When I Find You: A Trust No One Novel

by Brown, Dixie Lee

  “So, we’re at an impasse.”

  “Who do you work for?” Keep the man talking so he wouldn’t do anything stupid.

  “Interestingly enough, the same people you claim to work for.” A soft laugh followed the words.

  “And yet we want two different things?”

  “Ironic, isn’t it?”

  “We should talk. Maybe there’s a compromise we could both live with.”

  The man paused a moment. “Show yourself, slow and easy.”

  Walker wasn’t about to turn down an invitation to get in that room with Darcy. He pushed himself away from the wall, pivoted until he faced the door, and walked slowly forward. A desk lamp gave off an eerie glow in the center of the room. He caught movement in the corner near the secret entrance and focused his attention there as he kept moving straight ahead.

  “That’s far enough.”

  Walker took two more steps before coming to a stop. The man’s face was in the shadows as he hid partially behind Darcy. Her hands were bound behind her back and she was gagged. He held her by her left arm and she winced every time he jostled her. There was no mistaking the fear in her eyes, but something else too . . . that spark of determination that got her out of the forest alive.

  “Leave the girl and you can walk out of here.” Walker turned his attention back to her captor.

  “I think I’ll just walk out of here with her and if you try to stop me, I’ll have to kill you.” The man propelled Darcy along a line that skirted Walker and led to the door.

  Walker took a step to intercept. He could see the man’s face now. Light brown hair, brown eyes. His build was slight—four or five inches taller than Darcy. Nothing familiar about him at all.

  “Don’t let the fact she’s still alive confuse you. I won’t hesitate to kill either one of you if I have to.”

  Walker kept following their movement, slowly closing the gap between them. The man had had every opportunity to kill him as he walked through the door of the study. Why didn’t he? Instincts again, but Walker would bet he wanted to get out of here without killing anyone. The next logical question—why did he want Darcy alive?

  Darcy’s eyes caught his attention as they narrowed slightly. She hesitated in front of a coffee table and when the man jerked her forward, she slammed her body into him. He stumbled into the table and then crashed through it, landing in a heap on the other side. Walker leaped forward, caught Darcy as she tried to regain her balance, and shoved her behind him. He leveled his gun at the man just pulling himself to his knees.

  “I wouldn’t have hurt her, Walker.” The man raised one hand.

  “I got that. The question is—why try to take her out of here?”

  The man shook his head slowly. “I’m afraid I’m sworn to secrecy.”

  “Now would be a good time to drop your gun.”

  The man gave every indication he would comply until the sound of footsteps in the hall caught his attention and Cooper burst through the door. The deputy’s gaze scanned the room and came to rest on the stranger kneeling on the floor, his gun resting on his knee.

  The man looked from Cooper back to Walker, confusion in his eyes. “Who the hell is he? Aw, shit!” He raised his weapon.

  “Don’t shoot.” Walker glanced at Cooper and saw him bring the gun to bear. “We need him alive.” Before the words were out, the deputy fired two shots and the man collapsed on the floor.

  “Damn it, Cooper!”

  “Save it, Walker. He was going to shoot me. You saw him.”

  Walker glared at him until Darcy breathed hard around the gag and he realized she was on the verge of collapse. As her knees buckled, he caught her against him then pulled the gag from between her teeth.

  “Hey, you’re okay now. It’s over. Did he hurt you?” His gaze ran quickly over her, looking for wounds or bruises.

  “He slapped me when I bit him.” Tears rimmed her eyes but she smiled tentatively.

  A small cut marred her lip—not life-threatening. He breathed a sigh of relief. “You did well. Kept your cool and made your move when the opportunity presented itself. You were so impressive, I might be out of a job.” He shoved his concerns aside for the moment and smiled as he dug in his pocket for a knife, turned her slightly, and cut the plastic ties that bound her wrists. Then he scooped her up in his arms.

  “Clean up your mess, Cooper. I’ll be back after she goes to sleep. Make sure you’re still here.”

  “Yeah, whatever.”

