Deadly Past

by Reus, Katie

  “So what’s going on?” She certainly didn’t want to make small talk.

  Thankfully he didn’t want to either. He never did. He motioned for her to sit in her living room and since her knees were feeling wobbly, she did just that.

  He sat on the leather love seat across from her, pushing aside one of her teal pillows with a dancing llama on the front. His long legs jutted out as he tried to get comfortable, but he gave up quickly and leaned forward. “There have been a few more newsfeeds about what happened. Those two jackasses are getting more attention since they haven’t been caught yet.”

  “The bank robbers?”

  He nodded once, his jaw tight. “Yes. We managed to scrub almost every mention of you in particular but a few photos of you slipped through. They were taken from the side and grainy. We’ve since scrubbed them but they were out there temporarily. It was on two really small news feeds from a couple small towns along the coast.”

  “I haven’t seen anything.” She’d been paying attention too, more or less obsessing over it. “And I haven’t heard from any friends that they saw me on the news.” That was something that friends would naturally bring up. She would if she saw one of her friends on the news.

  “Like I said, it was very brief and the news didn’t come out of Verona Bay, but a couple towns away. Still, Verona Bay is getting more attention because of the bank robbery and because of what happened not too long ago.”

  She knew exactly what he was talking about. Her friend Serenity had been kidnapped by a serial killer eight years ago, and her twin sister killed. The lunatic had been working with a partner who had seen fit to stalk Serenity once she’d moved back to Verona Bay. The partner had kidnapped and unfortunately killed people in Verona Bay only months ago. The town had bounced back, but there was still a feeling of unease in the air. And they’d been spotlighted nationally. Autumn hadn’t been because she hadn’t been involved in any of it, but still. It had put Verona Bay on the map, so to speak.

  “I’m not moving,” she said bluntly. She figured that was why Derek was here in person—to tell her that it might be a possibility. So she wanted to save anymore small talk and let him know his trip was wasted.

  “Look, Autumn—”

  “No. Is that why Erica isn’t here? Did she think you could bully me into moving?” She had to agree to move, and there had to be a real and present threat. There were so many damn rules with the program, and she’d read the WITSEC book thoroughly.

  “No, she’s getting someone else settled right now. We’re pulled pretty thin at the moment and she knew you wouldn’t respond well to a new face. It’s why she sent me.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

  “Look, you’re secure. We haven’t had any viable threats against you—any threats at all. There’s been absolutely no chatter about you. I don’t even know that he is a threat to you anymore, but if something happens and pictures of you are leaked and someone figures out who you are, you need to be aware that a move could be imminent. We’ve never lost anyone who followed the rules, and I’m not going to start now.” His jaw was set firmly as he watched her.

  “I’ve followed every single rule—”

  He cleared his throat slightly.

  “Except that one time. I was twenty-three and stupid. And I’ve learned my lesson.” Boy, had she ever. “I’ll never make that mistake again. And I’m not moving,” she stressed. They needed to be clear on that point.

  “Just be careful, pay attention to your surroundings. I know you know all this but I wanted to talk to you in person. I just wanted you to know that there is a slight chance you might have to move again.”

  She stood, her spine straightening. “I don’t know another way to say this, Derek. I will not leave Verona Bay. Besides, I thought he got stabbed or something. The news insinuated that he might die.” She kept tabs on Rand Coventry, covertly of course.

  Derek jerked in his seat. “Did you do a search for him?”

  “Yes, but I used a proxy and I was careful with the wording.” Because she knew that certain type of searches could trigger an alert if someone had traps set up to search for other people’s online searches. The US Marshals had gone over all of this with her and she took her safety very seriously. The fact that someone might be able to track her because of a search online was terrifying. It was a scary world, knowing what hackers could do.

  Frowning, he finally stood. “If I call you, make sure you answer.” A demand, not a request.

  Which was fair, since she’d ignored his last call. But he hadn’t left a message so she’d assumed it hadn’t been an emergency. “I will. But I need you to hear what I’m saying because I won’t change my mind.” Not this time. Not after the life-changing thing she’d just found out.

