Her Unlikely Protector

by Regan Black

  He waited until she dozed off before he stepped into the hallway to start making arrangements. His course decided, the pieces seemed to fall into place. On the phone with his boss, they quickly came to terms about splitting his time with his department and training up his replacement. Now all he had to do was find work here in Philly. To his surprise, his boss had ideas about that, too.

  He might have called it fate but the most essential piece of the puzzle was Aubrey. There was no guarantee she’d come around even once he completed the relocation.

  He hoped, when he reached out to her as a new resident of the city she loved so much, she’d willingly make room in her life for him, too.

  * * *

  Aubrey didn’t expect to miss Leo so much, especially not when it had been her choice to walk away. Somehow, she’d let another man slip through her practical and smart defenses and get close enough to hurt her.

  Yes, Leo was different. The pain was her fault. That was the problem.

  She’d spent the first forty-eight hours since leaving him reminding herself that he wasn’t her type. Too polished, too handsome, and too willing to bend the rules to save someone he loved. His sister. Her.

  He loved her and she’d kept quiet, even after promising herself she’d speak up. He must hate her now. She sure hated herself. She’d used the internet to get a street view of his house in Cincinnati. She’d even looked at job openings within the local police department. And then she’d pulled a pint of ice cream out of her freezer to ease the burn of turning down the best man she’d had the pleasure of meeting.

  When she finally did get back on the roll, she’d been surprised by the support of her fellow officers. No one had bought in to the conduct unbecoming nonsense, especially not when the “evidence” of her supposed indiscretions amounted to her helping a clearly incapacitated man to his hotel and later sharing a meal with him. Hulbert, she was sure, was behind that information leak. Every day she wanted to hug him for it.

  During her first shift back, Calvin filled her in on what she’d missed. The shooter had given up the real names of the men they’d found clearing the camp on Thirty-Third Street. Those arrests led the police to the thug who’d followed Lara and been present when Aubrey had been suspended. Mr. Nameless had been hired by Councilman Keller to get rid of Lara because her research threatened to expose him as the actual owner behind the development company.

  Aubrey had been as shocked by Keller’s abuse of power and criminal actions as everyone else in the city.

  The media had picked up the story and uncovered Professor Whitten’s arrangement to send a student undercover to expose the plight of the city’s homeless population. He was now facing a peer review, among other problems. Aubrey suspected Grant was behind that, though she couldn’t bring herself to ask him to confirm those rumors. The professor had made egregious errors in how he’d handled the entire situation and deserved all the embarrassment and unpleasant consequences the school and police could throw at him.

  Beyond her immense gratitude, she still hadn’t figured out how she felt about needing Grant’s connections and assistance to wrap up the whole mess.

  Walking the neighborhood with Calvin only reminded her of Leo. She thought she saw him everywhere. It was pathetic and frustrating and why didn’t she call him already?

  Pride. Pride and cowardice. She’d seen the flare of pain in his eyes when she refused his invitation to visit Cincinnati. So she worked her shifts at the precinct and with Rosie at the soup kitchen. She’d even coordinated with Grant, following Lara’s example, and they were developing a better jobs network for people in need. She worked until she could drop into bed and not dream about Leo. Maybe, with time, losing him would stop hurting.

  Before Leo, she never would have asked Grant for any kind of help. The former cop was far more than an outlier with an ego and even after days of rehashing the scene and reviewing the reports, she couldn’t see how they would’ve rescued Lara without his help.

  Leo’s fault, she thought, grasping for some anger. Anything to mute the aching loss wedged deep in her chest. Love sucked. Loving him sucked. He had the power to wound her more deeply than any criminal. And she’d handed over that power willingly.

  At the end of her shift, she opened her locker and the rose-colored glasses inside the door mocked her. It was high time to get real. Maybe crushing those glasses would give her some perspective. Some spine. Some peace.

  A week of nights in an empty bed and an emptier apartment sure hadn’t done it.

  She left the glasses where they were and slammed the door closed. Locked it. Battling back another surge of tears, she waved to Hulbert on her way out of the building.

  “Hold up,” Hulbert said. “Got a message for you.” He handed her the small square of paper.

  She frowned at the number as she entered it into her phone. The call rang and rang until at last a woman answered.

  “Officer Rawlins, of the Philadelphia Police Department, returning your call.”

  “Hey, Aubrey, this is Lara.”

  Aubrey sagged against the wall. “How are you?”

  “I’m better than new,” she said. “I’m here in town and Grant and I were hoping you might have time to talk after your shift.”

  “Talk?” Aubrey echoed, butterflies racing to the flight line, ready for takeoff. Leo had once vowed not to let Lara out of his sight. If she was in town, was Leo with her? Could she have a second chance with him?

  “I was hoping we could work together,” Lara began, “to document some of the measures that are working and...”

  Aubrey tried to listen, but her focus was shot as she kept hoping for a mention of Leo. Should she ask? Of course she’d work with Lara to help the homeless community. Teaming up with Leo’s sister would be painful as hell, though. At first. The pain of missing him, of missing her chance, would dull with time, right?

  “Aubrey? You there?”

