Closer

by Jo Leigh

  “Yeah. I wish I could do more.”

  “You are. You’re saving my life.”

  “You’re Nate’s sister. There was never any question.”

  She smiled, wanting so badly to kiss him. To drag him back to that awful bed and make long, slow love with him. Instead, she picked up her fork. The cheesecake was perfect.

  BOONE CHECKED THE REARVIEW mirror yet again as he turned another corner. He’d studied his Culver City map before they’d left the firing range. He didn’t take the freeway or any logical approach back to her house. No one was behind them. Christie hadn’t said much, and the closer they got to her house, the more tense she became. She didn’t want to go back, and he didn’t blame her. Unfortunately, if she wanted her life back, there wasn’t a good alternative. “You okay?” he asked.

  “Milo’s still sleeping,” she said.

  “The vet said he might do that, remember?”

  She nodded. “Still…”

  “I know. But he got a clean bill of health, so no worries.”

  “Right. No worries.”

  “Hey, you were great at the range. And you’re going to be great once we get back to the house.”

  She turned to him, pale, tight. “I wasn’t great at the range.”

  “You hit the target.”

  “The outside. Nowhere near his head or his heart.”

  He touched the hand on her thigh, and while she didn’t pull away, she didn’t return the gesture. “I trust you.”

  She sighed and looked out the passenger window.

  “Talk to me,” Boone said, pulling the car over to the side of the street. They were still a few blocks away from her place, but it wasn’t far enough.

  “I can’t do this. I can’t go back in there. He wins. He can have it, all of it. I just want to—”

  “Who, hold on.” He put the car in Park and turned to her. Behind them, Milo stirred and whined. “What happened? An hour ago you were ready to kick his slimy ass.”

  Christie wrapped her arms around her stomach. “I’m sorry. I keep thinking about that red dot on your chest.”

  “He won’t kill me. He won’t kill anyone.”

  “You don’t know that. He keeps winning, Boone. I know you’re trying. You’re all trying, but—”

  “The one thing that’s true is that he can’t stay away from you. And that’s what we have to use.”

  “Me. As bait.”

  Boone hated this. Almost as much as she did. “That’s about it.”

  “I could disappear. The world’s a big place. I’m young and healthy. I could get work, start again.”

  “You’re right. You could. You could leave everything you’ve ever known behind. I can even get you a whole new identity. Social security card, driver’s license, all of it.”

  “Great.”

  “You could never speak to your parents again. None of your friends. Not even once, not even on their birthdays or if they have a baby. You couldn’t go to a funeral. Or use your experience on a résumé. In fact, you shouldn’t even go back into interior design, because he knows. He’d look. He’d keep looking. You’d never know when or if it was over. Never, because you don’t know who he is. All you do know is that he’s figured out every way to control your life. He’s taken everything that matters to you. The last thing you have is your right to live your life. But you can give that to him, too, if you want.”

  She faced him, finally, and her eyes were so sad. “That’s what it’s like for you, isn’t it?”

  He nodded.

  “How do you stand it?”

  “I don’t give up.”

  She gave him a little smile. “Okay. I won’t, either.”

  “I won’t let him have you. You know that, right?”

  Her eyes closed for just a minute as she inhaled deeply. When she breathed again, she nodded, too. “I know.”

  Boone put the car in Drive and they went those last few blocks and pulled into her garage.

  Seth and Kate met them as soon as they walked into the house. This time, Christie remembered the gun, and she wielded it with a lot more confidence. It didn’t go back into her purse, but into her waistband. Just like a real soldier.

  She fed Milo, who seemed his old self, then met with the others at the kitchen table. Christie found herself searching for red laser dots, on the dog, on the wall, on Boone’s chest.

  “It’s okay to talk here,” Seth said, “but keep it down.”

  “You mean there are still bugs?”

  “Yes. In the living room, the bedroom and the garage. They cover everything but the corners, so be careful in there. Don’t say anything you don’t want him to hear.”

  “I don’t want him to hear anything. Get rid of them.”

  Boone looked as if he were going to pat her hand, but she backed away.

  “I’m not kidding, Boone.”

  “I know. It sucks. It’s impossible. But it’s just for a little while. Until we get him in this house.”

  She put her head in her hands. “Fine. Do whatever.”

  “You just have to remember where it’s safe,” Kate said. “In here. In the bathroom and in the guest room.”

  “Oh, gee,” Christie said, sitting back up, “that’s swell.”

  “Look,” Kate said, “we’ve got him covered. He can’t make a move near this place without us knowing.”

  “Explain that, please.”

  Kate leaned a little over the table. She’d changed from last night’s big sweater into a green button down shirt and black jeans, and her hair was loose and shiny. There was nothing girly in her eyes. “We wired everything. Including the perimeter. We replaced Boone’s cameras with some new ones that are much more sensitive. They cover a lot more territory and they can pick up a whisper.”

  Christie nodded, thinking about the traps, but then it hit her. “Boone’s cameras?” She turned to him. “What cameras?”

  Boone got up a little too quickly and went over to the coffeepot.

  “Boone?”

  “The whole point to this operation is to catch this guy. It has been from the start.”