  Walker carried her up the stairs and into her room, gently laying her on the bed.

  “Who was that man?” She grabbed his shirt and tugged him down to sit beside her.

  “I’ll find out. Did he say anything?”

  “Just that if I made a sound, he’d make me sorry I did.”

  He caught her as she threw her arms around his neck. A tear escaped her eye and started a strange ache in his chest.

  “I’m such a coward.”

  “You were the bravest person in that room tonight.” He tightened his arms around her. “I should have been with you. This should never have happened.”

  She pulled back and looked in his eyes, then ran her cool hands down the sides of his face. Her kiss was soft and gentle, but with adrenaline still running through his veins, he wanted more. Forgetting where they were and the mess that awaited him downstairs, he kissed her hungrily, forcing her lips apart and taking what he needed from her so badly. He pushed her back on the bed and settled on top of her. His fingers twined with hers, and he pulled her hands to the pillow above her head. With her pressed snug against the hardness of his arousal, he swallowed her gasp as his mouth devoured hers, but it jarred him and brought him to his senses.

  Shit. He’d scared her, or hurt her, or both. Neither was acceptable. He forced himself to let her go, and pushed himself off to kneel beside the bed.

  “This isn’t going to happen.” His voice was thick and raspy.

  Her eyes pleaded with him as her hands gripped his arm and kept him from standing. Desire shone softly in her eyes and very nearly undid his resolve.

  He shook his head firmly. “You don’t want what comes next—not like this.” He peeled her hands away and crossed them on her stomach. “Besides, Cooper shouldn’t be left alone too long. No telling what kind of trouble he could get in.” He gave her a crooked grin.

  “Please don’t leave me alone.” She no longer met his gaze.

  “I’ll stay until you go to sleep.” He reached to stroke the soft, silky skin of her thigh then let his hand drop short of its mark. With a silent groan, he went to sit in the chair beside the bed. Damn it. Did his brain decide to take a permanent vacation? He’d blown by that second line he’d drawn like it wasn’t even there. Did he have any more brilliant ideas?

  Chapter Eleven

  * * *

  “WHO WAS HE?”

  Walker entered the kitchen after he checked the study to make sure the body had been dealt with. Cooper sat at the table. Walker didn’t ask the deputy what he’d done with the body—Cooper no doubt had resources for events like this. It was gone from the study and that was all he cared about at the moment. Walker would get to break the news to Joe about the stain on the carpet. He searched the cupboards until he found a bottle of Scotch, poured a drink for Cooper, and helped himself to one before he sat down across from the deputy. Cooper tossed the dead man’s identification on the table.

  “His name was Mark Evans . . . U.S. Marshal Evans.” Cooper delivered the title with a scornful sneer.

  Walker glanced at him and gave a low whistle. “Shooting one of your own? This won’t do a lot for your next performance review.”

  “Relax. Evans was under investigation, suspected of being on Frank DeLuca’s payroll. He showed up in Gold Beach this morning, out of the blue, asking questions about Darcy. I got suspicious and called the director, who said Evans was supposed to be riding a desk. So I tailed him, and it’s a good thing too.”

  “You didn’t think it might be
a good idea to let me know what was going on?”

  “I called you as soon as I had anything concrete. It’s not my fault you were sleeping on the job. Besides, you haven’t done me very many favors since you showed up.” Cooper threw back the last of his whiskey and set the glass on the table a little harder than necessary. His eyes never left Walker’s.

  Walker had sworn to control his temper, but the bastard wasn’t making it easy. He took a big swallow of Scotch and let it burn away the angry words on his tongue. It would accomplish nothing to alienate this man again. The deputy had called, even though it was almost too late, and arrived like the cavalry, prepared to save the day. Even though Walker would have preferred Evans alive to question, Cooper had done what any law enforcement officer who thought his life was in jeopardy would have done. Still, there was just something about the man that rubbed Walker the wrong way.

  “Johnny Fontana is still alive.” He slipped the words out quietly and watched as Cooper’s surprised reaction took just a second too long to appear. “But you knew that, didn’t you?”