  “Hmm? Yes, I’d love to hear more. Whatever I can do to help.” She hoped that was a reasonable response, seeing how she hadn’t registered anything Lara might have said about a plan.

  “See you at seven at the Escape Club, okay?”

  “Sure.” Grateful for the time cue, Aubrey replaced the receiver, fairly sure Lara knew how much she hadn’t heard. Embarrassing, but what was forlorn distraction between two people who’d been shot together?

  What could be better than another meeting with Grant at his club? It hadn’t officially reopened, but they must be close to ready. She walked home, her thoughts and stomach churning in opposing patterns. She changed out of her uniform, choosing dark jeans and a sapphire turtleneck. Tugging on ankle boots in deference to the inch of snow that fell last night, she grabbed her polar fleece PPD jacket and went outside to meet the car service she’d called.

  She confirmed the address with the driver and spent the ride sorting out the best way to ask about Leo without looking like she was asking about Leo.

  When she arrived, she stood and just stared at the club. The construction equipment and debris were gone and the new sign was up and lit, though the inside remained dark. Walking to the door, she saw the posters announcing the grand reopening next week. Good for Grant and his team, and the community, she thought.

  She opened the door and a light came on over the dance floor. In the center of the glow, she saw a familiar figure.

  Leo.

  Her heart leaped, banging against her rib cage. “Leo?” Was he really here?

  “Aubrey.”

  He sounded real. He looked real as he walked over. And his hand, wrapping around hers, felt as real and right as ever. Oh, she’d missed him. She didn’t know what to do, so she followed like a lost lamb as he led her toward the table. “What’s going on?”

  “We’re having a date.”

  “I was supposed to meet Lara.” He tensed up and she wished she could reel the w
ords back in. “She was in on it,” she said as the pieces clicked.

  “She was,” he confirmed, though her remark hadn’t been a question. “She’s a good sister.”

  The inside of the club looked better than new. The famous bar had been restored with care, the tables and booths arranged around an expansive dance floor and wide stage.

  In the center of the space, under that soft light, one table was set for two people, complete with a white tablecloth, a pair of lit candles flanking a small arrangement of deep red tea roses.

  “It seems bigger.”

  “It might be,” Leo said.

  He pulled out her chair and soft instrumental music floated through the air. “Who else is here?”

  “No one. This is just for us.”

  Time alone, just the two of them. Guilt prickled the back of her neck over her refusal, her fear of telling him how she’d felt. How she still felt. “Leo, I...” The words he deserved to hear failed her again. “I don’t know if I can do this.” Not if he was going to leave again.

  “I haven’t asked you to do anything,” he said. “Let’s enjoy ourselves.” He lifted the cover from a platter to reveal a selection of crackers, cheese and stuffed mushrooms. “Your favorite, right?”

  She nodded, her throat too dry to speak.

  “I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you, too.” What an understatement. She pulled herself together. This was Leo, a man she admired and trusted. Brother of the woman she hoped to work with to create a real change in the city. “How is Cincinnati? You must have been relieved to be home.”

  “It isn’t Philly,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes. “And it isn’t home anymore.”

  She set down her water glass as his statement registered. “What are you saying?”

  “Lara is determined to stay here for her degree and to finish what she started. I don’t expect she’ll call Cincinnati home again. So here I am.”

  “Here you are,” she repeated, stunned. “What does that mean?”

  “I moved. Here to Philly. We bought a house.”

  “You didn’t.” But of course he had—for Lara.

  “I’m working an inside line on a potential new job, too.”

  She was happy for him. Truly. “Much to celebrate.”

  “It pales.”

  “Pardon me?”

  “The new city, new house and eventually a new job, all pales in comparison. That’s just a way to stay close to my sister. It’s not a life.”

  “Then what is?” She hoped he knew, because good work, friends and great ice cream weren’t making the grade for her anymore.

  “Love. Companionship, affection, laughter. Those things make the rest of the necessities shine. Those things make a life full, Aubrey.”

  This was her chance to tell him she loved him, too, to ask him to look at her with the love and all the rest he’d said.

  “Leo—”

  He cut her off, shifting his focus and lifting the chafing dish at the serving cart next to the table. The savory aroma lifted on a billow of steam. Cincinnati chili, she realized. The laughter bubbled up and out of her, a sweet release for all the pressure she’d carried this past week.

  “I conned the secret recipe out of a friend and one of Grant’s guys made it for us.” He loaded her plate, and his, and resumed his seat.

  It smelled delicious, but she was too afraid to eat, with those butterflies back at the flight line, wings humming and ready.

  “Leo, you once said you loved me.”

  “I did.” He met her gaze and she saw the love in his eyes.

  “It scared me,” she admitted. “What I thought it would mean. Being loved.”

  “Could you elaborate?”

  She had to, didn’t she? If she got the words out, he might be able to help her put them in the right order. “I didn’t want to lose myself, my goals in a relationship. I didn’t want long distance hassles or resentments. And I was a coward not to say I loved you, no matter how much time we did or didn’t have together.”