  “You put cameras in my house without telling me? It’s not bad enough I have some sick freak out there spying on me?” She stood, so angry she wanted to throw the damn chair at him. She walked out of the kitchen, and the second she was in the hallway she realized that she was on camera. Whether it was Boone’s or not, it was still filming her, still prying.

  Had Boone seen her in her bedroom? Undressing? Had he watched her as she did something gross? Something she’d never want another person to see?

  Turning on her heel, she went back to the kitchen. Boone was sitting with Seth and Kate, looking guilty as hell. “What about the bathroom?”

  Boone shook his head. “It’s fine.”

  “Is that the truth, or are you keeping it from me for my own good?”

  “There are no cameras in the bathroom. There never have been.”

  She left them again, first going to the living room to get her clothes together, then down the hall. When she got to the bathroom, she slammed the door, wishing she had an air horn she could blow into the goddamn microphones.

  Dropping her clothes on the counter, she sat down at the edge of the tub and tried not to cry. She was so sick of tears, sick of fighting tears, and sick of having no control over any part of her life.

  Even the good guys were liars.

  Screw it. She’d give them one more day. If they didn’t catch the bastard, she was out of here. How much worse could running be? She’d find a new town, a waitress job. She’d sell her car and buy something old that ran. She’d even change her name, because this one wasn’t doing a lot for her. As for not speaking to her parents again, they’d hardly miss her. Her money, yes, but not her.

  She’d still have Milo. He was the only one she could trust, anyway.

  The lavender bath oil seemed appropriate for steaming off fury, so she turned on the water and added a healthy dose. She’d soak until sh
e pruned, and then she’d soak some more. The last thing she wanted to do was go outside again. Ever.

  She’d trusted him. With her life. And now she wasn’t sure what to believe. Better to assume it was all bullshit. All of it.

  14

  “OH, CRAP, BOONE,” KATE SAID. “I should have kept my mouth shut.”

  Boone poured himself some more coffee, feeling like a total shit. “It’s my fault. I should have just told her. I didn’t think.”

  Seth was putting his equipment back into his bag, being his usual meticulous self. Everything in its place so he could retrieve it in an instant. “It’s not as if you were trying to spy on her. You’re just trying to catch this freak.”

  “I know, but she has a point. She’s been terrorized by this asshole invading her privacy.”

  “Go talk to her.” Kate came up to him and touched his shoulder. Not a usual move for Kate, so he knew he should pay attention. “We need to get it together for the next act, but I don’t want to leave when she’s so upset.”

  Boone turned to face his two comrades. “I don’t know that she’ll want to talk to me. If she kicks me out, I won’t blame her.”

  “She’s not going to kick anyone out. The woman still needs help, now more than ever.” Kate got herself some coffee, and went back to sit with her papers. “I’ve got a few questions for her on some of these men. See if she’s willing to talk, okay?”

  “I’ll do what I can.” Boone reached into his pocket and pulled out the RFID that the vet had removed. He tossed it on the table, then headed down the hall. He knew Christie was in the bath, which wasn’t the ideal conditions for a talk about privacy. He’d knock and see what her reaction was.

  Not that he was any good in this kind of situation. Give him a room full of terrorists, and he was the man, but a single upset woman? That was enough to send him cowering in a corner. Hell he deserved a chewing out, and she deserved to give it to him. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her more.

  He stood at the door and tapped it quietly.

  “What?” came the muffled voice from inside.

  “It’s me. Can I come in?”

  “Why, you want to take pictures?”

  He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the door. He thought about last night. How it had felt to be with her, to care about her. “No, I want to apologize.”

  “Great, thanks. That makes everything okay.”

  “Right, you’re right. I was an idiot, and you get to be mad as hell.”

  “What?”

  “I said—”

  “Oh, just come in, for God’s sake.”

  He tried the door, but it was locked. “I can’t.”

  “You mean to tell me between the three of you, you can’t jimmy a bathroom lock?”

  “Hold on.”

  He went back to the kitchen and asked Seth to lend him a hand. Boone knew how to get in using C4, but since that seemed a little much, he got Seth to use his handy kit. It took less then a minute, and Boone knocked once more before he opened the door.

  Although his intentions were completely on the up-and-up, the moment he saw her naked in the tub, his body reacted. Even before the humidity got to him, he was sweating, and as he walked over to take a seat on the closed toilet, he felt the pressure in his jeans.

  For her part, she just sat there watching him, her neck cradled in the pillow, the fragrant water holding up her breasts. Water droplets shimmered on her moist flesh, but she didn’t take notice. She was too busy staring daggers at him.

  “I was a jerk,” he said.

  “Go on.”

  “I should have thought, and I didn’t. I was so focused on the job that I didn’t take your feelings into account. I’m sorry.”

  Christie closed her eyes and let her head fall back. “Where are the cameras?”

  “In the bedroom, the living room and the kitchen. I also have one on the front door and by the window in the guest room.”

  “So basically, everywhere.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Did you actually see him come into my bedroom?”

  “I did.”

  “And?”

  “There was no way to identify him. I got a general shape, size, but nothing concrete.”

