by Paula Graves
After what seemed like hours, the car slowed to a normal speed, and Jesse spoke again, his voice hard and tense. “You can get in the seat now. Buckle up in case we have to make another run for it.”
Slowly, she pushed herself up into the passenger seat, her leg muscles trembling as if she’d been running for miles. With shaking hands, she buckled her seat belt and stared at Jesse’s set profile, her breath coming in short, harsh gasps.
“Are you okay?” he asked without looking away from the road.
“Yeah,” she answered.
He slanted a quick look at her, a hint of amusement in his dark eyes as he took in her state of undress. “You’re rough on clothes, Marsh.”
She managed a shaky laugh that faded quickly as she saw the blood on her arms. “What do you think they’ll do with Mr. Wilson’s body?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. They might dispose of it to get rid of evidence.”
She blinked back tears. “Damn it.”
He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and pushed a speed-dial number. “We’ve got trouble,” he told whoever answered.
Evie laid her head against the headrest and closed her eyes, trying not to give in to a sudden assault of nausea. The last seconds of Alan Wilson’s life played in her head like a skipping record, repeating the horror until she wanted to scream.
She heard the engine downshift, felt the forward motion of Jesse’s car slow and opened her eyes. Jesse had pulled off the main road and headed down a narrow dirt track that seemed to lead right into the middle of the woods. He put the car in Park, killing the engine.
“Do you need to throw up?” he asked flatly.
She looked at him. “No.” She swallowed hard and regained control over her rebellious stomach.
“It’s okay if you do.” He bent toward her, his body brushing hers as he opened the glove compartment and pulled out a small canvas bag. He handed it to her. “It’s a first-aid kit, but there are some wet wipes inside. Clean up—you’ll feel better.”
She found the wipes and cleaned off the sticky evidence of Alan Wilson’s murder. “They’re fearless.”
“I think the word you’re looking for is ruthless.”
“They’re not afraid of the police. They’re not afraid of being caught.”
“They don’t want to be caught. But they’re willing to take chances.”
She struggled with tears, hating herself for her weakness. “We have to stop those sons of bitches. Whatever it takes.”
Jesse turned to face her, reaching out one big hand to cup her chin. He made her look at him. “We will.”
A horrifying thought occurred to her. “What if someone ambushed Rita or my parents?”
“Rick’s following your parents. I just talked to him—they made it to the reception just fine. And Rita was already there, so she’s safe, too.”
“Unless they go after them at the reception.”
“I’m not sure they’ll want to take on that many people at once,” Jesse said. “But I’ve already called in reinforcements to cover the perimeter. Rick’s going to tell your family what’s going on.”
“What happens now?”
His hand lingered a moment, his fingers warm against her jawline. “We’re going to a safe house.”
“We?”
“You and me.”
“Oh.”
He cocked his head. “Is that a problem?”
She shook her head. “No. No problem.”
Except it was. It was a huge problem. It was hard enough getting over her lingering feelings for her boss when she passed him in the hallway at Cooper Security three or four times a week.
How was she supposed to move on with her life stuck in a safe house with him 24/7?
* * *
THE SAFE HOUSE TURNED OUT to be a modest A-frame house on the western shore of Gossamer Lake, miles across the water from Cooper Cove Marina, the marina and fishing camp run by Jesse’s uncle and cousins. “Cooper Security bought it last year through a third party so it can’t be easily traced to us,” Jesse had explained as he led Evie inside.
There were three bedrooms. Jesse let her pick the one she wanted. She selected one of the two corner rooms, a surprisingly large and airy room with pleasant blue walls and simple navy curtains that blocked out the afternoon sunlight, sparing her still-aching eyes.
There was a bathroom at one end of the room, well stocked with plain, soft towels, washcloths, and a selection of soaps and shampoos. She tugged off her bloodstained clothes quickly and took a long, hot shower, trying to scrub out the horrors of the afternoon.
But only the blood washed away.
In the bedroom closet, she found clothes and shoes. Looking through them, she discovered they were mostly women’s clothes, in a variety of sizes ranging from petite to tall. The shoes spanned several sizes as well—apparently Cooper Security liked to cover all its bases.
She found a pair of jeans and a charcoal-gray T-shirt to replace her slip and half a bridesmaid dress. A pair of slip-on sandals replaced the rust-colored pumps that were making her feet hurt. She twisted her hair into a knot at the back of her head, anchoring it with a pencil she found on the writing desk by the bed.
She checked her reflection in the dresser mirror. She looked a wreck, her red-rimmed eyes wide and haunted.
Get control, Marsh. You can handle this.
Taking a deep, bracing breath, she wiped the shell-shocked look from her face and went back to the front room to look for Jesse.
She found him on his cell phone, talking to his brother. “Rick, tell Aaron we’ll both give him a statement as soon as we feel safe, but first, he has to find the shooters. I gave you the description.” Jesse looked up as she entered, his dark-eyed gaze typically inscrutable. Jesse was a cipher. Always had been, even as a young Marine recruit madly in love with a general’s daughter. Evie wasn’t sure Rita had realized just how complicated a man she’d fallen for, but Evie had known all along.
