He reached out to catch her elbow. She whipped around, her gun in her hand and aimed at his chest.
He backed off, holding his empty hands up. “Whoa. I’m not the bad guy here.”
Her lips parted in feigned surprise. “Really? I guess I should give you your gun back then.” She swiveled back to the road, dismissing him as a threat.
“You’re scared,” Lucas called after her.
“You give yourself too much credit,” she tossed over her shoulder.
“Not of me, of going back to New York.”
Max stopped, but didn’t turn around. He noticed her knuckles tighten around the gun's grip. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re a good cop, Max. Cara must have trusted you enough to bring you into her investigation even after you were suspended. I know you didn’t kill her, just like I know that without your help the person who did will get away with it.” The more he said it, the more convinced he sounded.
She turned around and Lucas studied her so intently everything else faded from awareness.
Max’s ice-blue eyes wavered, then hardened. “Forget it,” she snapped and started walking just as the same beige Winnebago rumbled up and pulled to the side of the road.
The same older woman who’d asked for directions earlier rolled down her window. “You two all right?”
No, Max thought, they weren’t all right. The jerk wouldn’t take the hint and get lost. He couldn’t seem to absorb the fact that she wasn’t going anywhere with him.
“You two have an accident?”
Max nodded, resisting the urge to glare at Lucas when she felt him step up beside her. “We hit a moose, but we’re fine. Our truck isn’t going anywhere, though.”
“You guys need a ride?” The woman offered.
“You’re headed for Fundy National aren’t you?” The opposite direction of the border. “You sure you wouldn’t mind dropping me in the next town?”
The woman frowned. “What about your husband?”
“Oh, he’s not—”
“Now, darlin’, let’s not waste any more of these nice peoples’ time.”
Darlin’, was it? Max glared at him. “I thought you were going to wait with the truck, honey.” She spoke through her teeth, subtly motioning to the gun she’d slipped into her bag when the couple had driven up.
His lips parted in such a genuine, breath-stealing smile she almost believed the melting warmth behind it wasn’t an act.
“You know I was just teasing you. I wouldn’t let the love of my life hitchhike all alone, would I? What if something were to happen to you? I’d never forgive myself.”
And the Oscar goes to… Max rolled her eyes. There was no way the older couple could possibly—
Sentimental smiles were glued to their faces and she knew the poor fools were soaking it up.
As Max contemplated her next move, Lucas reached past her and opened the door. “After you.”
She gave serious thought to driving her knee between his legs, but the woman appeared in the open doorway, ushering them inside. Holding her bag in front of her, Max started up the stairs.
“Up you go, muffin,” Lucas said. He followed the sickening sweet tone with a stinging slap across her ass.
The man had a death wish.
The older woman beckoned them inside. “Why don’t you two take a seat? I’m Charlotte and that’s my husband Henry at the wheel.”
When the door closed, Henry maneuvered the vehicle back onto the road and Max sighed in relief. Lucas wouldn’t try anything as long as Charlotte and Henry were close by, especially with his gun tucked safely away in her bag. By sheer luck she’d managed to remove it from his pants before he came to in the truck.
Accepting the woman’s invitation, Max took a seat at the table.
Instead of sitting opposite her, Lucas nudged her. “Scoot down a bit, sweet cheeks.”
Max tipped her face up. “Baby, I think you’d be much more comfortable in the chair.” She clamped her teeth around the inside of her cheek to stop herself from doing something stupid. Like punching his wounded shoulder.
“You know I like to be close to you.”
Feeling the weight of Charlotte’s curious stare, Max had little choice but to scoot over and make room for him beside her.
He pressed up against her, draping an arm across her shoulder. She opened her mouth to tell him where his could shove his freaking arm.
“Would you two like something to drink?” Charlotte asked, cutting Max off. “You know,” she continued. “I’ve got a first-aid kit in the bathroom. You two could use a little bandaging.”
The moment Charlotte moved out of ear shot, Max jerked out of his embrace. His determination to play up this phony relationship unnerved her. But more alarming was the fact that her insides were drawn tighter than a bow. Every move he made warmed her from hip to shoulder.
Ignoring the confusing tightening in her stomach, she glared at him, lowering her voice to a whisper. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I’m not letting you walk away from this.”
“And you think pretending to be my husband is going to stop me?”
“Better they think us lovers than two suspects from yesterday’s shootout.”
Max snorted. “Lovers? Honey, the only thing I’d love to do to you right now—”
“Found it,” Charlotte sang out. The petite woman deposited the white tin in the center of the table. “I’m pretty sure there is a small bottle of rubbing alcohol in there to clean out those nasty little cuts.”
To humor the woman kind enough to give her—them—a ride, Max used the materials inside to clean the scrape on her chin and dab at the blood she tasted on the corner of her mouth.
Of all the injuries Lucas had, he choose to pay particular attention to the small cut she’d inflicted on his neck. If he thought he could guilt her into cooperating, he’d need to get a number and wait in line. There were already people ahead of him who’d been hurt by her determination to nail Blackwater—Sherri, Glen, Cara.
