Traded

by Tess Thompson

  “I can’t believe that’s true.”

  “They said if you end up divorced, there’s a high probability your ex will rat you out. The only time any witnesses in the program were killed was because they broke one of the rules.”

  “But we won’t get divorced.” He drew her close against his chest.

  She spoke into the fabric of his shirt. “We can’t be married. I mean, look at your life.”

  “Because I’m too famous. Because people are constantly taking photos of me.”

  “You need a woman who can be by your side in the outside world, not just the one we’ve made behind closed doors. What kind of wife doesn’t go to her husband’s games? Any time we go out together, we risk the chance of someone taking our photo and putting it on social media. All it takes is one slip up, and they will find me.”

  “We could make it work. We can keep our marriage a secret. No one would have to know.”

  “It’s too risky. Plus, it’s too much of a sacrifice for you. I have to live like a mole. I don’t want that for you.” But even as she said it, a kernel of hope sprouted. If he were willing, would it work? “We wouldn’t be able to tell another living soul. Not the Dogs. Not your mother. Not even our children.”

  “We’re having children?” Brody smiled for the first time.

  “If we have children, that is.”

  “People manage private lives outside of football all the time,” he said. “The only wives who get media attention are famous on their own. We can live a quiet life in Cliffside. Everyone in town leaves me alone. You’ve seen that yourself.”

  “I’d never be able to go to a game.”

  “It’s a bummer, but that’s a small price to pay. To have the most beautiful woman in the world waiting at home for me.”

  She wanted to believe it. “Are you sure?”

  “I’ve never been surer in my life. Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure about you.” She clutched his hands. Her head swam. Brody knew the truth, and he still loved her.

  Brody loved her.

  “I never thought I’d say this, but for the first time, I’m truly grateful I was forced to start over. If I hadn’t, we would never have found each other.” She was still Kara, but by this man’s side, she was a new, better version. They were better together than apart.

  “Have we talked enough?” he asked.

  “We haven’t stopped talking since we met.”

  “I guess no one could say we jumped into a physical relationship too soon,” he said with a mischievous grin.

  AFTERWARD, SHE LAY in the comfort of his strong arms. “Tell me about your life, Kara. Your real life.”

  So, she began, clearing up the almost truths with the absolute.

  A WEEK LATER, SHE AWAKENED in Brody’s room at the house from a deep sleep. Brody snored softly with one arm flung over his eyes. Minnie, the traitor, slept in a ball by his feet. She watched him sleep for a few minutes before heading to the bathroom. As she used the toilet, she breathed in the scent of his cologne on the shirt that hung over the door. The last week had seemed almost like a dream, but it wasn’t. Brody was real. She’d told him everything. She’d trusted him with her life. There was no feeling of insecurity or regret. If he could live this way, who was she to turn him down?

  They had kept their relationship a secret from his mother and Flora. It felt right to have it be their secret for now. Plus, Flora hadn’t yet come home from her time with Dax. After seeing Cameron, they’d decided to stay for a week in Stowaway to spend more time with him.

  She slipped down to her room and changed into leggings and a sweatshirt. The sun peeked through the trees at the eastern facing portion of the property. She might take a quick walk this morning before everyone wanted breakfast. Lately, she all she wanted was to listen to sappy songs and think about Brody. She knew it was silly, but she was happy. Silly and happy.

  The kitchen was empty, but someone had left the television on one of the cable news stations. The story immediately caught her attention. It was about a young woman’s murder in Philadelphia. She used the remote to turn it up. Her stomach dropped.

  “The name of the victim from yesterday’s murder has been released by the police. Jessica Ridley was a twenty-eight-year-old nurse. She was found outside her apartment yesterday morning with multiple stab wounds. Although no one’s been connected to the murder at this time, police believe it could be connected to the Boggs case, as Jessica was the best friend of Boggs’s daughter, Kara, whose testimony brought the fall of several powerful Columbian drug lords.”

  She fell to her knees. No, not Jessica. Why? How did they know she was Kara’s friend? Why would they kill her?

  If they got to Jessica, what would stop them from hurting all the people in this house if they found her? It all came rushing back to her. Sense invaded. Brody Mullen was famous. It was impossible that she could stay anonymous. At some point, they would slip up, and someone would come for her.

  She rushed to her room. I have to go. I can’t let them hurt the people I love. She would move up to Oregon, to one of those coastal towns and disappear. After a time, she’d move to another and another after that another. She would keep running. This time she wouldn’t try to start over. No friends. No attachments. She didn’t have to add no loves, because she knew there would never be another Brody. He was her one and only.

  As much as she loved him, she wanted him safe. With her in his life, he wouldn’t be.

  Kara wept as she stuffed clothes into the suitcases that had been empty for the last four months. She paused only long enough to write Brody a letter. Tears blurred her vision as she put the letter under his door. Then, she crept down the hall and down the stairs, holding tight to her suitcases.

