by Kat Mizera
I relied on my gut to stay alive and normally moving this fast with a woman set off all kinds of alarms. With Shannon, the only thing going off was me. I was crazy about her and couldn’t even begin to describe how amazing it was to make love with her. We didn’t just make each other feel good physically; we had a bond I couldn’t adequately describe. There had been no awkward getting-to-know-each-other moments even though we were definitely still getting to know each other. I felt like I’d known her most of her life because her father had bragged about her incessantly when he’d been my CO.
I lay in bed thinking about the beautiful woman in my arms until almost seven and finally decided to meet Chance at the gym. We’d been up late but I rarely slept more than five hours, so I’d let her sleep while I got in a workout. I gently kissed her temple as I slipped out of bed and into the tiny bathroom. If we ever did this again, we definitely needed a suite because not only did we have two twin beds pushed together, the bathroom was small for two people, even a fairly low-maintenance guy like me.
Ten minutes later I was at the gym, running on the treadmill. I was in great shape for a thirty-seven-year-old, but it didn’t come easy. I spent as much time at the gym and training with martial arts and weapons experts as I did working, but it had gotten exhausting. Not that I wanted to let myself go, but it seemed like your late thirties was a good time to start using your brain more than your brawn. I could and did use both, so it wouldn’t be new to me, and that made the decision I was considering making a little easier.
I wasn’t naïve or inexperienced with women. I’d had more than my share over the years, so I knew that while whatever this was with Shannon was special, it might not be forever. We might not be the soulmates we thought we were, and could just as easily go our separate ways as stay together, but my heart and my gut told me otherwise. It felt too right to be wrong, and as cliché as that was, I wanted to do everything in my power to give us a shot. I’d given up on the idea of a wife and kids a long time ago, assuming I’d devote my life to the agency. Instead, I was at a turning point and wanted to go whichever direction would keep me with Shannon.
My phone rang and I was glad I had my Bluetooth device in my ear as I hit the button to answer the call. “Hey, Chains, what’s up?”
“Hey.” He sounded frustrated. “I have to tell you, man, something is jacked up about this whole bloody situation.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s nothing. Since you left town, there’s no one suspicious around her building, no more visits to the apartment, nothing at all. As if whoever it is knows she’s out of town.”
“Which narrows it down because it means it’s someone she knows.”
“But you told her not to tell anyone and the two of you left town quickly.”
“She had to tell her boss and her mother knows.”
“Well, when I tell you it’s quiet on this end, it’s like crickets. We got a fingerprint off the planter that was broken, so maybe we’ll get a hit there, but right now we’ve got nothing.”
“You think her mother had something to do with it?”
“There’s a part of me that does. I did a little digging into her mum, and there are a lot of phone calls to Germany that aren’t to the school or Shannon’s number. One number in particular. I’m waiting for my tech in Vegas to do a reverse search, see if it tells us anything.”
“What’s your gut telling you?”
“Her mum is behind this.”
“Shit.” I shook my head, nodding at Chance as he came in. Noting that I was on the phone he got on the treadmill next to mine without a word.
“All right,” I said to Chains. “Let me know if you get a hit on that number. I’ll see if I can talk to Shannon about her mom some, get a vibe for anything that might be going on. I’d believe it if she hadn’t dragged me into it, but her mom never liked me, so I’m not sure why she’d want to bring me here.”
“Not sure, Ace, but watch your back, yeah? This is giving me the willies.”
“Thanks.” I disconnected and glanced at Chance, who was looking at me questioningly.
“Everything all right?”
“I don’t fucking know.” Blowing out a breath, I told him about Shannon’s stalker and everything we knew so far. I needed to talk this out with someone and I trusted him. “And my buddy who’s running point on this for me thinks her mother is behind it.”
Chance grimaced. “That’s not going to be pretty. Especially not after her story yesterday about how much closer they’ve been since her dad passed.”
“Yeah, and none of this makes any sense.”
“You going to tell her?”
I met his gaze. “You think I should?”
“In my experience, trying to protect them by keeping secrets tends to blow up in your face. So yeah, I’d tell her.”
“Christ.” I picked up speed, wanting to get my heart rate up and maybe burn off a little anxiety because that was a conversation I wasn’t looking forward to.
When I got back to the room, there was a note from Shannon reminding me she had an eight o’clock massage and would meet me for breakfast at nine fifteen. I took a quick shower and got dressed, checked in with Erik, and was about to leave for breakfast when I saw a text from Chains:
Find out who Sandra Barnes is. That’s who the number belongs to.
I frowned but let him know I would.
Chance and Aubrey were coming down the stairs as I was coming up and we went into the restaurant for breakfast together.
“Shannon will be here in a few minutes,” I told them. “She’s getting a massage.”
“You two want some privacy this morning?” Chance asked me.
I shook my head. “I’ll talk to her later, when we’re in Heidelberg.” That’s where we were headed today and I hoped the romantic backdrop of Heidelberg Castle would perhaps soften the blow of what I had to tell her. I was going to take Chance’s advice and tell her about her mother’s phone calls to a woman named Sandra Barnes. That wasn’t a German name, making me think it was someone she worked with.
