coffee. I love coffee. But I gave up caffeine for the duration.”
His gaze flicked to her belly and he winced. “Pregnant women do that, huh?”
“If they’re following their doctor’s recommendations.” She sighed and pulled out a chair. “Mine says the occasional caffeine is fine, but a good cup of coffee just makes me want more, so abstinence was easier.”
“Man.” Zach shook his head. “I’d better warn Tess about this.”
This laugh of hers was more like a giggle, a ripple of sound that stirred Bran’s body uncomfortably.
“I’m sure she knows,” Lina said. “Women talk. Speaking of... If you want privacy...”
Zach shook his head. “He was telling me about your situation.”
Bran frowned. “That’s not why you came, though. What had you so hot and bothered?”
“I met with Mrs. Greaver yesterday, remember? I had to switch my days off with Badgley so I could do it. But you apparently don’t give a—” He cleared his throat, clearly thinking better of his choice of words given Lina’s presence.
“Don’t accuse me of that. You offered to take my place because I’m tied up.”
“Can’t walk and chew gum at the same time?” his brother mocked.
Bran’s jaw tightened. “Keeping Lina alive is my priority. Sheila has been dead a long time.”
Zach slapped his hand on the table hard enough to make it jump. “Who are you kidding?” His tone was scathing. “I kept on with this even when Tess was threatened. Truth is, Sheila never was a priority for you. If she had been, you’d have done something a long time ago.”
Bran had forgotten Lina was there, forgotten anything except his frustration with this brother who was unwilling to forgive. “You know why I didn’t,” he said through his teeth.
Zach’s lip curled derisively. “Why did I bother to come over?”
“Goddamn it, you could just tell me what you learned—”
His brother pushed back his chair and stood. “You know what? I’ll pursue this on my own.” He slammed out of the apartment.
Bran tipped his head back, closed his eyes and let loose a few blistering words. Still steaming, he opened his eyes and grabbed his coffee cup. That’s when he saw Lina, sitting right where she’d been, quietly watching him.
“Damn. I’m sorry.”
She caught her lip in her teeth while she seemed to debate what she should say. She finally settled on, “I thought you were friends.”
He grunted. “We are. Most of the time. These things just...blow up. I’d like to say it’s always him, but he pushes my buttons, too.”
“This isn’t any of my business.” She started to push her chair back.
Somehow, he clamped his mouth shut on what he wanted to say. No, it isn’t. Because...that wasn’t really true. She’d find out about Sheila and the damn investigation when—if—she married him.
Which meant he had to tell her something.
“You might as well hear about it now,” he said brusquely. “We had a sister. When she was six years old, she was murdered.”
Her hand still gripping the back of her chair, Lina gaped at him. It was a moment before she said softly, “Oh, no. I’m so sorry.”
Bran shook h
is head. “It was a long time ago.” Damned if he’d let this turn into a confessional. The basics were all she had to know.
Her forehead crinkled. “Sheila? That was your sister?”
“Yeah.” To avoid her searching gaze, he swallowed his rapidly cooling coffee.
“But...who is Mrs. Greaver? What does that have to do with—”
“Does it matter?” he snapped.
After a long stare, she wiped all expression from her face. “Apparently not,” she said coolly. “At least not to you.”
He ground his teeth. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You managed to convince your brother you don’t care.” Lina pushed the chair in and walked away.
Bran thrust his own chair out of the way and stalked after her. “You want to know every goddamn detail? Is that it?”
Lina stopped with her back to him. “She would have been my daughter’s aunt,” she said with quiet dignity. “But, really, that will be between her and you someday, when she’s old enough for you to tell her about your family. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll make that list of things I need from my apartment.”
She might as well demand he peel a layer of skin off if he was to have a chance at talking her into a wedding, he thought, cornered. But he had to do it. Her walking away...that wasn’t going to happen.
“Come and sit down,” he said hoarsely to her back. “There isn’t any reason not to tell you. It’s just—” Damn, his throat was closing. He thought he’d gotten past that.
Lina turned, her expression grave, eyes dark and searching. “You have a right to say no.”
Frustration flared. Yeah. Sure, he did. But all he did was shake his head. “It’s hard for me to talk about. That’s all.”
Appearing less than thrilled about coming back to the table, she did. He was wound too tight to sit while he told her about the hideous day when Zach found their baby sister naked and dead in the backyard. Bran spread his arms and gripped the counter edge, seeing another time and place, even as he remained aware of Lina’s muffled sounds of distress off to one side.
Harlequin Superromance May 2016 Box Set Page 10