The Safe Bet

by Brittney Sahin

  “When was the last time you’d talked to him before that?” Jake inquired.

  “I can’t remember, but it’s been years.”

  “You don’t think Nathan had anything to do with Mom’s death?” she asked.

  “I told your pals here,” David said, waving his hand in the air, “that your mom mentioned being followed, but I don’t think whoever followed her—if she was even being followed, for that matter—killed her.” He lowered his head. “If I had only gotten to the house a few minutes sooner, I could have prevented her death.”

  “Or been killed yourself.” Connor made his voice known.

  David lifted his head to meet Connor’s eyes. “Her necklace was worth a fortune. I scared off the burglars with my arrival, and they must have grabbed the first thing of value that came to hand. The cops found the broken clasp on the floor.”

  “And if the murder was premeditated, couldn’t the killer have taken the necklace as a souvenir?” Jake tipped his head.

  Her father had no response.

  “You keep changing your story. One minute you whisk Kate away from North Carolina out of fear of whoever murdered her mother, and the next minute, you insist that it was a robbery gone wrong.” Jake took a step forward and folded his arms. The muscles of his biceps bulged. “Which is it?”

  Kate released her breath. If she held it any longer, she might have passed out. She looked down at the hand that rested on her forearm. Was Michael trying to soothe her? “Dad?” she finally said the word—a word that felt different now . . . foreign, almost.

  “Kate, trust me. I’m better suited to keep you safe. New York is where you belong,” her dad said.

  “I can’t leave. Not yet.” She took a small step closer to Michael—to the man that was willing to take a bullet for her last night.

  Her dad studied them and then started for the elevator doors after a moment. “I’m not leaving Charlotte until you do. Call me when you come to your senses,” he said, loudly enough for her to hear before he disappeared behind the silver doors.

  “Should we have told him about Dustin?” she asked, peering up at Michael.

  “No. He would’ve had a heart attack.” Michael moved his hand to her shoulder.

  “He’s probably confused about everything, which is why he can’t get his story straight.” Well, she hoped that was the case, at least.

  “Maybe,” Jake replied.

  Michael’s hand lifted at the sound of his ringing cell phone. He reached into his pocket and studied it. “Shit. I have to go.” He placed the unanswered phone back into his pocket. “Can you manage without me for an hour or two?”

  “Do you have a work meeting?” Kate asked. She must be throwing his entire work schedule off balance.

  “Uh, yeah,” Michael muttered.

  “I’ll be fine with these guys watching me,” she said.

  Michael looked over at his friends, then gave her a quick nod before leaving.

  “Kate, there’s something we need to talk about,” Jake said a minute later, coming up in front of her.

  Her eyes glistened with the tears that threatened to challenge her composure. “Yeah?”

  *

  Kate hadn’t spoken to Michael all day.

  By the time he returned to the loft, Kate had taken notice of his obvious exhaustion. His shoulders were slouched forward—unusual for him—and his eyes were a bit bloodshot.

  She didn’t dare approach him and found herself feeling a bit afraid that he might see through her, as well. He might realize she was keeping something from him.

  She spent her afternoon eavesdropping on Jake, Connor, and Michael as they studied the movements of Erick Jensen and Nathan Williams and followed up on leads with the FBI in regards to Dustin Scott. But she didn’t feel like involving herself in their conversation. Their talk of intelligence and software was a bit over her head. Still, every once in a while, she crept down the hall and stopped shy of view from the living area, to catch up on the details.

  On her fourth time down the hall, her ears perked up.

  “Michael, I understand you don’t want Kate on her date, and she postponed her date earlier today, but I think you should still go on your date,” Jake said.

  She couldn’t see Michael’s reaction, but she could envision his body tensing and his facial muscles growing taut. His body gave away his emotions far more than his words, particularly when the emotion was anger or lust.

  “Why the hell would I do that?”