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Brody

  He woke to the sound of a car in the driveway. Kara’s car. Where was she going? He got out of bed and went the window just as the car disappeared around the corner. She must have needed something from the store. When he grabbed his robe from the end of the bed, he noticed the envelope by the door. He rushed across the room and held it between shaking hands.

  His heart sank. His stomach turned. No, please, Kara, don’t do this.

  Dear Brody,

  I will be brief. This morning the news reported the murder of my best friend, Jessica. They said the Columbian drug world is suspected in the murder, given her relationship to me. Her death woke me up to the truth. I cannot have a normal life. Ever. I can’t put you or your friends and family at risk. If they ever find me, they will kill all the people I love. I can’t live with myself if I let that happen. I love you more than my own selfish needs. I’m going somewhere to disappear.

  Please know how much I love you. I cherish every memory we made together. I thought the hardest thing I’d ever have to do was leave behind my old life. I was wrong. Leaving you is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

  Please tell Flora, Honor, and your mother that I love them and that I’m sorry. Take care of Minnie for me.

  I love you forever.

  Kara

  He crumbled the piece of paper and threw it onto the bed. He wanted to punch the wall and break furniture. She couldn’t have gotten far. He would chase her down. Follow her.

  He could barely breathe. Without Kara, his life was empty. Nothing could fill the space she left. Not footfall or his ego or money. It was only Kara that he couldn’t live without. The others were disposable and temporary. Even football, that mere months before he’d put above all else, paled in comparison to his love for Kara. His sport was not his life, as it had once been. Now it was Kara. She was his forever girl. The woman he wanted for his wife. The mother of his yet unborn children. He, too, cherished the memories they’d already made, but he wanted more.

  There was only one solution. He would retire from football. He was thirty years old and at the top of his game. It was a good time to leave. That last pass would be his crowning moment. Could there ever be a better one? Probably not
. All the more reason to end his career now. He would retire and live here without attention. They would never find her if he were out of the public eye. They could live a simple life. After a time, he would fade into obscurity. Without his fame, she would be safe.

  They could build a life here. Hang pictures on the wall that no one would see but their family.

  He dressed quickly. If he left now, he might be able to catch her. His gut told him she would go back to the places she knew, the places where they had fallen all the way into love. The only places familiar to her in her traded life. She was headed back to Oregon. He knew it.

  It would take a lot to convince her, but he would not give up until she said yes. He grabbed the diamond engagement ring he had bought in San Francisco yesterday. His plan had been to propose to her tonight on the beach with the full moon overhead. He would have to go with plan B instead.

  Brody drove all morning, stopping only to refuel and buy a protein bar. As he paid for his items, he glanced up at the television behind the clerk’s head. It was tuned to one of those shows that focused on murders, usually of young women. A photograph of a pretty blond flashed across the scene.

  “Awful thing, isn’t it?” The clerk gestured toward the television.

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “This poor girl was murdered yesterday going into her apartment. According to the news, she was a nurse and always volunteering at local shelters and whatnot.” The clerk handed him his change. “They arrested the boyfriend an hour ago.”

  “The boyfriend?”

  “Yeah. The bastard was a doctor too. Good looking like a movie star. Wouldn’t think a man like that would be a psycho. They interviewed the lady that lives next door. She’d called the police a few times over the past couple weeks because she heard her screaming. Anyway, he turned himself in this morning. At least her family will know what happened to her.”

  He smiled politely and thanked him, but his hands shook as he stuffed the bills into his pocket. It was not at all what Kara thought. The murder was not at the hands of drug lords, but an insane boyfriend. Hadn’t Kara said Jessica sometimes trusted the wrong people? She fell in love too easily. The doctor? It must have been the doctor Jessica had a crush on. They must have started dating after Kara left town. Kara, it’s not your fault. She didn’t die because of you. Just hold tight. I’m coming for you.

  AT TWILIGHT, HE REACHED Bandon and went straight to the inn where she’d finally told him the truth. He knew Kara. She would go to the place where he had first held her all night. He scanned the parking lot for her car. The pain in his chest lifted when he spotted it near the entrance. After parking, he bolted into the lobby. The same clerk from a week ago was at the desk, typing into her computer. What was her name?

  She smiled as he approached. “I was wondering where you were. What did you do?”

  She had a name tag. Hallelujah. Bonnie. “Hi, Bonnie. We had a fight.” He flashed his most sheepish grin. He must charm Bonnie into letting him into her room. Play on her sympathy. “We had a misunderstanding. I thought she might have come here.”

  “I figured you’d done something.” She crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. “She looked terrible, like she’d been crying for hours.”

  “Totally my fault.” He pulled the box from his jacket pocket and flipped open the lid to show her the ring.

  She gasped.

  It was a good ring.

  “I was trying to be clever, so she’d be surprised when I proposed. Instead, I managed to make her think I was breaking up with her.” Kara was right. Once you started lying, it was easy to keep going. “She was so upset, she took off in her car before I could explain.”

  “I see. That happened to a friend of mine too.” The disapproving expression was replaced with one of indulgence. “You men have a way of saying things in the exact wrong way.”