It was one of the most irresistible things about him. Who didn’t love a mystery?
“Make sure her parents and sister know she’s okay,” he said into the phone. “They’ll probably want to see her—”
“And I want to see them,” she said firmly.
He held up one finger, annoying her. She clamped her mouth closed and sat on the sofa opposite his chair.
“Tell them it’s not safe.” Jesse shot her a pointed look. She pressed her lips together more tightly and held her tongue, waiting until he finished with his brother. When he finally hung up the phone, he turned to look at her, preempting her next words. “Your parents will be calling from a secure phone in about twenty minutes.”
“I want to see them, not just talk to them.”
“Evie, someone just tried to kidnap you a second time. We’re damned lucky we’re both still alive.”
She knew he was right, but she didn’t have to like it. “I can’t imagine my father will be happy about this situation.”
Jesse’s eyebrow ticked upward. “I’m sure you’re right.”
“What are you going to tell him when he calls?”
“That you need protection.”
“He’ll want his own people to guard me.”
Jesse’s mouth set in a grim line. “Too bad.”
“Don’t goad him about it.”
“I won’t. But he’s being stubborn. He’s not going to find a security crew better equipped to handle the threat than Cooper Security. We know more about the SSU and AfterAssets than anyone out there. We have an entire section dedicated to bringing them down. He should let us help him protect not just you but the rest of your family, as well.”
“I’m on your side, Jesse. You don’t have to convince me.”
“I know.” His gaze shifted slightly, and she looked down to see that the T-shirt she’d selected was stretched tight across her breasts.
Self-consciously, she crossed her arms in front of her. “I could use some clothes that fit better.”
“I kn
ow. Tell me your size and I’ll have someone do some shopping at the thrift store in Gossamer Ridge for you.” Jesse leaned closer, his gaze narrowed as he searched her face. “Your eyes still look pretty red and swollen. Do they hurt?”
“They’re better.” They weren’t stinging anymore, although the sensitive skin around her eyes felt tender and raw. “The blurry vision has gone away.”
To her surprise, he reached out and touched her cheek. “I’m so sorry about what you’ve been through today. I know it had to be terrifying.”
“I didn’t have time to think about it,” she admitted. “Not then.”
He dropped his hand to cover hers. His palm was warm and dry, driving home how cold her own hands were.
With a look of apology, he said, “I need you to tell me everything you can remember about the last few hours.”
Chapter Four
Evie eased her hands away from Jesse’s grasp and sat up straighter. “You know they grabbed me outside the sanctuary. I told you that, right?”
He nodded. “They put you in that box I saw them carrying.”
“Right. I think it was one of those big cases large audio speakers go in.”
Jesse nodded. “That makes sense. The truck had a logo on the side—Audiovisual Assets.”
“Assets.” The word clicked into focus. “As in AfterAssets?”
He looked surprised. “I hadn’t thought about that. But because we’re pretty sure those guys were former SSU operatives, it makes sense.”
“They definitely gave off the stench of the SSU. All business. I was out of commission and stuck in that box before I had time to think.”
“How did you get out?”
She managed a grin. “I used my earrings to slide through the space between the box and the lid to push the latches open.”
He smiled. “Everybody always underestimates you, don’t they?”
She felt ridiculously pleased at the indirect compliment. “At their peril,” she said with a bright bravado she didn’t quite feel. The full impact of what had happened to her had begun to sink in. Jesse was right—she’d been lucky today. Twice. “How did you know to follow the truck anyway?”
“A hunch,” he admitted. He told her about seeing the silk sticking out of the box. “When I called your phone and got Rita, I couldn’t shake the feeling that you were inside that box.”
She tamped down a shiver. “Thank God for your hunches.”
He got up from his chair and sat beside her on the sofa, sliding his arm around her shoulder. She fought the urge to sink into his arms, acutely aware of the danger that lay behind that desire.
Beyond the fact that he was her boss, he was also about as off-limits as a man came. He’d been her sister’s fiancé, and she was pretty sure he still harbored feelings for Rita that would never go away. She’d already spent her whole life coming in second to her brilliant, beautiful sister. She wasn’t going to do that with Jesse Cooper. It was long past time to let go of her girlhood crush on him.
Jesse’s cell phone rang, giving her an excuse to ease out of his grasp. He looked at the display, frowning a little as he answered. “Hello?”
After a pause, he held out the phone to her. “Your father.”
She took the phone, dismayed at how her hand was shaking. “Daddy?”
Her father’s deep growl rumbled over the phone line. “Kitten, are you okay? Cooper’s brother told me what happened to you.”
“I’m fine.” She blinked back the unexpected tears stinging her eyes. It had been a long time since her father had used his old pet name for her. Their relationship had been difficult for the past few months, ever since she’d told him she was taking the accounting job at Cooper Security. It was good to hear him speak to her without the strain of disapproval.
“You don’t sound fine. What happened exactly?”
She told her father about the ambush, trying to make it sound less scary than it had been at the time. “Jesse helped me get away. I was lucky.”
“You tell Cooper you want to come home.”
“Daddy—”
“I’ll hire extra security.”