  Jake didn’t respond right away. Kate pushed her hands against the wall and moved her body a little closer to the edge. Still, she kept enough distance to avoid being seen.

  “Let Dustin believe you’re going about business as usual. Since you won’t let me parade Kate around, at least let him think that you aren’t worried about him.”

  “Why do I care what Dustin thinks?”

  “We have to play his game a little, or we won’t win. We can’t beat a psychopath if we sit back and twiddle our thumbs.”

  “You think I am sitting here twiddling my Goddamn thumbs?”

  “Come on, Michael. This is my job. This is what I’m trained for. We’re talking about Dustin Scott. He’s been on FBI and Homeland Security’s radar for a while now. We need to catch the SOB.” There was a pause. “If anyone understands this, it should be you. You spend your life helping the government catch scumbags like him.”

  “You think whoever hired him is a terrorist?” Disbelief echoed in his voice.

  “No, but next week he might be working with ISIS or freaking Vladimir Putin for all we know. He needs to be stopped.”

  “Don’t make me regret asking you for help. I will not let you use Kate. If you’ve turned this into some OP for your sake—”

  “Sooner or later I need to report that Dustin is in Charlotte. I can’t keep this a secret.”

  “Fuck. I’m not asking you to, but I want this to be about keeping Kate safe and not about Dustin.”

  “Don’t the two kind of go hand and hand?” Jake shot back.

  Kate placed her hand over her mouth as shock plowed its way through each of her organs before slamming into her heart.

  Can I really help bring down a traitor?

  “Michael, Jake has a point.” It was Connor. He was usually the quiet one in the room. But every once in a while, he spoke up, his words slicing the tension in the air—or creating new waves of it.

  “I need to think. It’s been a long day. I’m gonna lie down for a couple of hours. Wake me if you have news.”

  She hurried back to her room and shut the door behind her. She needed to give Jake an answer, and she needed to do it while Michael was sleeping.

  But what would she say?

  *

  “So?” Jake stood at the sight of Kate as she entered the kitchen.

  “You wear glasses?” she asked, avoiding the question.

  He smiled and removed the black rimmed glasses from his face. “Only when reading, or if I’ve been staring at a computer screen for hours.” He gave her a small smile.

  “Where’s Connor?” she asked while taking a seat at the kitchen table, drumming her fingers as she considered her decision.

  He sat across from her and leaned back in his chair. “Tailing Nathan.”

  “Oh. Well, I’ve thought about your proposal.” She took in a nervous breath. “I’ll do what you think is best, but Michael will flip.”

  “I’ll take the heat. I can handle it.” His voice was calm.

  “I don’t want him angry with you.” She moved her hand to her mouth and examined him. He looked every inch as intimidating as Michael. Well, almost.

  “Trust me, everything will work out. This is my job.” He stretched his arm out and reached for her hand. With his touch, she felt calmer. Safe.

  When in fact, he was putting her in danger.

  “What was that?” he asked as his body straightened.

  Kate tilted her head in the direction of the sound. Her shoulders slouched for
ward, feeling Michael’s pain—the pain he wouldn’t share with her. “He’s having a nightmare.” She started to stand.

  “I’ll handle it.” Jake motioned for her to sit back down, and then he left the room.

  A few minutes later, she heard a commotion coming from down the hall. And then something broke. A lamp, maybe.

  “You okay?” she asked when Jake came back in the kitchen with a bloody lip.

  “Yeah.” He grabbed a paper towel, wet it, and brought it to his mouth.

  “Is Michael okay?” she asked, her voice stitched with worry.

  “He will be.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  WHEN MICHAEL ENTERED THE LIVING room, dressed in gray suit pants that were tailored to his body with perfection, Kate had to hold her breath. The luxurious material fit him in just the right way. Her eyes traveled the length of his body, slipping below his hips and moving only slowly back up to his face.

  It was Friday. Date night. She tried to fight the odd feelings that swirled around in her stomach. Worrying about Michael going on a date with the gorgeous Dallas girl should have been the last thing on her mind.

