by Нора Робертс
“What changed?”
“Junior year in high school. I had a rep—and there are always going to be the type who need to challenge the rep. New guy comes along—tough guy. He goes after me; I take him down.”
“Just like that?”
“No. It was vicious, on both sides. We hurt each other. I hurt him more. A couple weeks later, he and two of his buddies jumped me. I was with a girl, making out in the park. Two of them held me while he took his shots. She’s screaming for them to stop, screaming for help, and he’s laughing and beating me until I don’t even feel it anymore. At some point I blacked out.”
“Oh my God, Simon.”
“When I came to, they had her on the ground, holding her down. She’s crying, begging. I don’t know if they’d have raped her. I don’t know if they’d have gone that far. But they didn’t get the chance. I went crazy, and I don’t remember any of it. I don’t remember getting up off the ground and going after them. I beat two of them unconscious. The third ran off. I don’t remember any of it,” he repeated, as if it still troubled him. “But I remember coming out of it, out of that red zone, and hearing the girl—a girl I was half in love with—crying and screaming and begging me to stop. I remember the look on her face when I pulled in enough to see her. I’d scared her as much as the ones who jumped me and nearly raped her.”
Then she was a wimp, in Fiona’s opinion. Instead of screaming and crying, she should’ve run for help. “How badly were you hurt?”
“Enough for a couple days in the hospital. Two of the three who came at me spent longer. I woke up in the hospital—a world of hurt. I saw my parents sitting together across the room. My mother was crying. You had to practically cut her arm off with a hatchet to make my mother cry, but tears were just running down her face.”
That, Fiona saw clearly, troubled him more than the memory lapse. That had been the mark that had turned his path. His mother’s tears.
“And I thought, That’s enough. It’s enough. I leashed the crazy.”
“Just like that?”
“No. But eventually. Once you learn how to walk away the first time, or realize the one baiting you is an idiot, it gets easier.”
So, she thought, that’s where the control had its roots. “What about the girl?”
“I never made it past second base with her after all. She broke it off,” he added when Fiona said nothing. “I couldn’t blame her.”
“I can. She should’ve found a big stick and helped you instead of crying. She should’ve grabbed some rocks and started throwing them. She should’ve kissed your goddamn feet for saving her from being mauled and raped.”
He smiled. “She wasn’t the type.”
“You have faulty taste in types.”
“Maybe. Up till now, anyway.”
She smiled, leaned over the take-out box to kiss him—and flipped open another button on her shirt. “Since I’m tonight’s pizza slut, I say we take the rest of this upstairs, where it’ll be handy if we want some after.”
“I’m a fan of cold pizza.”
“I’ve never understood people who aren’t.” She rose, held out a hand for his.
Fourteen
Simon woke with the sun in his eyes. At home he slept in a cave, shuttering the bedroom windows so he could wake up, get up, whenever the hell he wanted. He considered it, like eating whatever and whenever, a perk of adulthood aided by being self-employed.
Of course, the dog had changed that, demanding to be let out at questionable hours by jumping on the bed, or licking any body part that might hang over the bed. Or his newest, and fairly creepy, method: standing beside the bed and staring at the human.
Still, they’d worked out a routine where he let the dog out, stumbled back into bed and caught some more sleep until Jaws wanted in again.
So where the hell was the dog? And more important, where the hell was Fiona?
Deciding they were undoubtedly together, Simon grabbed a pillow and put it over his face to block the light so he could sleep.
No good, he realized in seconds.
The pillow smelled of her, and her scent drove him crazy. He indulged himself for a moment, just breathing her in while a picture of her formed in his mind. The soft coloring, the sharp features, the long, strong body. The dash of freckles and clear, calm eyes.
He’d thought if he figured out what there was about her he found so damn compelling, he’d get past it, or around it.
But now that he had, at least partially, he found himself only more tangled up. Her strength—mind and body—her resilience, her humor and what seemed an almost bottomless well of patience combined with an innate kindness and an easy, almost careless self-confidence.
He found the mix fascinating.
He shoved the pillow aside and lay there squinting at the light.
Her bedroom, he thought, showed a strong, imaginative use of color. The walls glowed a coppery hue in the sunlight and formed a good backdrop for some decent local art—probably picked up at Syl’s. She’d indulged herself with a big iron bed with hints of dark bronze along with that copper, and high, knobbed posts.
No fuss, he thought. Even the obligatory female bottles and bowls on the dresser had a sense of organization, while the trio of dog beds across the room spoke of her passion and profession.
Attractive lamps, simple in style, an oversized chair draped with a beautifully made throw—likely Syl’s again. A low cabinet holding books—and he’d bet they were shelved alphabetically—photos, trinkets.
No clothes tossed around, no shoes left on the floor, no pocket stuff scattered on the dresser.
How did anyone live like that?
In fact, he noted, the clothes he’d peeled, tugged and yanked off her the night before were nowhere to be seen, and the clothes she’d peeled, tugged and yanked off him sat neatly folded on the chest under the window.
And since he was lying there thinking about how she decorated and organized her bedroom, he obviously wasn’t getting any more sleep.
