As if he heard what she was thinking, Brick's eyes flew open. She jumped.
“What are you doing here?” she said to cover her embarrassment.
“I found your extra key. You should know better than to leave a key outside where anyone could find it.”
“I didn't ask you how you opened the door. I want to know why you’re following me.”
He sat up, reached into his pocket and pulled out the extra key. “Put it somewhere safe.”
“Stop ignoring my questions. Why are you here? I haven’t seen you for five years and suddenly you show up on my door step twice. What’s going on?”
His lips formed a firm thin line and anger flickered in his eyes. For the first time since he came back, she was afraid of him. He wasn't the same amiable guy she’d known years earlier. Turbulent undercurrents beat beneath his calm exterior. But right now that made him just the man she needed, the one strong enough to help her. Even so, she stepped back.
Better change the subject. She cleared her throat. “I was on my way to make coffee. Would you like a cup?”
“Sure.”
Their eyes caught and something passed between them, a spark. It sent a potent and enticing sensation through her. She remembered the crush she’d had on him when she was sixteen. What a fool she had made of herself then, kissing him and telling him she loved him. She hoped he didn’t remember.
“I’ll see what I can find for breakfast. Give me a few minutes.”
“I'll help.” He started to get up.
“No you don't. You took care of me yesterday. It's my turn. I'll call you when breakfast is ready.”
He smiled and leaned back against the sofa's pillows.
Glad for the opportunity to get away from the heated tension spiraling between them, she ran out of the room.
In the kitchen, she scanned the room. The knotty pine walls had the aroma of the many spices used over the years. They blended into a fragrance that couldn't be manufactured. She was a little girl again in her grandparent's house. It was easy to ignore the rest of the world. She was safe. All was well.
At the kitchen table she watched Brick push his empty breakfast plate away. “Thanks for the pancakes. It was just what I needed.” He looked up from his empty plate. “Always liked this old place. Your granddad built it, right?”
“Yeah.” She knew he was making small talk to put her at ease. The least she could do was hold-up her end of the conversation. If she pressed for reasons for him being there, if she angered him, he might leave and she’d be alone again. She shivered at the thought.
“My mom's dad built it. He loved this place and was always working on it. The cabin needs repairs now, but I'm not handy.” She shrugged. “Guess I’ll have to learn.”
“It’d be a joy to work on a house like this. I could put it back in shape in no time.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t like that Carrie doesn’t know what’s happened to you. She could be in danger too. Why don't you phone her again?”
***
Brick watched the sway of Kelly’s hips as she left the room. He couldn't believe how sexy she was in the morning, barefoot, hair disheveled and smelling of soap and pancakes. At breakfast seeing her lick strawberry preserves from her lips, had almost driven him crazy.
It had taken all his strength of will not to take her in his arms and kiss her lips clean. A hunger and a thirst for Kelly spread through him. He shook his head. It was a hunger that couldn’t be filled and a thirst that would never be quenched. If he touched her the only thing she could do for him was make him lose his FBI career.
Back in the great room, he retrieved his backpack and checked the cell. The battery still held a charge. Time to call his boss, he sat in a leather wingback chair, rubbed his painful right knee and listened to the phone ring.
“Yeah.”
“Hey Don, got anything for me?”
“Hey Brick, the intruders were a two man wrecking crew at the girls’ place.”
Brick's muscles tightened and his anger flared when he thought of what the men had done to Kelly.
“They were pros,” Don added. “They didn't leave anything, no prints, nada. Oh maybe a couple of hairs. The clean-up crew vacuumed and I'll see what they can find. But unless you have DNA you want tested, finding the men who did this isn’t looking good.”
“Did you get anything on the car's license number?” He sat up. “Kelly said it was a brown van.”
“According to DMV records, that license plate belongs to a red Toyota sedan from Merced.”
“Damn. The plates were obviously stolen.”
“Looks like it. Anything on your end?” Don asked.
“Nothing yet.” Brick ran his hand over the stubble on his chin and pushed down the annoyance that flared at learning about the license plate. “If I hear anything useful I'll give you a call.”
“I'm depending on it.”
The phone went dead in his hand.
Shit. It wouldn’t hurt Don to say good bye just once.
Taking a business card out of his wallet, he dialed a company that discreetly took care of houses in need of “special” cleaning. They’d put Kelly’s home back in order and save anything that could be salvaged. It wasn't much, but when this was over and he left her, it was one thing she wouldn't have to do.
Her scent permeated the cabin, making it difficult to focus on anything but her. A vision of her with disheveled hair and pouting lips heated his blood. The cabin was closing in on him. He paced the room. A workout good would ease his tension. There was no gym in site and after sitting in the cramped car all night his sore knee wasn't up to jogging.
A brisk walk around the perimeter of the property would have to do. The Sierra Mountain air would cleanse his blood and clear his mind, so he could concentrate on protecting Kelly.
He left the cabin, locking the front door behind him. No coat needed, the cold mountain air would do him good.
