Living on the Edge

by Susan Mallery

  “You can stay,” she told him and meant it.

  Chapter 10

  Madison was surprised by how good she felt the next morning. She woke up feeling energetic and actually hopeful about her situation. Maybe it was knowing that Tanner was firmly on her side. She wouldn’t want him as an enemy, but as a member of her team, he was invaluable.

  She showered and dressed, then left her bedroom. The scent of coffee drew her to the kitchen. The pot was full and there was a bowl of fresh blueberries on the counter. After pouring herself a mug of coffee and grabbing a handful of berries, she wandered toward the control room.

  She felt both compelled to see Tanner and nervous about seeing him. The odd combination made her hover outside without saying anything.

  He sat at his computer. There was no way to tell how long he’d been at it, but he struck her as an early riser. From this angle, she had a clear view of his profile—all sharp angles and strong jaw. Thick muscles pulled at the sleeves of his T-shirt. His hair was short but thick. His mouth firm and unsmiling. There was nothing soft about him, nothing that yielded.

  “How long are you going to stand there?” he asked without looking up from the screen.

  “I’m not sure. Maybe five more minutes.”

  He turned to her and offered a faint smile. “Or you could come in and pull up a chair.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “What about the security system? Won’t I be instructed to return to my authorized perimeter?”

  “I’ve cleared you for the entire house. You’ll only set off an alarm if you go outside.”

  “Really?” The man never ceased to surprise her. “Why?”

  “Because I trust you.”

  The words shouldn’t have mattered, but they did. She knew he still felt badly about what he’d done the previous day. Guilt wasn’t a big deal—it didn’t change the facts. But trust was different. Tanner was not a man who gave that easily.

  She walked into the control room. Sure enough, the security computer remained silent on the subject. Tanner grabbed a chair and pulled it close to his.

  “Want to see what I’m doing?” he asked.

  “Sure.”

  She settled next to him and held out her hand. “Want some?”

  “Thanks.” He took a couple of berries, then popped them in his mouth. “I’ve been receiving reports from the people I have following Hilliard. We’re tracking his movements, learning his patterns, tapping his phone calls.”

  She glanced at Tanner as she ate the rest of the berries. “That’s illegal.”

  “Yeah, gee, it is. Huh. I guess that makes me a really bad citizen.”

  “Okay. Point taken. It’s something you need to do to find out what he’s up to. Anything?”

  “No. He has a secure line we’re not able to tap into. Same with his computer. I know when he’s online, but I can’t get into his system.”

  “Has he met with anyone interesting?”

  “A few. Several men came to see him yesterday. I don’t know who they are yet, but I will. According to my guy, Hilliard was pretty shaken after the meeting. He’s up to his neck in trouble, I just don’t know what kind. But I will. There’s cereal and milk, or I could make pancakes.”

  The sudden switch in topic caught her off guard. “What? Oh. Breakfast. I’m okay. My stomach is still a little queasy.”

  “You need to eat. You’re too skinny.”

  “Mr. Keane, you certainly know how to turn a woman’s head.”

  “You know I’m right. You’re like a twig. Get some meat on those bones.”

  She wasn’t actually offended by his brusque comments. She knew he meant them for her own good, but she liked the idea of teasing him.

  “Again I bask in the glow of your warm words.”

  He glared at her. “I’m serious.”

  “So am I.”

  He sighed heavily. “You have to know you’re beautiful, Madison. That’s not what this is about. You’ve been in a stressful situation for nearly two weeks. My screwup yesterday didn’t help. You haven’t been eating or sleeping. It’s going to take a while for you to build up your reserves. As it is, your immune system is compromised and you’ve probably lost significant muscle tone. You have to counter that by eating healthy, getting rest and exercise. There’s a gym in the back bedroom. Feel free to use it whenever you want. In the meantime, eat some damn breakfast.”

  The last words were practically a shout. She didn’t know what to say or think. Okay, there had been a lot of information in that little speech of his, but the only thing she could focus on was that he thought she was beautiful.

  Without meaning to, she touched her left cheek, fingering the scar there. He grabbed her hand and pulled it away.

  “The scar doesn’t matter,” he said.

  “That’s not what Christopher said. He hated that I wouldn’t get it fixed.”

  She waited for him to ask why she hadn’t. But Tanner was nothing like her ex. Instead he smiled at her.

  “The scar doesn’t matter,” he repeated.

  In that moment, she believed him.

  Quiet settled between them. She found herself getting lost in his dark eyes, searching them for emotion and secrets. Before, she would have only accused him of the latter, but now she knew better. Tanner cared. It took a while to uncover the feelings, but they were there.

  She suddenly realized he still held her hand. Somehow his fingers were tangled in hers and it felt…right.

  Whoa—talk about a place she wasn’t going to go. She pulled back her hand and rose. “Okay, I’m going to go get something to eat. Do you want anything?”

  “No, thanks.”

  She took her coffee and left. In the kitchen she made herself an egg and toast. As she ate, she wondered what was going on inside her brain. Why was she attracted to Tanner? Was it the situation—a victim wildly grateful to her rescuer? Was it that everything was so raw between them, so there wasn’t time or energy for games? Was it the man himself?

