Absolute Trust

by Piper J. Drake

  “Me too.” Elisa sighed. “Of course, Brandon might not realize the implications of telling you he was taking you away somewhere. Do you think either David or Alex might clue him in?”

  Maybe? Hard to tell what those men communicated with one another. They were, by habit, concise. There’d been times when Sophie had seen them have an entire conversation in a series of head nods and hand signals. She was fairly certain none of them had done it intentionally, either. They’d just all been focused on getting work done and had fallen back on old habits.

  Lyn shook her head. “I’d say it’s not likely. They stay out of each other’s romantic shenanigans.”

  Sophie groaned and let herself fall backward into the couch cushions. “This is absolutely true. But he kissed me.”

  Lyn grinned. “He did.”

  “Yup, he did.” Elisa joined in with a grin of her own.

  The memory of his lips against hers. Oh, they’d kissed in high school and she had those memories, but they were sweet and a little awkward. The way Brandon kissed now was a completely new, hotter-than-wow experience. She couldn’t stop remembering. Not just the memory in her mind, but the heat of it on her lips. Sophie clamped her hands over her mouth.

  This was crazy. And was this finally going to happen?

  She so definitely wanted this to happen.

  “I am tired of being the girl down the street.” Technically. The girl next door to Brandon’s house had been a cheerleader. He hadn’t interacted with that girl, and Sophie truly couldn’t even recall her name. No. Sophie had lived down the street from him, and he’d begun walking her home from the bus stop back in high school. It’d been a different time, and life was so much different now. “We know he hasn’t seriously dated someone since he got back from active duty. Maybe he’s not looking to make this a thing.”

  And part of the reason Sophie hadn’t tried to let Brandon know how much she wanted him before now had been precisely because she didn’t want to be one of those one-night wonders.

  Lyn pursed her lips. “He might not be out there dating as much as it looks like he is. And you’ve dated, too, but it’s been clear, at least to me, that your attention is focused on him specifically.”

  Elisa nodded. “Really, the only people not aware of what’s between the two of you…are the two of you.”

  Sophie shook her head. She could believe them. She’d watched both of them struggle through the madness when they’d begun their relationships with David and Alex.

  “Don’t worry.” Lyn chuckled. “It’s hard to see what’s going on when you’re in the center of it all. What you need to do is keep in mind what’s right for you. He’ll fumble around on his own and it’ll be a mess. Don’t let it push you away.”

  It didn’t sound like fun. Yet another reason why she’d never broached the careful balance of friendship she and Brandon had. She’d been so happy he’d come back; she’d thought that was enough.

  And, suddenly, it wasn’t. At least, not for her.

  Sophie sighed. “It is, without a doubt, a whole lot easier to watch it all happen. I remember the both of you while you were figuring out your relationships with David and Alex.”

  It’d been fun to meet Lyn and Elisa. Sophie wouldn’t give up their friendships for the world. But it’d also been frustrating. She’d watched them fall in love, and there had been Brandon, showing no signs whatsoever of catching the love bug.

  “Is this a good thing for us?” A sliver of fear stubbed the fluttering excitement in her chest. “Having his friendship, being able to come here and spend time with all of you, it could all get seriously screwed up if this isn’t the right thing. I don’t want to lose any of you.”

  And it would be awkward. Brandon owned Hope’s Crossing Kennels. If they had a falling-out or if she pushed for a relationship he didn’t actually want, she’d be mortified by his rejection. She’d also be broken. She’d picked up the pieces of her heart after he’d disappeared the first time. There was no guarantee she’d recover a second time.

  “Sophie, honey, this is a good thing. It’s okay to get excited. Enjoy it.” Elisa paused. “Unless he’s not a good kisser. That could be problematic.”

  Lyn stared at her.

  Sophie bit her lip. Nope. No kiss and tell, just the memory of those firm lips on hers teasing her into opening for him and…

  Lyn laughed. “Oh, that look is enough. If you were any happier with the way he kissed you, your nipples would be poking their way through your shirt right about now.”