He used her shower, found it stingy on the pressure and the hot water. Her bathroom, he thought, needed some serious updating. The old fixtures should be replaced, the tile work redone, and the basic layout wasted space.
Despite what he considered a poor design, it was tidy, organized, scrupulously clean.
He dropped his towel on the floor, went out into the bedroom to dress. Walked back into the bath, picked up the towel and slung it over the shower rail.
He dressed, thinking about coffee, then started out of the room. Walked back, snarling a little, and picked up the pillow he’d shoved off his face and onto the floor. Tossed it back onto the bed. Muttered, but pushed his neatly folded clothes into his duffel. Satisfied, he started out again.
“Goddamn it.” Since he couldn’t shrug off the guilt line between his shoulder blades, he backtracked again, yanked the sheets into some semblance of order, then flipped the bold blue comforter up and over—and considered the bed made.
Feeling put-upon, he trudged downstairs and decided there better damn sight be coffee.
It waited for him, hot, fragrant and seductive. Next to a woman, he thought as he sloshed some into a mug, coffee was the best thing a man could consume in the morning.
He drank, topped off the mug, then went to find the woman and his dog.
They were in the sunny side yard fooling around on what he thought of as the playground equipment while the other three dogs sprawled on the grass. He leaned against the porch post, drinking his coffee, watching the woman—her stone gray hoodie zipped against the early morning chill while she walked his dog up a teeter-totter.
It tilted down at his weight when he passed the center, but rather than jump off, as Simon expected, he walked straight down.
“Good!”
Jaws got a treat, a pat before she directed him to the tunnel.
“Go through.” She moved down the outside as he—probably, Simon thought—wound through the inside. He wiggled out the far side.
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After his reward, she turned to a platform. Simon watched his dog leap on command, preen at the praise, then trot down the ramp on the other side and straight to the ladder of the slide.
“Hup!”
Without hesitation he climbed up, navigated the slide down.
Amazed, Simon started over as Fiona turned Jaws to a lower platform. At her command, he jumped over it and, at the next, scrambled up a pile of logs.
“Call the circus,” Simon said. At his voice, Jaws broke ranks and charged over.
“Morning.” Fiona gave her dogs the release signal.
“Yeah.” She’d done something to her hair, he noticed. Some kind of braiding deal at the sides that merged into one at the back.
Where the hell did she find time to do that stuff ?
“What are you doing up and out this early and playing recess?”
“I have morning classes, including a one-on-one with a behavioral problem.”
She stepped in to him the way she did, kissed him the way she did—light and easy. He liked light and easy well enough, but... He pulled her back in for stronger.
“Off.” She held a hand down to Jaws as he jumped, skimmed the other through Simon’s hair. “Your hair’s still wet. So you found the shower and the coffee.”
“Yeah.” She smelled like spring, he thought, with just a hint of heat. “I’d rather have found you in bed, but I settled.”
“The dogs needed to go out, and since we were up and out, I thought I’d work with Jaws. That was his third round with the obstacle course this morning. He thinks it’s great fun, and he’s picked up several skills. If you want to leave him here today, he can hang with the boys, and I’ll work with him some between classes.”
“Ah...”
“Or if you want him with you, you can just drop by later and we’ll work in a session.”
Stupid, Simon thought, that he’d gotten so used to the dog he’d hesitate over the offer of a day without the responsibility of him.
“Keep him if you want. Any special time I should come back for him?”
“Anytime. Play your cards right and you could get that steak dinner out of it since I know you’ll be back. If I’d known you were coming by yesterday... Why did you come by yesterday?”
“Maybe I wanted sex.”
“Mission accomplished.”
He grinned at her, ran a finger over one of those fancy braids. “The sex and pizza were a bonus. I had a reason, but I lost it with everything.”
“There was a lot of everything. I’m glad you were here, whatever the reason.”
“It’s in the truck. I’ll get it. Here.” He pushed the empty mug into her hand.
“What’s in the truck?”
“The reason.” Jaws grabbed a stick and bounded along with him. “We’re not going for a ride yet.” To keep his legs from being bashed and poked, he took the stick. “Give.” Then tossed it.
The entire pack of dogs gave merry chase.
Simon lowered the tailgate, climbed in and tossed aside a tarp. He muscled the chair out of the truck.
“Oh my God, is that mine? Is that my chair?” Fiona scrambled over as he hauled it to the porch.
She lit up, he thought, as if he’d given her diamonds. “It’s mine. I’m not sitting on that piece of crap when I’m over here.”
“It’s beautiful. Look at the color! It’s, what, Caribbean Vacation, maybe? It’s fun!”
“It works with the house, the trim.” Though he shrugged, her reaction brought him ridiculous pleasure. “It won’t look half bad around you.”
“It’s so smooth.” She ran a hand along the side arm. The minute he set it on the porch she plopped into it. “Oh, and it’s comfortable.” Laughing, she rocked. “An easy ride. So, does it suit me?”
“Yeah, it suits you.” He picked up the old chair.
“What are you going to do with—Oh, Simon!” She winced when he snapped one of the rungs—which also gave him ridiculous pleasure. “Someone could use it.”