  She looked at him again, and he squirmed under the glare. “Did it ever occur to you that I might be able to figure out who he is? That his shape and size would ring a bell?”

  “No, it didn’t.”

  “Okay, so we know that you shouldn’t quit your day job to become a detective. Do you still have the tape?”

  “Yeah. We’ll take a look at it as soon as you’re ready.”

  She didn’t respond. She also didn’t stop staring at him.

  “I don’t expect your forgiveness,” he said. “You say the word, and I’m out of here. Seth and Kate will take over. They’re damn good and they know the situation. You won’t have to worry.”

  “You want to bail?”

  “No.”

  “Then don’t. But I swear to God, if you lie to me again, I’ll use my new skills with my gun to shoot you where it hurts the most. Is that clear?”

  “Crystal.”

  “Okay then. We’ll look at the tape together. Then we’ll get on with it.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “Do we have a plan?”

  “We do. Seth and Kate are going to come back tonight, but they’re going to put on a show for the geek.”

  “A show?”

  Boone nodded. “They’re going to tell us to get ready. To pack up for an indefinite period of time. We want the geek to believe we’re going underground.” He kept his eyes on her face, because every time they dipped below her neck, he forgot what he was saying.

  “And this will do what?”

  “Force the geek to come inside the house.”

  She sat up in the tub, revealing a lot more. “That’s it? That’s the whole plan?”

  He focused. Again. “No. You’re going to tell him that you don’t care where you live because you and your boyfriend are going to be married. And then you’re going to show him your engagement ring.”

  She looked at him for a long time. Finally, she sighed. “So where’s this ring?”

  He watched a single drop of water quiver on the tip of her nipple. “Ring?”

  “I’m going to wave an engagement ring around?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Boone, maybe I should get out of the tub and get dressed.”

  “No, don’t.”

  “Pardon?”

  He jerked his eyes up. “Sorry, what?”

  She laughed. “Good to know that no matter what the uniform, boys will still be boys.”

  Boone stood, giving himself a mental whack on the head. He turned toward the door. It was just safer that way. “Okay, the ring. Yeah, we’ve got one. Kate brought it. Oh, and she wants to talk to you about a couple of men from your past.”

  “Which ones?”

  “She didn’t say. Were there any that were, you know, more than just casual relationships?”

  “A couple.”

  “Really? Who?”

  “Why,” she asked, a smile in her voice, “jealous?”

  “No, no. Just trying to figure this thing out.”

  Water sloshed, and he pictured her getting out of the tub. All that naked flesh dripping with warm, sweet water. He discreetly adjusted the boys, but it didn’t help a whole lot. Then he tried to think of something really unsexy, but every image turned into naked Christie.

  The water sounds stopped, but then he heard other stuff. A soft footfall, the towel slipping from the rod. “You probably want to get dressed,” he said. “I’ll go to the kitchen and wait.”

  “No, don’t.”

  He turned to find her wrapped in her towel. Her hair was still tumbled atop her head, and her skin still looked damp and warm.

  “There’s still some things to discuss. Aside from the plan, which I want to go over again. But this…I need to hear this fr
om you. Alone.”

  Boone nodded. Whatever she asked, he had to give her the truth, as long as the truth wouldn’t get her killed.

  “I really appreciate what you told me about Nate, but I need more. I want to understand. What did he do that was so terrible someone had to blow him up with a bomb?”

  “Christie…”

  She sighed as she sat at the side of the tub. She reached down and pulled the plug, then dried her hand with the edge of the towel. “I don’t give a shit about the danger. Been there, doing that. Just talk to me.”

  Boone walked over to the other side of the tub and sat down, angling himself so he wasn’t looking at Christie. “We were recruited by a special ops group, an offshoot of the CIA who worked with the Pentagon. All of us were picked for our particular specialties. It was just good luck that Nate and I were both selected for the team. I’d also worked with Seth.

  “Our assignment was in Pristina, Kosovo. We were to get to a rogue scientist working there. Destroy the lab, and everything in it, then get out.”

  “When you say ‘get to’ you mean kill, don’t you.”

  “Yes.”

  “What went wrong?”

  “Everything. The scientist wasn’t who we were led to believe. The information we were told to destroy had nothing to do with terrorism. When we protested, this black ops group decided to clear up the misunderstanding by killing all of us, the scientist included.”

  “But—”

  “Yeah. It surprised the hell out of us, too. And that’s it. That’s all I can say.”

  “So how is it going to end? With you dead? All of you?”

  “No. We just have to get the truth to the right people. But the truth would have to include proof.”

  Christie didn’t say anything for so long, Boone had to look. God, she seemed so sad. Not crying, but almost.

  He went to her side and took her hand in his. “He was a hero. For real. He stood up for his principles, for what was right. You have to remember that.”

  She sniffed, then met his gaze. “Sounds like you were all heroes.”

  “Naw. Just grunts following orders. We were just smart enough to know who to take our orders from.”

  “Boone, is this plan going to work?”

  “It’s our best shot. If he thinks we’re leaving, for good, he’ll have to make a move. And he’ll have to do it before Seth and Kate come back with the new identities, which gives us our window of opportunity.”