  “Oh my god!” Sophie gasped and crossed her arms over her chest.

  Elisa howled, laughing so hard she tipped off the side of the couch. That tipped Lyn off the edge and onto the floor, too, and Sophie doubled over laughing. Every time they subsided into giggles, one of them would make eye contact with the others and they’d launch into a fresh wave of laughter.

  Finally, they were all lying on their backs wherever they’d landed, sucking in air and exhaling exhausted giggles.

  “Wow, I needed that. I love you ladies.” Sophie wiped tears from her eyes. It’d been an incredible relief after the insanity of the past couple of days.

  “Right back at you, darling.” Lyn pulled herself back up onto the couch.

  “So the question is, are you going to be the girl from down the street and wait for him to figure this out, or are you going to take matters into your own hands?” Elisa sat up but didn’t bother to get back up on the couch. Instead, she patted the side of the go bag.

  Sophie shrugged. “Most of my everyday clothing was torn up and tossed all over my bedroom floor.”

  It’d hurt to see it. The intruder had deliberately shredded her clothing, and looking at any single garment brought up thoughts of what could’ve been done to her. After she’d picked up two or three garments all treated that way, Brandon had stopped her and just grabbed her go bag.

  “This calls for something other than everyday wear, anyway.” Lyn patted Sophie’s knee, bringing her back from the memory of earlier in the day.

  “She’s going to have to be unorthodox, too.” Elisa rose. “The minute he sees lace or gauzy anything, he’s going to try to wrap her in a robe. Then he’ll try to take a walk or something.”

  Yup. Sophie had tried the more obvious technique once or twice and Brandon had a way of pretending he saw nothing.

  “So we need for me to be me, only irresistible.” Sophie fought the heavy weight in her belly. “That’s not exactly something I can do.”

  “Sure it is.” Elisa pulled a sleep shirt out of the go bag. “It’s just going to take a few creative adjustments to your sleep T-shirts and maybe one or two of your sweatshirts. Lounge wear can be incredibly suggestive when it fits just right.”

  Chapter Eleven

  You rented a car for this?”

  Forte glanced up into the rearview mirror to check Sophie’s expression before he answered. “It’s too easy to track me via my vehicle and plates. If we’re going to take you off the grid, it makes sense to do it in a car that isn’t connected to me. I didn’t rent this vehicle, though.”

  “Brandon, this looks and smells like a rental vehicle. It’s got the ‘I was just detailed’ smell to it.” She wasn’t challenging him, even if it sounded like it. Or maybe she was and he didn’t mind.

  He’d made a comfortable space for her in the backseat so she could keep her right ankle elevated. From his point of view, she looked damned cute in the nest of blankets and extra pillows.

  Cute in a very adult, very irresistible way.

  “It’d also defeat the purpose of being unpredictable if I was the one who rented the vehicle.” He kept his eyes on the dark roads, watchful for deer.

  Pennsylvania had deer problems all year round, and the last thing they needed was to bump into one. Literally. He’d seen a deer get up and walk away from a collision that’d left the car completely undrivable. It would be very bad for him to get too distracted by her reflection in the rearview.

  “Ah.”
She sounded more satisfied with that answer. Blankets rustled as she stirred. “So who did you get to rent this car, then? And I guess it’s just a detail that you’re not listed as a driver?”

  He clicked his tongue. “Tch. Such a lawfully obedient lady.”

  She sighed. “I shouldn’t ask about the details.”

  No. She probably shouldn’t. He’d explain to her if he had to, though. It was a part of the trust they’d built in the more recent years after he’d started the kennels. They had a deal. When it mattered, she’d do as he directed immediately with no questions asked. Later, after the initial threat had been addressed, he’d answer all her questions. She’d been careful to specify, because if they’d only agreed for him to explain things, she’d get a much shorter “need to know” version of the situation.