  He simply sighed and opened her front door before stepping out onto the front porch.

  All Autumn’s stomach muscles tightened when she saw Lincoln standing in front of his mailbox. Oh, hell. He paused, looking over at the two of them, and then he glanced at the car in her driveway. He waved at her and she waved back, hoping he didn’t think she had some random guy over.

  He lingered by his mailbox, very clearly taking his time as Derek strode to his vehicle and drove away.

  Lincoln walked over to see her as soon as Derek was gone, and she didn’t miss the way he watched the back of the car, likely memorizing the license plate. She wasn’t even sure why she thought he might do that, but he was a cop through and through. “Everything okay over here?” he asked cautiously.

  “Yeah, I’m good. Just an old friend stopped by.”

  He watched her carefully, and she knew her body language probably screamed that she was tense and uncomfortable as she shoved her hands into her oversized cardigan sweater. “He just had bad news, that’s all.”

  He paused, as if weighing her words, then nodded. “If you need anything, let me know. I’m home the rest of the night.”

  “I will, thanks.” As he headed back to his house, her fingers skated over the pregnancy test in her pocket. Sighing, she pulled it out and looked at it again.

  Still double lines. Still pregnant.

  She needed to tell Lincoln. She’d just found out herself today and needed to confirm with her doctor before she gave him the news, but… This was the third test she’d taken, and they’d all come back positive. They’d used condoms—a lot of them—but clearly one of them had failed.

  She was pregnant and didn’t know how the hell she was going to tell her impossibly sexy neighbor that he was going to be a father.

  This changed everything.

  Chapter 7

  As he jogged down the quiet street parallel to his own, Lincoln couldn’t get rid of the uneasy feeling in his stomach. He’d been working with the FBI the last few weeks because the Feds had thought the bank robbers had doubled back. Which they had, but the two brothers—Justin and Calvin Martin—had been caught finally. Unfortunately the bastards had escaped custody because of a glitch in security, something he’d just learned today. Now the brothers were in the wind and could be anywhere.

  That wasn’t the only thing bothering him, however. He could admit that he’d been annoyed seeing that guy leave Autumn’s house earlier.

  Especially because he could objectively state that the guy was good-looking, in his late thirties, maybe early forties, and he had the walk of someone with law enforcement or military experience. Not to mention the man had definitely been carrying a weapon. The bulk had been small but he’d been wearing a jacket that was slightly heavier than normal for September in Florida.

  Yes, it was unseasonably cool this month, but… Something about the guy had been off.

  Maybe Lincoln’s feelings for Autumn were muddying his view, but he didn’t think so. He’d memorized the license plate but wasn’t sure what he was going to do with that. He wasn’t in the habit of checking up on his neighbors and he never abused his power. But Autumn’s body language had been way too tense. She’d looked a
lmost…scared, and she hadn’t shared what the bad news had been. A death? A threat of some sort?

  Hell, he was letting his mind run away from him.

  As he rounded the corner onto the next street, he nearly jerked to a halt when he saw Autumn up ahead, Shadow trotting along in front of her. Seeing her was a balm to his soul.

  In tight purple running pants, rainbow-colored sneakers, and a black racer tank, she was a bright pop of color against the neighborhood. Everything about her was that way, however. At least for him—he could never take his eyes off her if they were in the same room. Her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail and it was clear she was distractedly listening to her iPod as she walked.

  When she looked over and saw him, she smiled and, even from twenty yards away, the sight of it made his heart skip a beat.

  He increased his pace, covering the distance quickly to meet up with them. “Hey, I didn’t know you jogged.”

  She snorted as she tugged out her earbuds. “I just wear the cute clothes. I’m more of a walker, and it’s good for Shadow. She’s the only reason I’m out, actually. She absolutely loves her afternoon walks—and I get to listen to audiobooks. But if I had to choose, I prefer Pilates and short aerobic workouts.”

