Is that what he was to her? A distraction?
His own food lost all flavor.
What a hypocrite. Hadn’t he basically implied the same about her just now? If he knew the spark between them couldn’t go anywhere, then kissing her had been pure selfishness, nothing but a pleasant distraction from this massive goatfuck.
“I’m going to the bathroom,” Lindsey said, slipping the backpack straps over her shoulders.
Todd stood. “Wait. I didn’t mean it like that.”
She looked at him. “Yes, you did.”
“Not for whatever reasons you’re thinking. I—”
“Doesn’t matter.” She held up the palm of her hand to stay his words. “I did mean what I said. I’m here for my friend, and I can’t let anything get in the way of that.”
Same. Why was it so hard to remember his purpose when she was around?
She stiffened and her attention shifted to something over his left shoulder.
“What is it?” he asked without turning around.
“Sheriff’s car.”
“Okay, look at me.”
She slowly shifted her gaze in his direction.
“Relax,” he said, a total imposter whose own heart spun like a pinwheel. “If you keep standing there like a frightened rabbit, they’ll know something’s up.”
“Right.” She forcibly dropped her shoulders and gave him a tight smile.
“How about… Can I kiss you?”
“What?” Her head jerked back.
Possibly this wasn’t his best idea. Her entire body had gone rigid, the exact opposite of what he wanted to accomplish. “I just thought…maybe if we look like a carefree couple who’ve known each other for a while, we won’t attract suspicion.”
“Oh.”
He lightly took her hand and she didn’t pull away. Progress. “And, honestly, despite what I said, I’d really like to kiss you again.” More than seemed advisable.
“Oh.” She glanced behind him again and then sighed, her posture easing a bit. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips.
Todd felt that gesture in his groin.
She met his gaze again and said, “Okay.”
Hot diggity. Trying to act natural, he leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers. So soft, so warm, so giving. Irresistible. When they kissed, it triggered some kind of chemical reaction that made him never want to stop.
Step back.
He heeded the warning before he wrapped her in his arms and made a spectacle of them both. “I’ll make my call while you go to the bathroom, and then we can get moving.”
She blinked and managed a forced smile. “Be right back.”
“Careful,” he said under his breath, unable to stop himself.
Her expression darkened, but she turned and walked away, a slight spring in her step as if she truly were on vacation with a lover and enjoying herself.
If only.
Ensuring he was far enough from anyone to be overhead, Todd dialed Kurt.
“Hey, boss,” he said when the man answered, trying to keep his tone light so his bearing would match. “You have a minute?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Got a bit of a problem.” Todd explained the situation, leaving out his growing attraction to Lindsey.
“Jesus.” Kurt was silent for several seconds before releasing a worried sigh. “Okay, for starters, I’ll get Valerie on this crooked sheriff. How else can I help? Do you want me to fly out there? Or send one of the guys?”
Todd’s breath loosened. He’d been with Kurt since the man had opened the doors of Steele Security five years ago. Todd had stuck with him out of loyalty to one of the best men he’d ever known, and the sense of family and team he’d found with the Steele crew after leaving the Air Force. He trusted every one of them to watch his back.
“I don’t think there’s anything y’all can do here right now, but I was hoping you’d know someone who can negotiate our surrender once we find Megan.” Time to play it optimistic. “I have an FBI contact in the Salt Lake City office, but I still want a lawyer before I get in touch.”
Wendy might not be happy to hear from him, but she was the closest thing to an ally he had in law enforcement right now.
“Sure thing. Let me make a few calls.”
“Appreciate it, man.” Todd started to run a hand through his hair and stopped at the feel of the sunscreen residue still stuck to the strands, patting it awkwardly instead. “If something goes wrong—”
“It won’t. We’re going to figure out how to protect you.” Kurt cleared his throat. “But as long as your emergency info is up to date…”
“It is.” The boss knew who to call if Todd were injured or worse, and had a letter for his family in the event of “worse.” At least he’d seen everyone right before leaving for Montana, even if Mom thought he was simply using this trip to work through his anger.
Well, in a roundabout way, wasn’t he?
“You sure you don’t want to turn yourselves in now and let the FBI find Lindsey’s friend?” Kurt asked.
“I’d love nothing more, but I don’t think Megan has that kind of time. We’ve already lost nearly a day. If she dies because we put ourselves first, Lindsey will never forgive herself.” Or Todd.
Kurt went quiet, and he could almost hear his boss—his friend—holding back an admonition about Todd’s own guilty conscience. But, thankfully, Kurt didn’t say it. “Call me anytime. I mean it.”
“I know. Thanks.” Todd squeezed the muscles at the base of his neck. “How’s Jason?”
“Impressing everyone at physical therapy with his rapid recovery.”
Todd smirked. “Or his world-famous abs, more likely.” Jason had been a football player and model in college—before joining the Air Force—and there were people who still remembered him from a long-running underwear ad at least a decade old.
“He’s also wondering why his best friend hasn’t contacted him once.”
Fuck. Todd should be the one learning to walk again. “I sent flowers.”
Kurt wielded the silence like a blade.
“Just tell him I asked, would you? I had some shit to work through even before everything went cattywampus yesterday, but I’m coming back.”