  Originally, he hadn’t thought it would ever come up in anything more serious than a dog training moment. Once in a while, a pair of new dogs could get into it with each other, and he’d wanted to be able to tell Sophie to get clear while he dealt with it. But in the past year, the scenarios had been more serious and nothing he could’ve anticipated.

  If he was going to keep her whole and healthy, the trust between them was going to need to stay every bit as solid as it had been to date.

  “One of the students at Revolution MMA owed us a favor. We worked it out for this trip, and there’ll be no worries about consequences for him. Cruz and Rojas are keeping an eye out just to be sure.” He might sound unusually cheerful about it, but he was actually looking forward to this road trip. It was a change of pace, got Sophie out of harm’s way, and offered an opportunity to travel with her.

  A whole lot of win as far as he was concerned, so long as he could keep her safe.

  He drew in a deep breath and caught a more pleasant smell than the remnants of detailing. She’d showered before leaving, and the scent of her mint and rosemary shampoo was a light tease in the closed space of the SUV. It was just as well she was behind him and not sitting within easy reach. He might not be able to resist reaching out to tug a stray bit of her hair.

  “Leaving in the middle of the night makes sense.” She punctuated that statement with a yawn. “But I feel bad being back here instead of sitting up with you to help keep you company.”

  He smiled. She always thought about other people. Her warm consideration was something that’d never changed, or if it did, it’d only grown in her capacity to care for people. “Go to sleep. I tucked you back there so you could get some real rest.”

  She could sleep snug while he had driving to keep him busy. The memory of her in his arms, the softness of her lips as he’d kissed her…yeah, it was a really good thing for him to be busy driving for the next few hours.

  “It’s been a long day.” She yawned again. “I’m glad you decided to bring Haydn.”

  The big dog lifted his head from the back of the rented SUV at the sound of his name. He whined briefly, then dropped back below line of sight. They couldn’t install a kennel in the back of the SUV the way Forte’s had been outfitted, but they’d put in canvas to make riding in the back safer for him.

  Forte could’ve brought one of the other dogs in training. But Taz was working with Raul Sa, and either Rojas or Cruz could oversee any of the other dogs currently at the kennels. Haydn required special physical therapy and attention. Plus, Sophie was comfortable with Haydn.

  Besides, Haydn had at least met the lightning puff cat on board.

  “Is your new friend doing okay back there?” He was amazed at her cat. It had the most laid-back attitude toward being in a cat carrier. Luckily, it also didn’t get car sick. A carsick animal was never a fun time on a road trip, and he was going to be driving for a decent number of hours.

  “I think so.” More blankets rustled as Sophie leaned to check on the cat carrier nestled into the footwell of the backseat.

  Forte heard a faint meow.

  “She’s fine.” Sophie’s voice warmed with affection. “I need to give her a name, though. I might be the worst owner in the world, not giving her a name by now.”

  Forte chuckled. “Oh yeah. You are the worst. How could you not give your new cat a name?”

  There was silence in the back of the car.

  Shit. She was too easy to tease right now and probably half-convinced he was being serious. Oy.

  He continued in the same dry tone, “You’ve only been blown up, stuck in the hospital, fired from your job, and had your home invaded. That’s not a lot to have going on in your life.”

  More silence.

  Wow. He was batting a thousand.

  “Sophie?” He glanced up into the rearview to check on her. She was sitting with her head leaning against the back of the seat. Her eyes were open. “You know I was kidding, right? You gave that cat a home. I think it can be patient about having a name as long as it has food and water and all the petting you give it.”

  Still no answer. He started looking for a spot along the highway with a shoulder large enough to pull over and safely get out.

  “I’m trying to think of a name.” Sophie’s voice reached him just before he turned on his hazard lights and actually pulled off the road. “Something related to all the things going on right now. When you said it like you did, I realized it was a lot. And not a single one of those things is inspiring a good name for her in my head.”

  He had not anticipated or followed her line of thought. Not at all.

  “Well, ‘Boomer’ might be cute.” There, he could be helpful.

  Sophie giggled. “Maybe, but not for this little girl. It’s more fitting for one of your dogs.”