  Autumn seemed a lot more relaxed right now as they talked. That was a relief.

  Shadow, clearly not getting enough attention, jumped up on Lincoln’s legs, her tail wagging wildly.

  “I’m sorry about that.” She tugged on her, pulling the dog back down.

  “It’s okay,” he said, laughing as he petted the Border Collie.

  “I’ve got her signed up for some obedience classes. She’s pretty good about listening but she doesn’t need to be jumping up on people.

  He crouched down and scratched behind Shadow’s ears. “It’s all good, I promise, but obedience classes sound like a good idea. She’s young anyway. It usually takes them until about three years old until they truly settle down.”

  “You know a lot about dogs?”

  He nodded and fell in step with her, his jog forgotten. He would much rather walk with her anyway. “Oh yeah, we grew up with a bunch of them. I really do want to get one but… With my schedule, it just wouldn’t be fair right now. I don’t want to get one until I can fully commit to taking care of it.” He was hoping to hire a new deputy soon and be able to offset some of his shifts. But that all depended on their budget and federal funding.

  “That’s very responsible of you,” she said, giving him what he could only describe as a strange look. She was watching him very carefully, as if he were a bug under a microscope.

  He wasn’t sure what to make of that look so he ignored it. “So how’s school this year?”

  “Good. A great group of kids signed up for art this year, and I’ve taken to teaching even more classes downtown at the cultural center.” She paused, and glanced at him. “They’ve actually offered me a full-time job.”

  “Wow, that’s great.” The cultural center was ninety percent funded with grants, run impeccably, and a huge benefit to Verona Bay and the surrounding area.

  She nodded as they stepped up onto the sidewalk, walking even closer together given the size of the sidewalk compared to the road.

  “Are you going to take it?”

  “I honestly don’t know. I’m kinda shocked by the offer, but also pleased. There’s a lot of pro-conning in my future. It’s not like they’ve said I have to take it or lose my classes. I’ll still get to do those even if I turn down the offer. But the thought of working there full time is pretty great.”

  “Well if you ever want to talk it over, I’m here.” He wanted to be more than a sounding board for her, and it was taking everything in him to ignore his natural instinct to pursue her. But he knew that pushing her would be the biggest mistake. He knew that she wanted him—physically at least—and he was willing to be patient. And his pursuit of her would be more subtle. If he wanted to win her over, he had to be patient. Good thing the military had taught him to be just that.

  “Thank you,” she said, giving him that odd look again. It was a searching look, as if she was trying to figure something out.

  “Everything okay?” he asked, wondering if it had to do with that guy he’d seen at her house earlier. He wanted to ask about it, but didn’t want to sound like a jealous jackass.

  She cleared her throat and looked ahead of them, watching Shadow intently. “Yep. So how did you like the cupcakes?”

  “I’m ashamed to say that I ate all of them. I thought about sharing them down at the office, but decided to keep them for myself. They lasted two days in my house.” Barely.

  She let out a startled burst of laughter and damn if he didn’t love the sound of it. She should laugh often, and always around him. God, this woman had him so twisted up. As they reached her house, he tried to think of something else to say but kept coming up blank.

  “Hey, I’ve been meaning to tell you,” she said, pausing in front of her house. “I’m going to be having a deck put in soon so I’ll let you know when the construction starts. It’ll be normal work hours, but I’ll still let you know.”

  “Who’d you hire?”

  “I actually haven’t hired anyone yet. I’ve just been getting some estimates.”

  “I can do it with Lucas and Easton. Hell, we can do it for you for just the cost of materials, I’m sure. I’ll have some of the tools, but Lucas will definitely have everything we need.” His brother ran his own successful construction company, and might even have leftover materials she could use.

  She shook her head, her dark ponytail swishing slightly. “No way. I’m not going to take advantage of my friend’s fiancé, or you, my neighbor.”

  “How about I take advantage of him then? He can afford it, trust me. And Easton won’t mind at all. Buy him a six pack and some pizza and he’ll be fine.”