  She had gone out of her way to avoid speaking to Michael since she had agreed to Jake’s plan. Even now, she worried that he might develop telepathy and read her thoughts. “Why haven’t we heard from Dustin?” She forced the words from her mouth.

  “He’s playing a sick game,” Michael said as he fixed the sleeves of his pressed, black dress shirt. He steadied his hand atop the nearby recliner. “You okay?” He tilted his head to the side.

  She jerked her attention away from his eyes and found herself staring at his parted lips. “Yeah,” she whispered.

  It had been days since she’d thought about sex, but now her mind was slamming into dangerous territory at full force. “Have fun tonight.”

  He took a step closer to her. “You know I don’t want to go.” He touched her shoulder, and his eyes drew her in.

  She was surprised Jake had convinced him to go. As much as she believed Jake was right about drawing out Dustin Scott—it also scared the hell out of her.

  “It’s for the veterans,” she reminded him. The ball had been only last weekend, but it felt like a million years had lapsed in between.

  “I would have postponed. You know I’m only doing this because Jake insists.” He removed his hand from her body. “Thanks for not fighting me on this. Thank you for postponing your date.”

  A twinge of guilt coiled inside her abdomen. She wanted to blame it on the excruciating workout she had completed that morning in the hopes of ridding her body of tension, but she knew it was something more.

  “Connor, you’d better keep your eyes on her while I’m gone,” Michael barked. Connor was in the kitchen, but Michael was loud enough for him to hear.

  Connor stepped into the living room and looked at Kate, shooting her a sympathetic glance. A moment later, Jake came into view. “You ready?” He tucked his gun in the back of his pants and slipped on a blazer to hide the weapon.

  She’d never seen a gun up close before unless you counted passing by a police officer with one in the holster.

  “You think Dustin will show up? Is Michael in danger?” she asked.

  “No, I don’t think Dustin will show his face tonight, but I won’t let Michael out of my sight. Just in case,” Jake answered.

  “I don’t need a bodyguard,” Michael grumbled.

  And he probably didn’t. She was sure he could kill someone with his bare hands if he needed to.

  “Michael, please be careful.” Her brows drew together as she studied him.

  “Everything will be fine.” He gave her one last, long look and headed for the elevator.

  She wanted to pinch herself, to wake up. Perhaps she was stuck in some sort of never-ending carousel of a nightmare.

  But the pain and fear that streamed through her body were reminders enough that she was very much awake.

  *

  Kate took a sip of her Merlot and set it back on the table with an unsteady hand. “What did you say? I’m sorry.” She looked down at the sushi on her plate, feeling no sense of appetite.

  Her date, Ethan, shifted in his seat and stared at Kate. “You okay? You seem a little preoccupied.”

  Normally a sexy Southern accent and incredible gray eyes would impact her, but right now all she could think about was her safety. And, of course, Michael. She couldn’t stop the horrible images that spewed forth in her mind. Each scenario played out in her head, each ending with either her or Michael dead—or both. “I’ve had a lot going on lately. I’m sorry.” She smiled at him and ran a hand through her blonde hair, which was flowing in soft waves down her back. “Thanks for doing the interviews and pictures with the newspapers before dinner. It’ll help further the cause for the veterans.”

  She almost forgot about needing to have her photo snapped for the two papers. She had to bare her teeth and grin for the photographers. Would the images get her in even more trouble with whoever hired Dustin?

  “Well, tell me about your business. I heard you were thinking of opening a third location in Charlotte. Is it true?” Ethan asked.

  “I think I’m going to stick with New York and Boston, for now. I have my hands full with those locations, and I would probably be biting off more than I could chew by bringing my business to Charlotte.” Her eyes scanned the room, searching for Connor. When she saw him at the bar, she felt a little better.

  “Do you like what you do?”