  “Well, there’s Fluffy and Fifi, Snowball or Snowflake. Smokey. Precious. Ash. Angel. Lily.” He was starting to run out, especially of ideas for cute names.

  Thing was, he was used to naming dogs. Normally, he worked with German Shepherd Dogs, Belgian Malinois, and the occasional Labrador Retriever. He didn’t tend to work with smaller animals unless they were attending some of the obedience classes he held at the kennels for the general public. All of the animals he was responsible for were working dogs, not pets. He’d always sent them out into the world to support either the military or law enforcement. Or, in some rare cases, private military contractors like Raul Sa.

  “Nah. Thank you, but I don’t think any of those are a fit, either.” Sophie’s voice was fading, the words tripping off her tongue.

  He figured she’d be fully asleep in the next few minutes. He might be able to concentrate better on the road trip ahead or he might end up caught up in his own thoughts. It was a tough balance.

  “The right name will come to you. Sleep on it for now.” He wanted to be back there with her, cradling her and tucking her comfortably in against his side. They’d never done that before, but he wanted to. Wanted to hold her and make things right in her world.

  He thought she had fallen asleep.

  “Brandon? This isn’t going to be just a getaway weekend, is it?” Sophie’s voice was subdued. “You haven’t told me how long we’ll be away.”

  “As long as it takes.” He tried to be honest with her. “We’re planning a day at a time for right now and keeping things as flexible as possible. We’re going to let Ky do his job. And once we know more, we’ll make decisions on what to do next.”

  This was a feasible short-term solution until the threat to Sophie’s well-being was resolved somehow. It wasn’t something that could go on forever. He just didn’t have the answers right now.

  They were also taking a few risks, planning for a variety of eventualities. In a way, taking Sophie away like this was a lure. If their adversaries moved to locate and follow, they’d give themselves away. It was a possibility, and Forte planned to be ready to act if it happened.

  “I hope Mrs. Seong doesn’t come looking for me.” When he had the chance to glance in the rearview at her, she was worrying at the corner of a blanket, tying it into a knot and untying it in turn. “And I haven’t told my parents anything at all.”r />
  “For now, it’s fine.” Honestly, the less any of them knew, the better. “If this goes on for more than a few days, we’ll talk about how you can contact them and check in, if you still want to.”

  Sophie’s family ties were strong. He’d envied that about her family. She’d grown up loved and surrounded by a mix of culture. She’d been cherished all her life. And he hadn’t been the only person attracted to her bright personality back in their high school days.

  To be honest, he’d thought she’d move away after she’d gone through college. She’d had so many dreams of travel. But between each deployment, he’d check back to see how she was doing and she’d been right where he’d left her, in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Her ties to family had been stronger than her wanderlust.

  “Why me?”

  He almost missed her question between his thoughts and the general noise of a few eighteen-wheelers driving past him on the highway. “What do you mean?”

  She wasn’t the type to whine. The question had sounded odd coming from her.

  “I’m trying to figure out what it is about me. Why is this much attention on me?” She wasn’t wallowing in fear the way a lot of people would be. No. Instead, she sounded logical, almost morbidly curious.

  He paused to consider. In all of the events this week, he’d been reacting so far. He’d taken steps to try to get ahead of whatever it was, but he’d also been respecting Ky’s jurisdiction on the investigation. When it came to keeping Sophie alive, Forte needed to ask the same questions she just had.

  “Ky asked you questions after the bomb and after the break-in.” He wanted to prompt her, see if something new came out. And if it did, they’d contact Ky and share it with him.

  “Yes. Mostly what I was doing just before each of those things happened. We also talked about whether there was any way someone might want to hurt me.” Her voice was steady for the most part, but she tripped up on the last two words.

  “Problem is, none of us can think of anyone who’d be out to seriously do you harm.” Forte had thought long and hard about the possibilities. “You haven’t been dating anyone recently, so no spurned boyfriends. Your relationship with immediate and extended family is good. Your neighbors love you.”