  She snorted softly. “I’m sure your brothers would love that you’re offering them up for free labor. I’ll think about it,” she added when it was clear he was going to say more.

  “That sounds a whole lot like a no.”

  “I promise I will think about it.”

  It still sounded like a no, but he wasn’t going to push it, even if he had this driving urge to take care of her. To protect her. “All right. See you later.” He watched her walk into her house even as the weight pushed against his chest again.

  Hell. He’d never wanted a woman as much as he wanted her. She called to him on every level, and even though it was clear she actually did want to be friends, it was also clear that there was a very real wall between them.

  One he would do anything to break down.

  Chapter 8

  Lincoln answered his phone immediately when he saw his brother Easton’s name on the caller ID. “Hey, what’s up?”

  “You busy?” Easton’s tone was uncharacteristically sober. Of the three Jordan boys, Easton was definitely the fun-loving one—the best big brother.

  “I’m at work but not out on a call. Is this work-related?” His brother was a firefighter and since it was Wednesday, Easton wasn’t on shift right now as far as Lincoln knew.

  “Maybe. I mean not officially right now, but… I was talking to Mac Collins and he’s worried about one of his brothers. The youngest.”

  “Joe, right?” Mac was the same age as Lincoln, but he’d been an absolute hell-raiser all through high school and one year after. Then he’d joined the Marines, gotten his life together, and after his parents died, he’d come back to take care of his younger brothers instead of reenlisting. Easton and Mac were part of a fishing club, however, so they were friends even with the age difference.

  “I guess he went out flounder gigging with some friends and hasn’t come back.”

  “Where’s Mac at now?”

  “His shop.”

  Lincoln glanced at his watch. It was five and he was on shift for a couple more hours. “I’ll head over there now. Should I call him or…”

  “I’ll let him k
now you’re on the way. Thank you.”

  “No problem. Will I see you at Sunday dinner?”

  “You know I wouldn’t miss it.” They often had Sunday dinner at their parents’ house when all of their schedules would allow. Lately it hadn’t happened, but this Sunday they were all miraculously off.

  Once they disconnected, he called out to Ellen Harris, his new admin assistant. “Heading out.”

  “Official call?”

  “Not sure yet. I’ve got my radio and phone on me.” That was the thing about smaller towns, sometimes people wanted things official and sometimes they didn’t. But because he knew almost everyone and the majority of town had his personal cell phone number, he got random calls at all hours of the night. Sometimes he had to turn the volume off and just know that if there was a true emergency, that the station would call his radio. Otherwise he would never get any sleep. Ever.

  The drive to Mac’s place didn’t take long and he found the man’s 1968 Bronco sitting in front of his workshop. Collins owned his own furniture-making business—his woodworking skills were incredible and he sold pieces internationally. He also occasionally did custom jobs for Lincoln’s brother, Lucas. Lucas hired him whenever he could get him but the man was often booked up too far in advance. The Mac of today was a far cry from the wild boy Lincoln had grown up with.

  Before he’d even gotten out of his car, the front door opened. Mac strode out, tugging his gloves off. “Thanks for coming by.”

  “So what’s going on?”

  Mac held open the glass door for him, locking up behind him as they both entered the quiet studio. “Maybe I’m just being a worried big brother. And now I have a lot more respect for the terror I was to my parents. Joe went out gigging for flounder with some friends last night and told me he’d be late. Said he’d be in by two, likely.”

  “Have you talked to his friends?”

  He nodded, his expression grim. “Yeah. They’ve all come back. They said he wanted to stay out a little bit longer, and one of them hinted that he might have been meeting up with a girl he’s been seeing afterward. But he’s not answering his phone, and he must have turned it off because our family locator app is turned off as well.” He rubbed a big hand over his buzz haircut, his jaw flexing once. “He’s a good kid. Not like me at that age. Both my brothers are good kids. I’m not too strict and I respect their autonomy. They come home when they say they will and if they’re going to be late, they call or text me. They know that’s the only real stipulation I have with them still living at the house.”