  Did it matter?

  Nothing was going to happen. That wasn’t what this was about. Plus, after Christopher, she’d given up on men. They couldn’t be trusted.

  She finished her breakfast, then cleared the dishes. How ironic that she’d decided to live without a relationship in her life because she couldn’t trust men, yet she trusted Tanner with her life. She felt as if yesterday had shown her the worst he had to offer and she’d survived. That she could take him on and win. Probably not in hand-to-hand combat, she thought with a smile, but elsewhere.

  She returned to her room, where she went to work on her laptop. There wasn’t much she could do from a remote location. She’d already turned over all her open cases to another staff member, but she could certainly keep in touch with her former clients and their families.

  An hour later, Tanner knocked on the open door. “Got a minute?” he asked.

  “Sure.” She put her computer into sleep mode and slid off the bed. “What’s going on?”

  “Hilliard takes a laptop to and from the office. It’s a daily thing and he never misses.” He led the way back to the control room. “Know anything about it?”

  “It’s something he’s always done. He downloads sensitive information into his laptop and keeps it close. The computer itself is special. He got a new one every year—faster with better encryption.”

  Tanner grimaced. “Figures the guy would get fancy. Where does he keep it in the house?”

  “There’s a safe in his office.”

  “Do you know where?”

  She smiled. “Of course.”

  They sat down at the desk and he handed her a pad of paper. She quickly sketched the downstairs floor plan. “There’s a built-in bookcase and storage unit against this wall,” she said, pointing to her drawing. “The left cabinet holds the safe.”

  “You wouldn’t happen to know what kind?” he asked.

  “Sorry, no. But I know the combination.”

  “I’m going to guess that’s bee
n changed.”

  “Good point.” She’d been gone for over a year. She doubted very much had stayed the same.

  “Is the safe built into the cabinet, or does it come out?”

  Madison did her best to picture what Christopher’s office had looked like. “I think it’s built in. I never used the safe myself. It was strictly for his papers. I wasn’t supposed to know the combination, but he made such a big deal about keeping it from me that I made it a point to learn it.” She shrugged. “Not very mature of me, I know. It took about six months for me to get all six numbers. Then I used to open it because I could.”

  Tanner grinned. “That’s my girl.”

  “I have my moments.” She pointed at the drawing. “Are you going to break in?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Can I come?”

  “No.”

  Why was she not surprised? “This isn’t a guy thing, right? You have women on your team.”

  He hesitated just long enough to annoy her. She glared at him. “Dammit, Tanner, welcome to the new century. Women can do everything a man can do with the exception of peeing while standing up. Who do you think you are not having women on your team? It’s misogynistic. It’s disgusting. It makes me want to sock you in the arm.”

  He held up both hands in a gesture of surrender. “Hey, grumpy girl, before you decide to beat the crap out of me, give me a chance to answer the charge. Yes, I have women on my team, but I don’t want to go into it because their lives are my responsibility and I don’t discuss the details of my employees. I agree that women are just as capable as men, and if you tried to hit me, especially in the arm, you’d only hurt your hand.”

  As she’d felt his muscles herself, she knew that was probably the case, but she wasn’t going to admit that to him.

  “I’m tough,” she said.

  “I’ve already agreed to that.”

  “Tougher than you.”

  He raised his eyebrows and didn’t speak.

  “Okay, maybe not tougher, but as tough,” she said.

  “On a really good day, maybe. For about ten minutes.”

  She grinned. “Fair enough.”

  He smiled.

  They looked at each other for a full minute. Madison felt a definite tension crackle in the air. Awareness, she thought, as heat invaded her belly and swirled out in all directions.

  Tanner broke the spell by lowering his hands and turning his attention back to the drawing. “I’ll see what I can come up with,” he said. “I’m going to call your ex just to mess with his head. Want to listen?”

  It was the perfect distraction, she thought. Tension dissolved and her attention shifted back to the matter at hand.

  “Absolutely. Will he be able to hear me calling him names?”

  “Not if you don’t talk.”

  “I can be quiet.”

  He moved her to a desk across from his, then handed her a headset. She settled it in place while he dialed a number, then asked to be put through to Christopher Hilliard.

  “Keane? What the hell kind of game are you playing?”

  Christopher spoke without warning. There was no click of a receiver being picked up or subtle buzz in her headset. One second there had been silence, the next his words.

  Madison felt as if she’d fallen through the ice. Her blood went cold and she couldn’t breathe. Yesterday she’d been afraid of Tanner, but that feeling had nothing to do with the terror that now swept through her body and left her immobilized. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to get away—that this man wanted to kill her. Only supreme force of will and being in a place he could never find her made it possible for her to stay in her seat and pretend calm.

  “My game,” Tanner said calmly. “I’m changing the rules again.”

  “Meaning what?”

  He looked at her and winked. “Meaning I really like your wife and I’m going to keep her around a little while longer.”

  “You bastard.”

  “I want to tell you that’s not true, but from what I’ve heard, my parents weren’t married. Pity.”