“Hire Cooper Security,” she said. “We’re all still in danger. And the security team you’ve hired isn’t capable of dealing with these people.”
“You think I can’t protect you?”
“I know you’d do everything you could. But this is big, Dad. You know that better than any of us.”
He was silent a moment.
“Daddy, please talk to Jesse. Tell him everything you know about the Espera Group. Give him your part of the code to the journal.”
“Evie, none of this concerns you.”
“It all concerns me. They’re trying to use us against you because of what you know.”
“And flapping my jaws about what I know will only make things that much worse. I’m trying to protect you girls and your mama.”
“It’s not working.”
“I know what I’m doing.”
She bit back a retort she knew would only hurt her father. “I do, too. Jesse and the Coopers know what we’re up against. I trust them to protect me. And maybe it’s smarter if we’re not all together in one place.”
“I don’t agree.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
There was a long silence on the phone line between them. She broke it a moment later by asking, “How’s Mom? How are Rita and Andrew?”
“Rita and Andrew just left for the hotel.”
Rita and her new husband were flying to Spain for their honeymoon the next morning, but they’d made plans to spend the night at a hotel in Birmingham. “You should hire Cooper Security to provide them with protection. Spain isn’t unreachable. And the hotel is probably vulnerable.”
“I’m taking care of it,” her father said flatly. “Your mother wants to talk to you.”
After a brief pause, her mother came on the line, her voice tight with tears. “Baby girl, are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” she assured her. “Really.”
“I can’t believe all of this is happening.” Her mother’s voice was dark with dismay. “First Edward Ross, then what happened to the Harlowes and now all this—”
“We’re going to figure it all out,” Evie said firmly.
“Here’s your father again.”
Her father came back on the line. “Let me speak to Cooper.”
Evie held out the phone to Jesse. “He wants to speak to you.”
Jesse took the phone, looking unperturbed. “General.” He listened a moment, glancing at Evie. “I can’t do that, sir.” He hung up the phone.
“Did you hang up on him?”
“He ordered me to take you home to him.”
She arched her eyebrows. “Ordered you?”
“He’s worried about you. And probably feeling guilty about the danger you’re in.” Jesse shot her a considering look. “He should feel guilty. I know he’s trying to protect you all, but he’s going about it the wrong way. I wish he’d let us provide protection for your family.”
“He’s never going to do that. It would be like admitting he was wrong about you, and you know how he hates to admit he’s wrong.” As Jesse started to move toward the sofa where she sat, she pushed to her feet, putting distance between them. She felt vulnerable and needy at the moment, and letting Jesse Cooper anywhere near her when she was in that condition was asking for a disaster. “I think I’d like to lie down awhile. You probably have more calls to make, right?”
His dark eyes narrowed as if he were seeing right past her excuses to discern the motives behind them. She crossed her arms in front of her, feeling suddenly naked.
“Okay,” he said. “Call me if you need me.”
“Will do,” she said over her shoulder as she retreated to the bedroom.
But she wouldn’t call him. Because the last thing she ever intended to do again was need Jesse Cooper.
* * *
THE SAFE HOUSE was eerily silent
, offering no distraction from the maelstrom of images racing through Jesse’s mind. He was a twelve-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, had seen combat on three different continents and had killed more than one enemy soldier during his time in uniform. He’d made peace with what he’d been called upon to do by remembering his sacred duty to protect not only his countrymen at home but his brothers-in-arms fighting in the trenches with him.
So why couldn’t he get the chaotic sounds and images of the recent ambush out of his head?
Because it was Evie Marsh they’d been gunning for.
Jesse rubbed his jaw, his mind fixed on the sight of her pushing open the door of the dead security guard’s SUV and racing through the hail of bullets to reach Jesse’s position. Her blue eyes had been wide and scared, but she’d run without hesitation, trusting him to lay down cover fire to get her safely out of harm’s way.
As vulnerable as she’d looked, barely clad in the ruins of her rust-colored dress with her fancy hairdo falling around her face in a messy cloud, her courage had been a sucker punch right to his gut.
Hearing a door open in the back of the house, his hand went automatically to the pistol holstered at his hip. He relaxed when, a moment later, Evie emerged from the hallway looking soft and sleepy-eyed.
“What time is it?” she asked.
He glanced at his watch. “Around nine forty-five. You slept awhile. You hungry? Not much here except canned stuff, but I could heat up some soup or something.” He’d had soup and crackers for his own dinner.
She shook her head and sat on the sofa beside him, her body radiating warmth. “Any news while I was playing Rip van Winkle?”
“All quiet.”
She pulled her bare feet up to the sofa, tucking her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. “I suppose it was too much to hope they’d nab those guys trying to leave the state.”
“I doubt they’ve tried to leave the state.”
Evie’s gaze slanted up to meet his. “No, they’re not exactly the type to retreat when their mission doesn’t go right the first time, are they?”
“They’re probably already ticked off about losing the Harlowes last month. Especially without getting the general’s part of the code out of any of them. They need a win.” Jesse tried to study Evie’s appearance without her noticing his scrutiny. She looked tired but the swelling and redness around her eyes and nose had gone down considerably. By morning she’d have few signs of her run-in with the pepper spray.