  Cooper feigned innocence for two seconds before he shrugged and a smirk appeared. “Oh, what the hell. Okay, Walker, you got me. Johnny is alive and well. In a few months, he’ll testify that DeLuca murdered a federal judge and then he’ll disappear into the witness protection program. I guess he suffered an attack of conscience when he found out Darcy was a target. That’s when I was called to bring her in, but, thanks to you, she refused my protection. Johnny isn’t very happy and neither is the Marshals Service.”

  “You know what I don’t understand? I was called in to protect Darcy too. Why did they need both of us to do the same job?”

  Confusion slid across Cooper’s face, but he collected himself and laughed. “You know how federal bureaucracies are—the right hand doesn’t know the left is taking care of business.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right.” Walker pursed his lips. Cooper was still hiding something. Walker didn’t trust him, and the deputy wasn’t getting within ten feet of Darcy.

  “How did you find out Johnny was alive?” Cooper asked.

  “He called Darcy. Wants her to ditch me and get on a bus.”

  “No kidding? That presents some interesting possibilities.”

  “Like what?” Walker studied him guardedly.

  “Like who else might show up at a reunion like that. If we could get Reggie Allen to show himself, we could eliminate him as a threat to the girl.” Cooper’s voice vibrated with excitement.

  “Here’s a question for you.” Walker leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. “Since Reggie didn’t kill Johnny, why does he need to take out the one person who can place him in that house? Are you sure it’s Reggie Allen who’s trying to kill Darcy? Maybe he’s not the guy we should be worried about. Maybe someone else ordered the hit on her.” Walker studied Cooper as he fidgeted.

  “All the more reason to bring him in and question him. We could make this happen, Walker.”

  “Forget it. You’re not using Darcy as bait.” Walker stood and scooted his chair back.

  “Relax . . . it was just an idea.”

  “A lousy one. For now, you just concentrate on getting Evans’s body out of here, and I don’t want federal agents traipsing all over the place tomorrow. Can you handle that?”

  “That’s easy.” Cooper stood and pushed his chair in. “It’s already done.” He strode to the garage door, swung it open, and flipped on the overhead light before he jogged down the steps.

  Over the deputy’s shoulder, Walker could see Evans’s body, partially wrapped in a blanket, in the open trunk of Cooper’s Taurus. The man’s words came unbidden—I wouldn’t have hurt her, Walker—and a sick feeling slammed into his stomach. What the hell was going on?

  “Happy?” Cooper grinned with smug excitement.

  After the deputy drove away with the late Marshal Evans in the trunk of his car, Walker checked all the doors and windows, set the alarm, and let himself quietly into Darcy’s room. She still slept peacefully, as though she didn’t have a care in the world. From the chair beside her bed, he watched her, catching himself once when he had an overpowering urge to touch her. He wasn’t about to leave her alone—not again. He didn’t know how she was going to feel about that, but he’d deal with her objections when they came up.

  THE SUN WAS already up when Darcy woke. She stretched and then tensed as she caught sight of Walker in the chair beside her bed, his leg draped over one of the arms. He was asleep and her curiosity got the best of her. She settled back quietly and watched him. His dark good looks sent a tingle clear down to her toes and, even in his sleep, a quiet confidence hung over him. He was still dressed as he’d been last night, dark sweats with a gray T-shirt stretched tight across his chest and over his biceps. Heat infused her as her gaze roamed over him. The physical attraction she felt for this man, especially when she knew so little about him, was risky, to say the least. She’d never been one to take risks before. A nervous laugh bubbled free at the impossibility of it all.

  “What’s so funny?”

  Her gaze flew to his eyes. They were barely cracked open. She grew uncomfortable under his perusal. “I was just thinking . . .”

  “Please tell me you weren’t thinking about Robby again.”

  “Not even close.” Darcy’s gaze flickered over him as he swung his feet to the floor and stood. Her smile slowly died. “Who was that man?”

  “He was a U.S. marshal.”