  Christopher swore. “You can’t do this.” Rage sharpened every word.

  “As I’m the one currently serving host to Madison, I’m going to say I can. She’s staying here, Hilliard, until I say otherwise.”

  “I’ll go to the police.”

  “I heard that one before. You didn’t call them, though, did you? I wonder why not. Is there something you don’t want them to know?”

  “I’ll get you for this,” Christopher told him.

  “First you’d have to find me, and that’s not going to happen.”

  “Want to bet?”

  “Sure.” Tanner smiled. “Come and find me, Hilliard. I’d like nothing more than a little one-on-one time with you.”

  “You’ll be sorry you defied me.”

  “Good to know. While we’re establishing rules, let me be clear. You come after Madison again, Hilliard, and you’re dead. I’ll do it myself.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.”

  Tanner straightened. His expression turned serious, his body stiffened. “Try me.”

  Madison heard her ex’s sharp intake of air before he hung up. Tanner set his phone back on the receiver and Madison pulled off the headset.

  “That went well,” she said, trying for a cheerfulness she didn’t feel. “I’m sure you scared him.”

  “That was the point. I want to make him nervous. That’s the quickest way to make him screw up.” He looked at her. “You okay?”

  “Fine. I didn’t like hearing his voice, but I survived.”

  He stood and walked over to the desk where she sat. “We could take it off,” he said, lightly touching the band around her wrist. “It’s your call.”

  “Really?” He trusted her that much? “You’re making it my choice. That means there’s a reason for keeping it on.”

  “If the unlikely happens and he does find you and grab you, the alarm would go off. It’s not only loud enough to wake the dead, it pages me wherever I am. I would know instantly.”

  “But he won’t find us.”

  “No.”

  “But it’s not impossible that he could.”

  “Few things are impossible.”

  She stared at the metal bracelet. “I’ll keep it on for now.”

  “Okay.”

  Chapter 11

  Tanner continued his research into Hilliard’s life while asking one of his team members to check out the security system at Hilliard’s house. Even if it was state-of-the-art, there was a way around it. The question was, how difficult would the break-in be? Tanner wanted a look at that computer.

  Whatever the other man was up to was tied in with Madison’s kidnapping. She’d said it was all about the money and he, Tanner, believed her. But why did Hilliard need so much cash? Not for his gambling debts. So what did he want to buy and from whom? If Tanner could get even one of those questions answered, he could solve the whole mystery.

  In time, he told himself. He was patient and thorough. That meant he would win.

  “Knock, knock.” Madison stood at the entrance to the control room. “I made lunch. Chicken-salad sandwiches with an avocado-and-tomato salad. Want some?”

  As a guy who frequently lived on convenience food, he didn’t have to be asked twice.

  “Sure. Thanks. You don’t have to cook.”

  She nodded. “I know, but you’ve made the last couple of meals and I actually like cooking. As long as there’s no pressure. I could never stand those fifteen-course dinners Christopher was so fond of giving. Fortunately I was only responsible for finding the caterer. He didn’t want me to prepare anything myself.”

  Tanner followed her into the kitchen, where he washed his hands at the sink before taking a seat at the table. “Why not?”

  “He didn’t believe that I could.”

  Tanner glanced from her to the artfully arranged sandwiches, the salad made with several kinds of lettuce and an obviously homemade vin
aigrette. “You’re kidding.”

  “He didn’t think I was capable of very much.” She stirred the dressing, then handed it to him. “My special blend.”

  “So you were completely invisible to the guy,” he said as he took it and sprinkled a large spoonful onto his salad.

  “He preferred it that way. To him I was like the furniture. There to be of service and look good. You don’t expect your sofa to have an opinion and you sure wouldn’t listen if it did.”

  “You’re not a sofa.”

  “I was to him.”

  She spoke with the acceptance of someone long used to the reality, however unpleasant.

  “You got away,” he pointed out.

  “Yes, I did, and I’m going to stay away. I’m lucky—I was never dependent on him financially. We didn’t have children, so I shouldn’t have to have anything to do with him. That’s my plan. A Christopher-free life.”

  “I’m going to make that happen.”

  “I appreciate it.”

  She bit into her sandwich and chewed. He did the same. The chicken mixture had a spice he couldn’t place and the bread had been lightly toasted. Sunlight spilled into the kitchen and touched the right side of her face. With the scar in shadow, she was perfect. Even with it, she was pretty damn spectacular.

  “What happens after you get rid of your ex?” he asked.

  “I return to my life. Work, mostly. I have a few friends who are very supportive.”

  “What about kids of your own?”

  She smiled. “I’d like that. I always thought I’d be a mom. Christopher wanted me to wait, and now I’m so grateful I did. I wouldn’t want any child going through this.”

  “Is there a Mr. Madison on the horizon?”

  He braced himself for the answer. She was the type of woman who had to fight men off. No doubt there were dozens waiting in the wings.

  “I gave up on the whole boy-girl thing,” she said to him. “Christopher was enough to cure me.”

  “Not forever.”

  “Pretty much. I now have serious trust issues. Plus—” she leaned toward him and smiled “—I don’t have to be married to have a baby.”