***
From her grandparent's bedroom, Kelly called her sister’s cell phone and heard the familiar voice mail message again. Might as well leave another message. “Carrie, I know you’re busy working, but it’s important I talk to you, very important. Call me.”
Damn. If everything was okay, she should’ve heard from Carrie by now. Maybe her sister was just pissed at her. Sisters were supposed to be close. They weren’t. Still, Carrie would have called unless—don’t go there.
She grimaced. Ever since their parents’ death, she and Carrie had been at odds. As a teenager she’d rebelled against her older sister’s authority. Even though that was years ago, their relationship still hadn’t recovered. Now for the first time, she realized Carrie hadn’t been much older than a teenager when the death of their parents in an airliner crash had cast Carrie in the role of stern parent and Kelly in the role of rebellious teen, roles neither had wanted to play.
Again she prayed Carrie was safe.
The vacation at the cabin had been arranged in the hope that relaxing together and sharing some fun could help their rapport and bring them closer together. She sighed. At this point, she just wanted sister to be all right.
The sooner she got the flash drive from its hiding place and turned it over to Agent Simmons, the sooner she and her sister could get their lives’ back. When Ted Simmons had it there’d be no reason for anyone to hurt her or Carrie.
At first she’d resisted the idea of helping Agent Simmons and thought he was crazy. But he’d presented his ID, undeniable proof of his affiliation with the Bureau. She told him she wasn’t a thief. Ted had countered saying that it was Johnny who had stolen it. And because it was for the good of the nation, getting it back it wasn’t stealing.
How could she say no to the US government when it needed her help? Thousands of innocent people could be hurt if she didn’t cooperate. She’d be a traitor if she said no.
She should’ve asked what was on the flash drive, demanded answers. But he’d said it was safer if she didn’t. Damn. She was such a naive little fo
ol.
If she wasn’t a fool, she wouldn’t have dated Johnny Vega in the first place. A price had to be paid for her stupidity. She just didn’t want Carrie to pay it.
What would her sister do when she saw their home in a shambles? Memories of the men ransacking her home sent tension down Kelly’s spine.
The harsh features of the man driving the Cadillac on Donner Summit came to mind. Something in her memory was trying to get out. Had she seen him before? There was something familiar about him. She knew the man's face. Chilled, she ran out of the room and down the staircase.
The kitchen and great room were empty. Movement outside the front window caught her eye. She ran out of the house and down the snow-covered driveway.
“Brick, I remembered something.” She jogged to meet him at the end of the driveway.
“Where are your shoes? There's snow on the ground.”
She came to a sudden stop and looked down at her pink polished nails peeking through the slush. “I was in a hurry. I didn’t think.”
“That’s your problem you act before you think.”
Annoyed, she concentrated on slowing her breathing. “I wanted to tell you something.”
“You'll get frostbite. Tell me when we’re back in the house.”
Her breath caught when he picked her up and held her to him, his body’s heat a counterpoint to the freezing air. With ease he carried her up the driveway through the open front door and then kicked the front door closed.
In the kitchen, he deposited her in the Windsor chair at the table. He yanked a terry dish cloth from the towel bar and tossed it to her. “Dry your feet.”
“Don't ever pick me up like that again. I don’t appreciate being treated like a child.”
“Then don’t act like one.” His blue eyes flashed cold as the weather. He turned his back on her.
She swallowed a retort. No point in arguing with him when she needed his help.
He spun around to face her. “Tell me what you remembered.”
“What?”
“You had something to tell me.”
She hesitated and then told him about the Cadillac that almost hit her car and the man who’d promised to kill her.
“At first I thought it was just road rage. But now that I’ve have had time to think about it, I realize the driver is a relative of Johnny Vega. His uncle I think. More than a year ago I met him at one of Johnny’s parties. I didn’t pay attention to him then. I only talked to him for a moment. He was nice enough to me.” She shrugged. “He must have been looking for me yesterday and he damn near ran me off the pass.”
“You should’ve told me sooner. This puts a new complexion on things. I need to know things as soon as you know them. Don’t you get that your life’s in danger? I came here to protect you? You could’ve been killed while I was sitting on my ass waiting for you.” He stood quickly and knocked over his chair, picked it up and paced the kitchen.
“I shouldn’t have let you go alone.” He frowned. “That’s the second time in the last couple of days you might have died. You better get real. Tell everything you know. Now.”
Denial had been her best friend until this moment. She hadn’t believed she could die. Now she did.
With her mouth open to speak, she remembered Agent Ted Simmons warning to trust only him. The FBI had been infiltrated and even Ted didn’t know who he could trust.
“Kelly, what do you know?”
“Brick...”
His eyes stared at her with such intensity it shredded her confidence. She turned and left the room.
In her grandparent’s bedroom, she lay on the bed. Her headache was back, pounding mercilessly over her right eye. She closed her eyes.
***
Brick watched Kelly run from the kitchen. He shouldn't have yelled at her. She'd been through enough. The last thing she needed was another man pushing her around. Damn stupid of you.
If he was going to keep her safe, he needed to stay cool, stay in control and keep his personal emotions under wraps. But just now, she’d scared the hell out of him. She could be dead on Donner Summit. It was just sheer luck she’d survived.