  She propped her head up on one elbow and stared at him. “What? Why did he try to hurt me?”

  “I don’t know. That’s one more question I’ll ask your friend Johnny when I see him.” A muscle ticked in Walker’s jaw.

  She shook her head. “Johnny couldn’t have been involved. He wouldn’t hurt me.” She sighed. Why bother? Walker didn’t believe her and no amount of argument would change his mind.

  “Are you sore anywhere this morning? How’s your arm?”

  Darcy tried to stretch and immediately felt the pain stabbing through her shoulder. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. Walker took hold of her arm, straightened it, and lifted slowly until she couldn’t move it any farther and sucked in a sharp breath.

  “Your muscles are definitely inflamed. You should ice that before you get in the shower. Wait right here.” He disappeared out the door and was back in a few minutes with an ice pack. Instructing her to turn around, he sat behind her and held the ice in place. She fidgeted nervously, all too conscious of his eyes on her.

  “Sit still. I just need ten minutes.” He slid closer and laid a hand on her arm.

  “It’s cold.” Really? It was ice, after all—but she couldn’t tell him it was his proximity that made her so jumpy.

  “I’m sorry you had to go through that last night. I shouldn’t have left you alone. It’s not going to happen again . . . I’ll be sleeping in your room from now on.”

  Darcy glanced over her shoulder at him, nearly dislodging the ice pack.

  “I said hold still. I didn’t mean in your bed.” His voice was gruff and angry again.

  “Right . . . because that would be a mistake.” She turned back toward the front, the seeds of anger beginning to grow in her too.

  “It would be for you.”

  She swiveled around suddenly, catching the ice pack as it slipped from his hands. “I know why you do that.”

  “Do what?”

  “Put walls up between us, even though you’re attracted to me.” Darcy inhaled sharply and stopped. She didn’t mean to say that.

  “Enlighten me.” Walker still sounded angry, but his eyes held amusement. Darcy didn’t know which was worse.

  “You’ve got this idea in your head you’re some kind of terrible person, and you’re trying to protect me . . . even from you. You keep pushing me away because you won’t allow yourself to think I might be just what you need. I should wait for someone closer to my age, an accountant or maybe a lawyer. Right? Someone who wants to settle down,
raise kids, and adopt a dog. Well, you don’t get to decide who’s right for me. It’s my choice.”

  Walker’s eyes flashed with anger. A wicked smile played on his lips. “You’re right—it is your choice, but you don’t make a choice like that without all the information. Trust me, Darcy, you don’t want to know everything I’ve seen and done. Maybe someday, after you’ve had a few more life experiences under your belt, I’ll tell you about the people I’ve killed and the women I’ve used up and thrown away. Believe me when I tell you I would not be good for you, and yes—I will protect you from people like me.”

  “That’s bullshit and you know it.”

  He raised an eyebrow, amusement stealing back into his eyes. “Hey, I’ve cleaned up my language for you. The least you can do is not swear in front of me.” His expression made her smile in spite of her frustration.

  “I’m not giving up on you, Walker.”

  “You’re a stubborn woman. I’d be disappointed if you did. Now, take a shower and get dressed. Breakfast will be ready before you are.” He rose to leave, but she caught his hand.

  “I hate arguing with you. I need you.” She couldn’t stand the thought of losing his friendship.

  He leaned in to kiss her forehead. “You just proved my point. A woman who hates to argue? You really are too good for me.”

  She shook her head as he turned his back and left.

  The hot shower pelted her skin and eased the tension still evident in her muscles from last night’s events. Walker’s belief that he would somehow taint her if he let himself care about her was absurd. So he’d done some things in his life he wasn’t proud of. Who hadn’t? Deep down, he was honest, compassionate, and kind . . . a good person, in spite of his dire warnings to the contrary. He proved it by the way he stayed with her last night until her fear subsided enough to go to sleep and by the very way he put her up there on that pedestal and determined he wasn’t good enough for her. If he wasn’t a good person, he wouldn’t care. He’d simply take what she was offering.