  “I’m sorry to say, you’re right. Can you give me her room number? I know it’s probably against policy, but I have to make this right.”

  “Yes, yes, of course. She’s in the same room where you stayed before. Three-nineteen.”

  “Thank you.” He smiled as he put the ring box back into his jacket. “Wish me luck.”

  “I don’t think you’ll need it, but good luck.”

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Kara

  Kara stood by the window and watched the waves come in one after the other. Warm from a bubble bath, she wore the bathrobe provided by the inn, seeking comfort in the soft material. Wrongly, she’d hoped a bath might soothe her, but it hadn’t. The bath provided a vessel for tears, but it had not eased her grief. Jessica. Sweet Jessica who fell in love too easily and read romance novels and deserved a happy ending.

  This is my life. From now on, this is how it will be. Only memories to keep me company.

  “Brody,” she whispered. “I miss you.” She ached for him. Nothing had ever hurt this much.

  A knock on the door drew her away from the window. It would be housekeeping with the extra towels she’d asked for. She wiped her eyes and turned away from the view to answer the door.

  She looked through the peephole. The knocker was not the attendant with towels. It was Brody, misshapen through the lens in the door. How had he known she would come here?

  She opened the door.

  “Jesus, Kara.” He stepped inside and pulled her into his arms. She collapsed against him as he picked her up and carried her over to the bed.

  He held her as she cried into his shoulder. “She’s dead because of me.”

  “Baby, no. It’s not what you think.”

  “I can’t let that happen to you,” she said. “You know I’m right.”

  “She wasn’t murdered by the Columbian drug lords. They announced the killer on the news. She was murdered by a boyfriend. A doctor boyfriend.”

  Kara’s eyes widened. “What? Are you sure?”

  “He confessed earlier today.”

  “Oh my God. Jessica,” she whispered. “My poor friend.”

  “I’m sorry, baby.”

  “A doctor. Did they say a name?”

  He nodded. “Johnson.”

  Doctor Johnson? It couldn’t be. “He always seemed so nice.”

  “They were dating, apparently.”

  “How can it be that I’m alive and she’s not?”

  He took her hands. “I don’t know, Kara. I don’t know why this happened. But I do know that life is fragile. We both know how it can turn in an instant. I want all the time with you I can get. If we have to move somewhere and disappear forever, I’m willing to do it. I’m going to retire.”

  Retire? From football? “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “No, I’ve thought it all through. If my fame puts you in danger, I’ll quit. We’ll stay put in Cliffside. Lay low. You’ve seen how fiercely they protect their own. If we marry quietly, no one will know, other than our family and friends. After a few years, people will forget about me. There won’t be this risk of paparazzi or social media pictures any longer. We can raise a family. Have a quiet life.”

  She couldn’t believe he was willing to give up his career for her. It wasn’t right. He should finish his career. There was no reason not to. She would stay out of view like they’d planned. Knowing the truth about Jessica’s death had brought her to her senses.

  “No, Brody. You’re not giving up football. Not until you’re ready.”

  “I accomplished all that I wanted to in my career. I won the ring. Now it’s time for part two. Part Kara.”

  “No. You have too many good years left.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know about that. This season took it out of me. I have two more years, maybe. If I don’t get hurt. This is a young man’s game and the longer I’m in it, the more chance I have of injuries. Serious ones. I have two years left in my contract. Who knows what might happen. They might trade me or force me into retirement. But if I quit now, I go out on top. I go on my own terms. I have the memory of my last s
eason, of the Super Bowl win. I have enough money. More than we could ever need. Between my endorsements and my salary, even if I walk away before the end of the contract, we can live very well the rest of our lives. And, with Lance investing it for me, we’ll have even more to leave to our children.”

  “You’ll start resenting me.”

  “I don’t think so. Look at Dax and Flora. What would they give for all the years back? To have the chance to have a family together? To build a life as a team? You’re the only team I need.”

  “If you retire, won’t there be even more attention? At least for a while?”

  “Maybe. But if I give a few interviews and satisfy everyone’s curiosity, it’ll be done. I can come home to you after that. Please, Kara, this kind of love only comes once in a lifetime. Don’t walk away from this, from me. Let me make you safe every day.”

  “No, this is not how you’re going out. You’re going back next season and play your butt off. I’ll be at home watching every minute. When you’re ready to retire, I’ll be waiting at home for you. We can live the quiet life then. For now, you have some games to win.”

  He bowed his head. “If this is what you want, then yes. We’ll keep you away from all media. Just as we’ve done since we met.”

  “Yes.”

  Brody led her over to the window and dropped to his knees. “I was going to do this on our beach at home, but now seems like as good a time as any.” He pulled a small box from the pocket of his jacket. Was he doing this now?

  He popped open the lid and presented it to her. A princess cut diamond sparkled under the light. “Kara, will you let me be your safety zone, your end zone, your everything?”

  “Yes.”

  He slipped the ring onto her finger. “It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen,” she said.

  “Nothing compared to you.”

  She knelt on the floor next to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Do I really get you for all my life?”