  He stirred his chili while the silence grew heavier. “I’m here,” he said at last. “I want you to stay you. That’s why I moved here. To give us the best possible chance.”

  “Now you’ve changed everything for me and I’m only...”

  “Do you love me?” he asked with such gentle vulnerability she felt her heart tremble.

  She nodded. “I do. I love you, Leo.” The words slipped out effortlessly, bringing all the rest along with them. “I probably started falling somewhere around the second time you rapped your head against the wall in the soup kitchen that first day. I love who you are, how committed you are to Lara and helping her.”

  “I’m here for you,” he said.

  She wished he’d reach out and touch her again, but it was long past time for her to make the first move. He’d uprooted a life he’d built to be here. For his sister, sure, but for himself. For her. For all of them. “You want a family.”

  “I do.”

  Her heart soared to the rafters. “I want that, too. With you.” She pushed back from the table and came around to his side. Cupping his face in her hands, she bent and kissed him softly. “I love you. And it’s so much more than I thought it could be. You give me courage.”

  He pulled her into his lap and kissed her long and deep, the promise of forever in every breath they shared.

  “I looked at jobs in Cincinnati,” she confessed. “I was working up the courage to apply.”

  “Now you don’t have to. I’m good at strategy and adapting,” he murmured against her throat.

  “We haven’t been apart long enough for me to forget that,” she said, arching into his kisses. “You strategized this date perfectly. How did I get so lucky?”

  “I’m the lucky one. You listened when you could have arrested me.”

  “And you listened when I didn’t even know how much I was sharing.” Tears threatened, but she was too happy to let them fall. “We’re going to have an amazing life.”

  “We are. And it starts right now.” He drew her out to the dance floor and held her close, swaying to the sweet music. It was the perfect beginning to the lifetime of love ahead of them.

  * * *

  Read the previous volumes in Regan Black’s

  Escape Club Heroes series, available now

  from Harlequin Romantic Suspense:

  Braving the Heat

  Protecting Her Secret Son

  A Stranger She Can Trust

  Safe in His Sight

  Keep reading for an excerpt from The Negotiator by Melinda Di Lorenzo.

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  The Negotiator

  by Melinda Di Lorenzo

  Prologue

  TELL NO ONE.

  IF YOU CALL THE POLICE, HE’S DEAD.

  GO NOWHERE.

  LEAVE THE HOUSE, HE’S DEAD.

  WAIT FOR OUR CALL.

  MISS IT, HE’S DEAD.

  THERE’S ABOUT TO BE A TEST.

  FAIL IT, HE’S DEAD.

  Chapter 1

  As Norah Loblaw stepped out onto the street, she tried to tell herself that she was glad she’d decided to walk. Despite the city atmosphere that Vancouver exuded, the air was crisp and bright. Even the deepest inhale didn’t bring in a hint of vehicle exhaust. The night before had been bathed in a torrential downpour. The ground was still wet. More than a few puddles dotted the sidewalk. But it was one of the best things about living there—that post-storm, dew-tinged scent. And right then, it suited Norah’s mood, too.

 
She’d spent the better part of the early morning arguing with her twin brother, Noah.

  “About breakfast,” she muttered to herself.

  Admittedly, Norah had accidentally started the fight by confessing that she’d changed her mind about attending the annual charity event put on by her chef friend at La Petite Orange. If she’d just kept her mouth shut, everything would’ve been fine. She’d still be in her pajamas on her couch instead of traipsing over fifteen blocks in a short green dress and her practical—but pretty—black flats. And she wouldn’t have been forced to concede the argument with a promise that she didn’t want to keep.

  The next challenge that comes your way...roll with it. Face it. No, wait. Embrace it.

  Those were her brother’s exact words. And by that point in the conversation, she was desperate to end the phone call before Noah could pry anything else out of her. He’d been pretty wrapped up in his own life lately. He had a new wife and a new stepdaughter. He’d changed careers. And that was all good stuff, as far as Norah was concerned. It meant he didn’t have time to meddle in her life the way his little-brother self—those four minutes really counted—normally liked to.

  Yeah, piped up her subconscious. It works for you because it means you can avoid the truth.

  Norah winced. Her feet moved a little faster, too. But she didn’t try to deny it. It’d been a year since she’d temporarily closed the doors on her business, Loblaw Retrieval. Which also meant that it’d been a year since the second-most devastating moment of her life. It still felt like yesterday. And she had no intention of sharing that fact with her brother. Or with anyone. Hadn’t she ended her own on-again, off-again relationship with a very nice PI, for the very fact that he wanted to talk about it?

  Norah gave her head a shake and forced her mind to the present moment. She managed to smile at a girl walking a dog, and she averted her eyes politely away from a couple embracing against a tree. The enjoyable scents and sights washed over her, and after a few moments, the past found its way back to the compartment where it belonged. For a few seconds, she even felt good. But as she rounded the corner at the end of her block, a prickle of unexplained discomfort made her slow her pace. Unable to stow the feeling, she sneaked a glance over her shoulder. For a second, she could swear she saw a flash disappear between two parked cars. But it was gone so quickly that she was sure she must’ve imagined it.