“Hi.” Shannon leaned over me and dropped a kiss on my lips before sinking into the chair next to me, just as Felix brought out her cappuccino.
“I figured you’d be ready,” Aubrey told her.
“Thank you.” Shannon grinned at her. “So are we off to Heidelberg today?”
“We are.”
Aubrey and Shannon kept up the conversation all through breakfast, and while I kept one arm around the back of her chair, gently stroking her shoulder and neck, I didn’t say much. I didn’t want to ruin the relationship between her and her mother, but it would be really fucked up if her mother was somehow behind this.
When we finished eating, Shannon got up to go get ready and tugged my hand. “We’ll see you guys for the tour!” she said to Chance and Aubrey as she pulled me toward the stairs.
“That was kind of rude,” I chuckled, allowing her to drag me back to our room.
She leaned against the door as soon as it closed behind us, as if to prevent me from leaving. “Okay, spill.”
“What?” I wanted to smile at her ferocity, but opted not to. She knew me better than I thought and while it was kind of cute, the conversation we were about to have wasn’t going to be nice or cute.
“You were quiet and distracted all through breakfast. We haven’t been together long, but I already know you pretty well. Something must have happened back in Cologne, so you might as well tell me.” Her blue eyes burned into mine and I reached out a hand to her. She took it immediately, letting me pull her into my arms.
“This might sound weird, but answer my questions before I tell you why, okay?”
“Okay.” She leaned back, watching my face intently.
“Who is Sandra Barnes?”
“A friend and coworker. She teaches history at the school.”
“Are you good friends?”
“Probably my closest friend in Cologne, but it’s not like we’re
besties or anything. We’re about the same age, both single, and work together, but we probably wouldn’t be friends if not for the proximity.”
“Has she met your mother?”
“Once, the first time my mother came to visit, but it was briefly. I brought her to the school to see where I work and she met a handful of people. Sandra was one of them.”
“Did they hit it off?”
She frowned. “Not that I know of.”
“Your mother calls her. A lot. Can you think of a reason why?”
“She calls her?”
“Chains pulled your mother’s phone records. It’s part of being thorough, since there’s always the chance your mother is being blackmailed or something, so—”
“You don’t have to make excuses. I understand the need to be thorough.” She started tapping her foot. “And you’re telling me my mother calls Sandra regularly?”
“Yes.” I was watching her the way she’d been watching me a minute ago and she didn’t seem upset so much as confused.
“That makes no sense. She’s never mentioned it and…” Her voice trailed off and her eyes sharpened. “You think this has something to do with my stalker.”
I didn’t say anything, waiting to see what her first reaction was to all of this. I’d be furious if it was my father or stepmother, but I didn’t know how she would react. To my surprise, she sank onto the edge of the bed, looked up at me and held up her hands in a somewhat helpless motion.
“You think my mother is somehow behind all of this?”
“I don’t know what to think but Chains said it’s been quiet since we left Cologne, as if your stalker knows you’re away.”
“And the only people who would know that are my mother and some of the people at school, so it has to be one of them. Or Sandra.”
“That’s the most logical conclusion.”
“Well, this fucking sucks.”
Chapter Twenty
Shannon
I was confused. Why would my mother be talking to Sandra or, even worse, get someone to stalk me? It didn’t seem logical at all, despite the evidence. Ace looked uncomfortable and while I longed to tell him it was okay, I wasn’t upset with him, I was. A little. Okay, not really, but why would my mother hire a spy to help me find my stalker if she was the stalker? Or at least the one behind it? Which made him a little suspect as well. Or maybe I was just upset and confused.
“This is ridiculous,” I told him. “We’ve only been gone two days. I mean, the stalker didn’t do something every day, so it makes sense that she’s laying low after breaking in on Saturday.” I wanted so much for him to say I was right. “Right?”
“Babe, I’m not sure what to think either. It feels very contrived all of a sudden, but you have to tell me how far you want me to go. Chains is going to find out exactly what’s going on because this is what we do for a living. If I hadn’t been so concerned about your safety, I’d be there doing what he’s doing, instead of here, protecting you from a threat that seems nonexistent now.”
“Dammit.” I would have started pacing had there been more than three feet in any direction, so I started tapping my foot again instead. “But why? Why would she bring you here to help if she was behind it to begin with?”
“We don’t know anything,” he said gently. “My gut reaction would be for you to call Sandra. Tell her you’re checking in, ask how finals are going, etc. See how she reacts.”
“I’ll do that this afternoon, after finals are over, around three.”
“Okay.” He sank down next to me and wrapped his arms around me. “No matter what’s going on, we’ll figure it out together, okay? I’m not going anywhere.”
“I really hope not,” I whispered sadly. “Because I don’t think I could take that kind of blow if my mother is behind this.”
“I’ll be right here. Promise.”