  She was in no mood for this conversation, but she forced herself to play the role. Pretend everything was normal, and that she wasn’t scared of Dustin Scott. “Yeah, I think so. I didn’t have much of a choice, though. My stepmother needed me to help out. But, it’s probably the perfect job for me since I’m obsessed with planning things.” I didn’t plan to fall for Michael, though.

  “Will you stick with it?”

  “I think so.” If I survive.

  “You could always come and join the finance world. It’s very riveting.”

  You have a great smile, she decided. And he was good looking. He definitely had the angular features and soft eyes that she adored . . . even though he, and every man, seemed to pale in comparison to Michael Maddox. Still, she hoped he could distract her from the fear that was burning her insides. “For some reason, investments and acquisitions don’t exactly sound sexy to me.” She returned his smile. It was her first real smile of the evening.

  When Ethan finished his sushi, he looked up at the approaching waiter. “You ready to order?”

  “I’ll have the egg noodles and chicken.” She wondered if she’d be able to force herself to eat.

  “Same for me.” Ethan handed their menus to the waiter and focused his attention on Kate. “I guess we have similar tastes.”

  She could practically read his mind and almost felt sorry for him. He had no idea how little of a chance he had. It wasn’t fair.

  “Thank you again for bidding on me. It’s for a good cause.”

  “I would have asked you out, regardless.” He brought his glass to his lips, but his eyes never left hers.

  She downed the rest of her wine and rolled her tongue over her front teeth. Where are you, Connor? Her nerves pushed to the forefront of her mind when she noticed Connor was MIA from the bar. Was everything okay?

  “You’re beautiful. I can’t believe Michael didn’t snatch you up for himself.”

  Ethan’s comment snapped her attention back front and center. If only you knew. “His loss,” she joked.

  “Lucky for me.” She relaxed when she spotted Connor near the entrance of the restaurant. He didn’t look alarmed, so she shifted in her seat, hoping to seem casual.

  After the meal ended and she carried her weight through the polite conversation portion of the evening, Kate proceeded with the rest of Jake’s instructions.

  Ask Ethan to a club. Get out wide in the open.

  She couldn’t believe she was purposefully becoming a target
for a psychopath. But Ethan kept the drinks coming, and the alcohol soothed her, alleviating her nerves.

  For a moment, she almost forgot that a murderous hitman for hire was stalking her—was possibly watching her at that very moment.

  Tipsy became somewhat of an understatement, and she noticed Connor growing edgy at the bar. He had been against Jake’s plan from the beginning, but he’d agreed to it when Jake explained that, once they had Kate’s willing cooperation, they were under direct government orders to proceed. Jake had reported to the FBI that Dustin Scott was in Charlotte—and now her case was a federal one. No pressure . . .

  “Come here,” Ethan said, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the dance floor. They were at the nightclub where Kate had spilled her drink on Michael. That was the night her life had changed. No—her life changed the moment she received the phone call from Julia Maddox.

  As much as she wanted to regret coming to Charlotte, she would never have discovered the truth about her mother, and she wouldn’t have met Michael. Of course, she wasn’t sure if meeting Michael was a good thing or not. The jury was still deliberating.

  Kate attempted to focus as she danced with Ethan, but the alcohol was going to her head. His hands brushed over her bare shoulders before skimming down the sides of her pale yellow, sleeveless dress. He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms snug around her waist when an Ellie Goulding song blared through the room. She shut her eyes as they moved around the floor, but she kept thinking of Michael.

  When Ethan’s lips touched hers, she blinked her eyes open in surprise. She took a step back, breaking their kiss.

  She wasn’t ready for the touch of another man’s lips—alcohol or not. “Sorry, I just . . .” She didn’t know what to say, and the music was so loud that it was probably pointless to speak, anyway.

  “That’s okay. Sorry.”

  She took a nervous breath and began to search for the beat once more.

  Then terror struck her heart.

  It wasn’t Dustin watching her.

  She gulped at the sight of him. “Michael,” she whispered.