“Valerie mentioned that she’d tracked Pete Lassiter to Montana.”
Todd sighed. He couldn’t even be mad at her for spilling the beans. “And I think he and Megan might be in the same place.”
“Christ. You’re going in with a civilian, without backup. Are you sure that’s wise?”
Definitely not, and they both knew it. Unwise, ill-advised, certainly risky, and the only plan he could come up with that had a chance of finding Megan alive. “Last time I took a backup, I nearly got him killed.”
“And yet he’d do it again. Just like you would for him,” Kurt said, his voice hard and uncompromising. “Would you want him to go off half-cocked on his own like this?”
Shame scorched Todd’s chest. “No.”
To his left, Lindsey emerged from the hallway that led to the little shopping center’s public restroom in new tan pants, a long-sleeved black tee, and hiking boots that actually fit. Tension tightened her mouth, but her stride remained casual. As nervous and upset as she was, she hid it pretty well. If he wasn’t so experienced at reading people—and so attuned to her—he probably wouldn’t have noticed. Unfortunately, he couldn’t not notice her. It was like a little kick to the chest every time.
And if he’d had any doubts about going with her, they fled the minute she emerged into the golden evening sunlight, fresh and beautiful and in need.
“Look,” Todd said, unwilling to get his boss more entrenched in his foolhardy scheme, “I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you when I can. Thanks for your help.”
“Of course.” Kurt almost sounded offended that he might expect anything less. “Take care of yourself, Brennan.”
“Always.”
“Good luck.”
Todd’s heart knocked against h
is ribs as Lindsey reached his table. “Yeah.” He sure as hell hoped there was some of that famed “luck of the Irish” in his blood, because they were damn sure going to need it.
CHAPTER SEVEN
LINDSEY HELD HER breath as she exited the building, but the sheriff’s car had moved on. Still on alert, she approached Todd and tried to decipher his facial expressions as he spoke on the phone. Mostly he looked worried and sad as he ended the call and put the cell into his pants pocket.
“Everything okay?” she asked when she reached the picnic table.
He nodded. “Sure. Kurt’s going to find someone to negotiate for us when the time comes. And he’s going to have Valerie look into JJ.”
“That’s awesome. Thank you.”
Todd shrugged. “I wish I had more to offer.”
Seriously? “If you had more to offer, you’d be Superman.” Or her lover.
Not that she had time to deal with those thoughts right now. And yet, she didn’t have it in her to say no to his kisses, even to protect herself from the inevitable pain when they parted ways.
He was like the super plush blanket you couldn’t stop stroking, the scented candle you couldn’t get enough of, the perfect combination of sunshine and cool ocean breezes that made you want to stay outside all day. Irresistible.
His expression turned hard, his voice flat. “I’m no superhero.”
“No, you’re a flesh-and-blood man who risked his life to save a strange woman despite the danger to yourself. That makes you pretty super, and definitely a hero. At least to me.”
She could feel all of his focus shift to her, sending tingles of awareness and anticipation across her skin.
As if by sheer will, one corner of his mouth kicked up. “Well, now I know you’re strange.”
The tension around them popped like a bubble and the moment to dig deeper into what was bothering him evaporated. She was half resentful, half relieved. Lifting her hands to her ears, she waggled her fingers and stuck out her tongue.
He chuckled. “Exactly.”
Taking a deep breath, she prepared to bring down the mood again. “So, I know we couldn’t report Megan’s kidnapping at the sheriff’s office, but is there a reason we can’t call it in now that we have phones?”
Todd crossed his arms and scanned the picnic area, as he’d been doing pretty much nonstop. “We can try. We’ll have to turn off the phone because once someone on JJ’s crew realizes it was us, they’ll try to track it. Dispatch will also be able to see our location, which means they’ll know where we are, and can probably get our description from someone here pretty easily. It’ll blow my disguise.”
Damn. Lindsey sat down hard on the bench. Why was everything about this so difficult?
“It would be worth the risk,” Todd said, “if we could guarantee an honest sheriff’s response. But if one of JJ’s guys takes the call from dispatch, he can report back that there was no sign of her. And if she’s still alive, it might push them to…take drastic measures.”
“So, basically, it would tip our hand and possibly endanger her more.”
Todd curled his fingers around her hand and squeezed gently. “That’s my take, but I’m willing to give it a try.”
His response warmed her heart, and she shook her head. “No. I think you’re right. The risk is too great.” Talking the situation out with someone who had a different perspective had helped. Why was it so hard to find a man willing to do that without mocking or ignoring her? Was her judgment that poor, or was Todd really that rare?
Or maybe he’d simply turn into a Cruz if they were together long enough. Except that made no sense. He had no motive to pretend her opinion mattered. And thinking back, her former boyfriend had displayed his tendencies early on. She’d just viewed them differently at the time.
In the early stages of her relationship with Cruz, his scorn had come across as teasing, part of their playful banter. Only later did he unleash his cruelty to tear down her self-esteem and gaslight her nonstop.
She gave a mental head shake and stood, gathering her food waste. Enough of that crap. “Ready to get moving?”