Heidelberg Castle was beautiful, the ruins majestic amid the overcast skies. Aubrey and I took a million pictures, exchanging cameras so I could take pictures of her and Chance with her camera and she could take pictures of Ace and me with mine. Though I forced myself not to think about my mother or Sandra for a few hours so I could enjoy this amazing time with Ace and our new friends, it was still lurking in my subconscious enough to bother me. I’d confessed what was going on to Chance and Aubrey, so I didn’t have to pretend I didn’t have something on my mind, and Aubrey was sweet enough to find subtle ways of distracting me, like taking dozens of pictures with the guys.
“I’m going to call now,” I told Ace a little after three. We were walking through the city, doing some shopping, and he nodded.
“You want some privacy or would you like me with you?”
“I always want you with me,” I said softly.
He leaned over and kissed me. “I’m right here.”
I took a breath and dialed Sandra’s number. Chance and Aubrey were hovering nearby, offering a little more unspoken support, for which I was eternally grateful.
“Shannon?” Sandra sounded as shocked to hear from me as I’d been to hear she was friends with my mother.
“Hey. I wanted to check in, see how things went with finals and if there were any issues.”
“No.” Her voice was somewhat subdued. “Everything is fine. You left detailed notes and Mrs. Pressman said the exams she’s graded so far have been excellent.”
“Oh, good. I was a little worried. I hated leaving like that.”
“The school is surviving just fine without you.” Her voice was a little edgy and I frowned.
“Why do you sound weird?” I asked her.
“Do I sound weird? I don’t think I do. Why are you checking up on me?”
“Why are you talking to my mother on a regular basis?” I shot back. I hadn’t meant to show my hand so early in the conversation, but she was being bitchy and I wasn’t going to put up with it. I was already on edge and starting to get pissed.
Sandra huffed out a laugh. “Did she tell you that?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yeah, kinda.”
“You know I have money. Did you think I wouldn’t hire someone to figure out what was going on?” I asked in a cold voice, hoping I sounded like I knew more than I did.
“Look, you need to talk to your mom. I was just having a little fun, but I’m out of here anyway. I’m moving back to the U.S. next week. I quit today.” She disconnected and I stood there staring at the phone in disbelief.
“Honey?” Ace reached for me. “Are you okay? What did she say?”
“Shannon?” Aubrey looked worried and Chance was right behind her.
“She…” My voice trailed off. “She said I should talk to my mom. Then she said she quit today and hung up.”
“Oh, lord.” Aubrey’s green eyes were wide.
“Sonofabitch.” Ace looked furious. “Your mother is a piece of work.”
“What can we do?” Chance asked. “Would you want us to go back to Cologne with you? We have a few days…” He glanced at his wife. “Yeah?”
She nodded. “Absolutely. Whatever you need, Shannon.”
I took a deep breath and looked at everyone. “You know what? Fuck both of them. I’m on vacation with the man I’m crazy about and I’m not going to let my mother, or anyone else, spoil that for me. I’m not going to do a damn thing but enjoy the three days we have left. There’s plenty of time to deal with my mother once it’s over.”
“You sure?” Ace looked dubious.
“One hundred percent. My mother isn’t going anywhere and my gut tells me Sandra is going to cut and run without telling her that I know. So why deal with the drama now? It can wait until Saturday. Aren’t we going to Strasbourg tomorrow?”
Aubrey nodded. “We are.”
“Then let’s go back to the boat and get drunk tonight.” I reached for Ace’s hand. “Really, guys. This will keep for three days. Let’s go do something fun.”
“Well.” Chance took Aubrey’s hand as we started to walk. “I can think o
f lots of fun things to do, though not necessarily together. But, hey, I’d be down for something kinky if—”
“You hush!” his wife admonished him, laughing.
We were in Strasbourg the next day, buying cookies at a bakery, when my mother called. I looked at her name flashing on the screen of my phone and declined the call, stuffing it back in my pocket. Ace saw me but didn’t say anything, sticking a warm, buttery macaroon in my mouth instead. They’d just come out of the oven and the woman behind the counter had offered them to us. I wasn’t a big fan of macaroons, but right out of the oven, these were pretty great.
“You okay?” Ace whispered in my ear.
“Yup.” I smiled. “Tomorrow is the last full day of the cruise and Saturday we disembark. She can wait. All of it can wait.”
“Are you sure? You seem kind of sad.”
“I’m doing my best not to think about all that, but obviously something very serious is going on with my mother and if I’m not in danger, you’re going to have to leave soon, so yeah, I’m a little sad.”
“I told you I wouldn’t go anywhere as long as you needed me.”
“Yeah, but that’s not realistic. You have a job, I have a job…” I let my voice fade because I was whining and that wasn’t like me. This thing with my mom had me out of sorts and it really sucked.
“Do I need to take you into an alley and fuck you senseless?” he whispered against the side of my face. “Because you know I will.”
I chuckled. “That might work, but I don’t think I’ll like French jails. Besides, I have shopping to do.”
“There’s been a lot of shopping on this trip,” he pretended to complain as we paid for our cookies and left the shop.
“You can go to a pub and drink while I shop.”