Old feelings gnawed at him. Five years ago he’d promised never to let another woman be killed on his watch. The face of Annie, a young government witness he was unable to protect broke through his memory, her vacant eyes staring at him.
The wind whistled outside the kitchen window. He glanced toward the snow on Donner summit. The mountain could have been Kelly’s burial ground. Fear gripped him. From now on, whatever else happened, he wouldn’t fail her.
“I just remembered something.”
He glanced up to see her standing in the doorway. Looking frail, she sagged against the door frame.
He fought the urge to comfort her. He needed to fold her in his arms. But it didn’t matter what he needed.
Maybe he should tell her nothing would happen to her. No. What good were his promises? He’d vowed to protect Annie and she’d been murdered in front of his eyes. The memory sent a shard of pain running through him.
“Brick.”
He yanked his mind to the present. “What do you remember?”
“I have five days to live. If I haven’t given the intruders what they want by then, I'm dead.” She choked. “They'll find me, wherever I am, and kill me.”
Chapter Seven
Kelly collapsed onto a kitchen chair. “I don't know why I didn't remember sooner. A moment ago the whole scene played in front of my eyes. I saw the intruder. I heard him threaten me. It was as if he was in the room with me.” She trembled and held on to the table as if it could stop her shaking.
Brick's body went cold. Heat replaced his cold anger as hot fury spiraled in him. “It’s okay. When people have a trauma it's easier for the mind to absorb events if the details come back slowly, a little at a time.”
He ached to console her. He ached to caress her. He ached to tell her he’d kill before he let anyone hurt her again. But in the long run it wouldn't help her and it sure couldn’t help his career. It’d only make the future, when they parted, harder.
“I shouldn’t have yelled at you. Sometimes I'm an insensitive boob,” he said.
Their eyes locked and for the first time she smiled. “Insensitive boobs are people too.”
He laughed out loud. Even under hellish circumstances she had a sense of humor.
“I could take you to a safe house. You could stay there until I locate Johnny Vega and the men who attacked you.”
“I can’t.” She pushed her hair out of her eyes and leaned forward in the chair. “Carrie is still out there alone. Going to a safe house won’t protect her. And I have something else I’ve got to do. I have to go to Reno. You can come with me if you want to, but with or without you I’m going.” She stared and he saw her raw determination.
He could force her into a safe house. Drag her there by her hair if needed. Instead, he said, “Okay, let’s go to Reno.”
***
Hard to believe there’d been in a snowstorm yesterday. Kelly leaned back in Brick’s passenger seat. The Volvo’s plush leather was comfortable and the sun filtered through the closed car windows, heating the interior. For the first time in hours she felt warm. Tension melted from her muscles as her body relaxed.
With a serious expression he stared at the road ahead. His powerful hands squeezed the steering wheel so tightly she feared it might crack. His well-honed muscles were taught. She sensed his tension. It filled the car's interior. He glanced at her and she was chilled by the fierceness in his eyes. She turned away from him.
He must have other responsibilities that needed his attention. Why was he still with her? What was he thinking? He probably had a family waiting for him. For all she knew he was married and had children. It’d been almost five years since she’d seen him. There’d certainly been enough time for him to have a big family.
She pictured him with another woman. A wave of envy toward the unknown woman shocked her. There was no
wedding ring on his ring finger. Still, many married men didn't wear a wedding band.
Maybe he was just angry at her for keeping his from his family. Stop. His personal life was none of her business. She must remember that. He was with her now, offering protection. After the ransacking of her house and her scare on Donner Pass, she needed him. Grateful for his help, she’d take it for as long as it was offered. But she had to keep in mind not to pry into his private life.
She took a quick deep breath and watched the mountain’s scenery rush by.
They stopped at a truck stop on the outskirts of Reno. With his smart phone, she looked up the address of a wig shop.
Forty-five minutes later, she was a brunette. She pulled at the straight brown hair that ended just below her chin. Even though the wig was too dark for her pale skin, she definitely didn't look like the blonde she saw in the mirror every morning.
“I want to go to my dorm room, south campus, Juniper Hall.”
“That might be the first place the intruders would to look for you.”
“They don’t know about the place. I haven’t been there in months. Not since I first met Johnny. I left something. I need it.”
Brick grunted, then drove toward the campus.
Her roommate Amanda answered the door, maroon hair, multi pierced ears, and a nose ring glistening in the sun. Her nails were painted black and so were her lips. A spider web with a Monarch Butterfly trapped in it was tattooed on her upper right arm. She was dressed in a black ball gown as a woman might dress if she were waiting to appear in a punk rock video. Kelly smiled at the surprised look on Brick face when he saw her. To his credit, he didn’t say anything. He waited at the open front door.
“Kelly is that you? What’s up with the wig?”
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later. I’m kind of in a hurry.”
“Whatever.” Amanda shrugged.
In her old room Kelly watched dust bunnies run over forgotten books. An unmade bed sat waiting against the wall.
Shattered Rules Page 5