“So are you two on vacation, maybe a honeymoon?” Charlotte asked, that same sappy grin falling into place.
Max shook her head. “No.”
“Yes,” Lucas said at the same time.
Charlotte frowned.
He covered Max’s hand with his own. “What my wife means, is that, this isn’t our first honeymoon.”
The older woman beamed. “So you two renewed your vows? That’s wonderful. It’s so nice to see a couple still so in love. Nowadays married people just don’t spend enough quality time together.”
“Yes, well, it’s the least he could do after cheating on me with his assistant,” Max shot off, giving her a reason to shrug out of his grip. Not that it helped when her skin still felt warm from his touch.
Lucas didn’t recover as quickly as she expected and gawked at her.
Instead of being appalled by Max’s admission, Charlotte slid into the seat across from her and patted her hand. “Oh, dear.”
Lucas flashed a tight smile. “I thought you promised that was behind us, sweetheart? Or did you want me to bring up your indiscretion with your yoga instructor?”
The truck swerved and Max realized Henry was being drawn into their childish game.
“We both know that if you’d admitted your problem,” she glanced pointedly at his groin, “and started taking medication earlier, none of that would have happened.”
Lucas’s mouth fell open.
Max stole a peek at Charlotte who didn’t seem the least bit thrown by the conversation.
The older woman turned her attention to Lucas. “And why do you think it took you so long to admit you had a problem?”
“I’ve never had a problem with…my performance,” Lucas choked out.
Charlotte gave his hand a thoughtful squeeze. “It’s all right, dear. This kind of thing is very normal.” She leaned over the table. “Actually, Henry had some difficulty in that area too.”
> “Sure did,” Henry chimed in. “And I got through it thanks to the support of my wife.” His and Charlotte’s eyes met in the rearview mirror.
For a moment Max envied their close relationship, one she’d become convinced wasn’t in her future. Aside from few men lining up to get involved with a cop who always put her job first, forgetting that she was presently wanted for murder, she wasn’t sure her heart was ready to trust anyone after her last boyfriend, Wade, had used her to advance his career.
Dating Wade had made sense in the beginning since they both understood the job, but as far as reasons to get married went, it fell short. It just shouldn’t have taken Wade breaking things off when he was promoted to make her see that. Adding insult to injury, Wade had also been one of the first to believe she’d been taking bribe money from Blackwater.
She had foolishly believed everyone who knew her would instantly dismiss the possibility she was a dirty cop. Turns out it didn’t matter how many how many lives she’d improved through her job or how many criminals she’d help put away. One seed of doubt planted by Blackwater was all it took to make conversations cease the second she walked into the room at work. “And now our sex life is better than ever,” Henry added, drawing her back into the present.
This time it was Max and Lucas’s eyes that met and held. Somewhere in the intense green depths she swore she glimpsed the same surreal humor she felt at the course their conversation had taken.
“We’re only a couple of miles from the next town. Where about would you like to be dropped off?”
“A gas station would be fine,” Lucas answered.
Charlotte stood up. “I certainly hope you two get back on track. It would be a real shame for such a lovely young couple to drift apart over something like this.”
The amusement vanished from his eyes when he glanced at Max. “It would be a real shame, especially when I need you so much.”
“We’re done talking about it, Lucas.” Ignoring him, Max focused on the scenery sliding past the window.
He leaned toward her, his gravelly voice deep and his breath warm on the back of her neck. “I’m not giving up.”
“I’m going to enjoy shooting you then,” she snapped under her breath, trying to tamp down the rising awareness of exactly how close he was.
Charlotte and Henry dropped them in front of a gas station situated right across from a Tim Hortons. Her mouth salivated at the thought of the steaming coffee she’d become addicted to since she’d been staying with Sherri.
Before she could thank the couple, Charlotte enveloped her in a motherly embrace and told her to be patient with Lucas. Erectile Dysfunction was a challenge she and Lucas needed to overcome together.
Oh, how she wanted to laugh out loud.
She didn’t wait for Lucas, who was still shaking hands with Henry, but thanked the couple and strode across the street for coffee. As she walked, she dug into her bag for change. The first steaming sip would be exactly the jumpstart her brain needed to figure out her next move.
Lucas followed her from the counter to the table. She did her best to pretend he wasn’t there as the hot liquid slid down her throat. She gulped down more than half of it before she acknowledged him.
“You still here?”
“You know I need—”
“My help,” she finished. “I get it, but what you don’t seem to understand is that I don’t care.”
“I thought you and Cara were friends.”
“Cara’s dead,” she snapped. The second the words left her mouth, she wanted to take them back. A cold fist squeezed her heart and she looked down at the table.
“Come on, Max, you were there. You must have seen something.”
Too much. Too fucking much. Nausea swirled in her stomach, and she jerked to her feet.
“Where are you going?”
“Ladies’ room.” Max brushed past him when he stood to block her path, her annoyance level spiking when he followed on her heels.
Outside the door, he leaned against the wall. “I’ll be waiting right here for you.”
A scathing reply perched on the tip of her tongue, but being on the verge of throwing up she only glared at him and rushed inside.