“It’s crap.”
“Yes, but, I should at least recycle so—”
He broke off another rung. “There. Recycled crap into kindling. Or”—he tossed it, and sent the dogs into another mad dash—“dog toy.”
He needed to go, he thought. If he was up this early, he ought to be working.
“When’s your first class?”
“The one-on-one’s first. They ought to be here in about a half hour.”
“I’m going to get more coffee. Is there anything around here that resembles breakfast food?”
“Simon, you don’t have to stay. I’m going to be alone here sometimes.”
“I make you a chair and you can’t spare a bowl of cereal?”
She rose, laid her hands on his cheeks. “I have Froot Loops.”
“That’s not a cereal. Frosted Flakes is a cereal.”
“Out of stock. I do have Eggos.”
“Now you’re talking.”
It took a few days, but in the middle of her last afternoon class, Fiona spotted the mid-level American-made car easing down her drive—and thought, The feds.
“Keep working on bringing your dogs to heel. Astrid, you’re hesitating and tensing up. You have to show Roofus you’re pack leader.”
She stepped away from the class, turned to walk to the car. Her own tension eased when she saw the driver get out.
He wore a dark suit over a stocky build, and the flecks of gray in his hair had multiplied since the last time she’d seen him.
“Special Agent Tawney.” Fiona held out both hands. “I’m so glad it’s you.”
“Sorry it has to be anybody, but it’s good to see you. My partner, Special Agent Erin Mantz.”
The woman wore a suit as well, trim over a compact build. Her hair fell in a sleek blond tail, leaving her strong, serious face unframed.
“Ms. Bristow.”
“If you could wait? I have about another fifteen minutes to go. And, no offense, but I’d rather not announce to my clients that the FBI’s on the premises.”
“No problem,” Tawney told her. “We’ll have a seat on the porch, watch the show.”
“I’ll wrap it up as soon as I can.”
Mantz stood where she was for a moment. “She looked pretty happy to see you. Not our usual reception.”
“I was with her after she escaped from Perry. She felt comfortable with me, so I was on her during the trial.”
Mantz studied the terrain, the house, the setup from behind dark glasses. “And here you are again.”
“Yeah, here I am again. Perry’s in this, Erin, there’s not a doubt in my mind. And if there’s one person in this world he hasn’t forgotten, it’s Fiona Bristow.”
Mantz watched, cool-eyed, as Fiona supervised owners and dogs. “Is that what you’re going to tell her?”
“Let’s hope I don’t have to.”
He walked to the porch and, a gentleman to the core, sat on the toy chest to leave the rocker for his partner.
“She’s pretty isolated out here,” Mantz began, then reared back, hands out, when Bogart bopped up to say hello. “Stay back. Go away.”
Tawney patted his knee, inviting Bogart over. “Good dog. What’s the problem, Erin?”
“I don’t like dogs.”
They’d only been partners a few months and were still learning each other’s quirks and rhythms. “What’s not to like?”
“Dog breath, shedding, big, sharp teeth.” Bogart’s tail whapped her legs as Tawney rubbed him. Mantz got to her feet, moved out of range.
Peck sauntered up, glanced at Mantz, got the message. He bumped his nose on Tawney’s knee.
“These must be her dogs. You read her file, didn’t you?” he asked Mantz. “They’re S-and-R dogs. She has three. Trains them, too. She started her own unit out here.”
“You sound like a proud daddy.”
He glanced up, cocking his eyebrows at the edge of sarcasm. “I find her a tough, admirable young woman, one who helpe
d us put a monster in a cell by standing up in court, hanging in, even after her fiancé was murdered.”
“Sorry. Sorry. The dogs make me nervous, and being nervous makes me bitchy. I read Greg Norwood’s file, too. He was a good cop. Came off solid. A little old for her, don’t you think?”
“I’d say that was up to them.”
“Proud and protective daddy.”
“Is that you being nervous and bitchy?”
“Just me observing. Jesus, here comes another one.”
She moved over another foot as Newman trotted onto the porch.
By the time Fiona finished class, her three dogs were sprawled happily at Tawney’s feet, and his partner stood rigidly at the far end of the porch.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Did you make friends with the boys?”
“I did. Agent Mantz doesn’t like dogs.”
“Oh, sorry. I’d have kept them off the porch. Why don’t we go inside? They’ll stay out. Stay out,” she repeated, and opened the front door.
“You’re not fenced,” Mantz observed. “Aren’t you worried they’ll run off ?”
“They’re trained not to go past certain boundaries without me. Please, sit down. Why don’t I make some coffee? I’m nervous,” she said before Tawney could respond. “Even though it’s you, even though I was expecting someone and I’m glad it’s you. I’ll make some coffee and settle down.”
“Coffee’d be good.”
“Is it still coffee regular?”
He smiled. “It still is.”
“Agent Mantz?”
“Same for me, thanks.”
“I’ll just be a minute.”
“Nice place,” Mantz commented when she was alone with her partner. “Tidy. Quiet, if you like quiet. I’d go nuts.”
“Deb and I talk about getting a quiet place in the country when we retire.”