Todd nodded, finished off his sandwich in three bites, and tossed his wrapper and cup in the trash. “Let’s do it.”
Keeping an eye out for law enforcement, they crossed the highway and turned south toward the nearest entrance to the trail network they’d identified while waiting for his hair to turn brown. It actually put them closer to the compound, so their hike up should be faster than the hike down. Especially since she was feeling a thousand times better than the day before.
After following the road for about a mile, the side street leading to the trail appeared. Two sheriff’s cars had angled into the parking lot, partially blocking the entrance.
“Act normal.”
Sure, no problem. The minute she focused on her body, her limbs turned jerky and awkward. “We have to get on the trail.”
“We will.” Todd’s unshakeable certainty soothed her nerves a little. “Keep walking as if this wasn’t our destination.”
Her heart pounded. They might be able to pass other hikers without serious scrutiny, but they’d never get through a police checkpoint.
They marched along the narrow path that paralleled the highway until they rounded a bend.
Todd stopped and jerked his head toward the mountain to their left. “How about we head up here?”
She glanced up the steep, forested incline. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not a goat.”
A brief smile crossed his face as he grabbed her hand. “Come on.”
Like she’d say no.
Keeping a line of trees between them and the deputies, Todd forged a trail up the hillside, using tree roots and jagged rocks as toeholds. The route was steep and inconvenient but not as impassable as it had first appeared. A better thigh burn than a stair stepper, but her legs were strong from playing in the sand for twenty years. Score one for volleyball.
“You doing okay?” Todd asked, pausing on a natural shelf to make sure they both drank enough water.
Her ribs and feet ached, and her legs were turning rubbery, but she knew how to push past the pain. Megan was counting on her. “Fine. You?”
“I’d rather be soaking in a hot tub right now, but it beats jail. Or death by cop.”
“When you put it that way…”
“Yeah,” he grimaced, “sorry. My mouth moves faster than my brain sometimes. If you want little white lies to make you feel better, I’m not your man.”
With an unexpected ache, she wanted him to be her man. She just plain wanted him. She wanted to run her fingers through his short hair and dig her fingers into his beard again, slide her hands all over his hard muscles… Gah! It was ridiculous. She’d just met him, and she was probably suffering from whatever that thing was where you form an attachment to your rescuer due to heightened levels of hormones running wild in your system, but knowing that didn’t diminish the attraction.
Good Lord, what was wrong with her? Megan was out there with those assholes—alive was the only option Lindsey would consider—and she had to be Lindsey’s top priority.
“At least I know I’m getting your honest thoughts,” she told Todd. She’d dealt with enough lies and subterfuge this year to last a lifetime.
“Seriously?” He sounded genuinely disbelieving. His raised brows and crossed arms signaled a vulnerability that she hadn’t seen in him before.
“Absolutely. I’d rather know exactly what you’re thinking than try to figure it out.” Especially after Cruz. “It’s why I always preferred the hard-assed coaches to the rah-rah ones. If I was doing well, they told me. If I needed work, they told me. No games, no reading between the lines to figure out what they really wanted.”
“Sounds like dating,” he said, searching her gaze as if he was trying to decide if she was yanking his chain. The dark hair really did change his appearance, but his stunning eyes were the same mesmerizing shade of blue.
“Yeah. I�
��m not great at that either.”
“Maybe you haven’t been out with the right people.” He kept looking at her, his expression solemn but friendly.
Her heart flopped over. In spite of all her intentions, before she could think it through, she planted a quick kiss on his lips. Nothing too hot, or too out of control. Just a simple, warm thank you that both energized her and made her sad.
He stared at her for a minute, and then cleared his throat. “Lindsey—”
“It’s okay.” She stood, cutting him off before he said something to ruin the moment. He was already far nicer than any man she’d ever kissed. How sad was that? Maybe she could enjoy that novelty while it lasted and call it a win. “We should get going.”
He licked his lips and stared at her for another beat before nodding. “Right.”
By the time they reached the top of the hill and cut through to the trail, the setting sun cast a warm glow over the trees and they walked in deep shadows. Her legs burned, and she was warm and sticky despite the cool wind.
“How am I doing as an end-of-the-world pick so far?” he asked after they’d walked a couple miles, stopping to hand her a protein bar.
She smiled and ripped open the makeshift meal. If she had her way, she was never eating one of these again for the rest of her life. But for now, hungry as she was, she devoured it. “No complaints. Especially if you keep feeding me.”
“I’ll work on being nerdier.”
“What makes you think you’re not enough of a dork already?”
She wanted to hoard his easy laughter, make him do it again and again so she could fill her soul with that joy. Oblivious to her inner turmoil, he tucked their empty wrappers into a zippered side pocket on his pack and gestured to her to resume hiking.
The sun had slid behind the mountains, and it was nearly too dark to see the trail when Todd donned a red-lighted headlamp and said, “I’ve been thinking. Why didn’t these guys just kill you?”
“Wow, okay.” There was that brutal directness on full display. But, hadn’t she asked for it? It sure beat her concerns about how easily he’d snowed the cashier earlier.
Blind Trust: A Military Romantic Suspense (Men of Steele Book 6) Page 7