She didn’t wait for the door to shut completely, but darted into one of the stalls. Her stomach heaved as she collapsed over the ceramic bowl. Chills raced across her skin and her hands trembled.
Images whirled through her mind of what some faceless bastard had done to Cara, his back to her as she’d been forced to watch it happen. Christ.
Max heard the door open, knew it was Lucas before he spoke. “You okay?”
Like he cared. “Yeah, fine. I’ll be out in a minute.” Max squeezed her eyes shut when the door closed, wishing she were anywhere but here.
It took a few minutes before she regained control and climbed to her feet. In front of the mirror, she took note of the dark circles under her eyes.
Cara.
Another twist of guilt made her insides wobble. If she hadn’t agreed to help Cara with her investigation maybe she could have stopped it and—
Silencing the pointless train of thought, Max clenched her hands until they stopped shaking. Was Lucas on the level? Was he really Cara’s brother?
For the last half hour she’d wracked her brain, trying to remember anything Cara had mentioned about her brother, but she continued to come up with nothing. She was sure Cara had mentioned him frequently, but the details were fuzzy with time, even his name.
Did he really just want to see his sister’s killer brought to justice? Or did he have another motive? Either way it meant nothing to her. She was on her own—no one else could get hurt that way.
And then there was Sherri. Max still hadn’t called her. Had she told the police Max’s name, or shown them a picture? It would make it more difficult to move around if the RCMP was keeping an eye out for her.
The door burst open, a thousand pounds of teenage girls swallowing the small space with their high-pitched voices and ear piercing giggles.
It took Max only a few seconds to realize these girls were her ticket to get free and clear of Lucas.
“How’s the fishing?”
Lucas froze at the sound of Joe Lassiter’s voice on the other end of Tess’s phone. “Not too bad.”
“Any bites?”
Was he still talking about fishing, or had Tess changed her mind about keeping Joe out of the loop? “Here and there,” he answered vaguely.
If Joe was still unaware of the situation, Lucas wasn’t about to fill him in until he had Max cooperating. There was little point in getting Joe’s hopes up if she somehow managed to ditch him.
“How are you doing, really?”
“Surprisingly, ready to get back to work.” He eyed the bathroom door, wondering how Max was holding up. Either she’d been more shaken up by their accident than she let on, or the mention of Cara had upset her.
“I should have something for you and Eli in another few days,” Joe said.
“Great.”
“I’m glad you took some time, Luc.” Joe lowered his voice. “I know I’ve said it before, but no one blames you. And even Caleb has been asking where you disappeared to.”
Lucas leaned against the wall to let a group of girls pass him. “The same Caleb who rarely speaks to me at all and when he does only uses one or two syllables at a time?”
“When you actually stay in the room long enough for anyone to talk to you, you mean?” Joe sighed. “Caleb’s coming around.”
“Yeah, maybe I’ll have him up to a full sentence or two by the end of the year.”
“She’d be pissed at the two of you, you know.”
He blew out a breath, imagining just how furious Cara would be. “I know.”
“I’ll see you back here in a day or two.” Joe hung up, and Lucas slid his phone into his pocket.
He heard the door open and looked up just as a dozen hysterical females pounced on him.
Jesus.
He
had just enough time to brace himself before the girls surrounded him.
“Can I have your autograph?”
“Me too.”
A third girl yanked down her shirt. “You can sign me right here.” She pointed to her cleavage.
He whipped around, swearing that one of them had just grabbed his ass. Had they all skipped breakfast this morning or something, or were they high?
“Hey!” he snapped at whoever at pinched his ass a second time. “I think you have me confused with someone else.”
Two of the girls shook their heads. One of them, a short blonde with wide brown eyes and braces said, “We know who you are, the lady in the bathroom already told us.”
“What lady…?” Max. Damn it.
Taking an opening, he slipped past the shortest two and checked the ladies room.
Empty.
She must have slipped right by him when the girls had surrounded him.
“Let me by,” he insisted turning around to squeeze past his entourage. As a group, the girls pressed in closer, backing him against the wall.
This was not happening. Not the Viagra conversation with Henry or the worshipful looks on the teenage faces in front of him. And not Max slipping away on him. Again.
If he had a prayer of catching up to her, he needed to go. Now.
Without knocking any of the girls over—barely—he pushed his way free and ran out to the parking lot. He scanned the surrounding area. No pink sweater in sight.
Fuck.
In one direction, he took note of a car dealership, a gas station and a hole in the wall tourist bureau. In the other, a pizza place, a book store and a strip mall. Both sidewalks in either direction were empty.
Which way had she gone?
A bark of laughter caught his attention. Pivoting on his heel, Lucas saw two men leaning against a dark green SUV, sipping coffee.
“I don’t suppose one of you guys saw a woman walk by a few seconds ago. Pink sweater, black hair?” Lethal determination.
“Great rack?” One of them joked.
Lucas ground his jaw, not in the mood to screw around. “So you saw her?”
“Yeah, she headed that way.” The taller one vaguely motioned in the direction of the strip mall.
Trust Me: The Lassiter Group, Book 1 Page 7