Pivot

by Kat Martin

  She nodded and pushed to her feet, her eyes wide on him.

  He looked at the bat and then at the man kneeling on the floor. “Nice swing, slugger.”

  She couldn’t breathe.

  The intruder craned his neck to look into the hallway.

  Evan narrowed his gaze. “Your friend isn’t going to wake up anytime soon.” Almost casually, he grasped the man by the neck and hauled him to his feet and up to his toes, making them almost the same height. “You have one chance to tell me who you are before I throw you out the window face-first.”

  Michelle stepped back, her body trembling as her adrenaline ebbed. The room spun crazily.

  Evan shook the guy, still holding him by the front of his neck. “Well?”

  The guy punched up with his healthy hand, and Evan slapped his fist down with an odd crunch. The guy cried out and tried to struggle, but Evan held him tight.

  Evan leaned in, looking as lethal as Michelle had ever seen him. “Why. Are. You. Here?”

  The guy gulped. “The girl. We were sent to get her. Something about her family owing money.” He squeaked at the end of the sentence, his eyes bugging out, as Evan obviously tightened his grip.

  Michelle sagged against the door frame to her room. “My mother?” It had to be the twenty-five grand Jayleen had wanted; apparently she’d been telling the truth for once. “Who does she owe the money to?”

  The guy tried to shrug and then winced when Evan yanked him even higher up onto his toes. “I don’t know,” he gasped out. “Charlie just hired me tonight to make some money. He didn’t say who the client was or where we were supposed to take you.” He sucked in air, his jaw working furiously. “There wasn’t supposed to be nobody else here.”

  A low sound, much like a growl, rolled from Evan’s chest. “Jayleen owes money? Drug money?”

  “Um, I think so,” Michelle muttered.

  Fury rolled off Evan in greater waves, heating the air between them. Great. Just great. Michelle gulped down nausea as the guy’s face started to turn blue. “Um, Evan? You might want to lighten your grip.”

  Evan didn’t twitch.

  She couldn’t have a homicide in her apartment, and right now she didn’t feel all that comfortable approaching Evan. He looked like he’d relish killing the intruder. “You’re a cop, remember?” she whispered.

  “You’re a cop?” the intruder gasped.

  “Not at the moment,” Evan said, his voice gravelly.

  Michelle shifted her weight to see the feet of the unconscious guy on the tile outside the apartment. Evan’s easy violence shot anxiety through her. She’d known he was a marine, a good one, but she’d never seen him in action. “Any chance he’ll be able to speak soon?” She needed to find out who Jayleen owed, since the bad guys were now after her, too.

  “It might be a while,” Evan said shortly. He nodded toward her room. “Call the police, would you? They’ll have to question these two while I get you out of town.” With a careless twist of his wrist, he tossed the intruder back down to the floor and faced her, his eyes blazing. “Don’t even think of giving me a hard time about handling this yourself.”

  Her knees shook. “Are you nuts? Two guys, one with a gun, just broke into my apartment.” Her voice rose and she tried to quiet it. Before, she hadn’t really believed Jayleen and certainly hadn’t thought drug dealers would come after her. Now things were different. Very. “You’re a trained marine. No way in hell are you leaving me alone right now.” Geez. She wasn’t a moron.

  Surprise flashed across his hard face, which he quickly suppressed. “Good. Get packed, Peaches. Guess you’ll see my place after all.”

  * * *

  Her belongings safely in the back seat of Evan’s truck, Michelle walked out of the final pawnshop on her list with Evan behind her. They were in yet another dismal part of town, with hope slowly ebbing out of her. Even her toes hurt as she stepped up into the truck and sat, looking out at another rainy day, her eyes aching.

  Evan stretched into the driver’s seat and winced.

  “I told you to get stitches,” she repeated for the thousandth time that day. “A bandage from my apartment isn’t enough.”

  “I’m fine,” he countered—again. “Let’s get out of here and find dinner. Then we can head north.” When she didn’t answer, he looked her way, his face pale beneath his tan. “I’m sorry we couldn’t find your tablet.”

  She nodded. “We tried.” It was too much to hope that Joey Bandini had just thrown the tablet away. He had to have pawned it somewhere illegally.

  Evan ignited the engine and drove away from the dirty establishment.

  Her phone dinged, and she tugged it from her purse, gasping at seeing George’s number. “Um, hi, George,” she said, her voice hushed.

  “Hi,” George answered, his British accent clipped. “Would you care to tell me who Jayleen is and why she is trying to, as you Americans say, shake me down?”

  Her stomach rolled. “I’m sorry. She’s my mother. What did she say?”

  “That she has your tablet with my newest comic on it. Either I give her a hundred grand—cash—to get it back or she uploads it for the entire world to see—free,” George said, his voice sounding hoarse. “I don’t have a hundred grand in cash.”

  Michelle winced. Darn it. Jayleen had somehow found the right pawnshop before Michelle could. Figured. “I know. I’ll get it back—I promise.”

  “See that you do.” George disconnected the call.

  “Man, he’s pissed,” she murmured, her head swimming. George was the calmest person she knew, and for him to hang up without a goodbye meant he was furious. Scrambling, she dialed her mother’s number, pressed the speaker, and set the phone on her knee.

  “Hi, baby doll,” Jayleen slurred. “I’ve found a way for us to get rich. Very rich.”

  Michelle’s chest hurt. “You’re drunk. Or high.”

  “Just had a little wine.” Jayleen snorted.

  Evan’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, which protested with a squeak, but he didn’t say a word.

  Michelle clenched her fist near her side and fought to calm her voice. “Where are you?”

  “Hotel?” Something dropped and Jayleen giggled. “Somewhere nice with clean towels. Big ones.”

  Could be anywhere. Michelle bit her lip and calculated the best way to find Jayleen. “I’d like to see those towels, too. Where are you? I could come and visit.”

  “I’m in Washington—away from Portland now, just in case. You should come and bring more wine.” Jayleen yawned loudly. “I’m gonna make us both rich.” Something else dropped and then the phone clanked against the floor. It scraped. “Sorry about that. Dropped it. Wait a minute. You can’t come until I sell the tablet. You’ll take it away.”

  So much for playing it cool. Michelle shook her head. “Jayleen? You can’t blackmail George because he doesn’t have money like you want. He really doesn’t. Plus, he’s my friend and I can’t let you do that to him.”

  “He can ne-negotiate.” Jayleen hiccupped. “Besides, that ain’t what I’m talking about.”

  Michelle looked at Evan, who’d turned toward the phone, his brow furrowed. “Mom?” Michelle tried a new tack. “Two guys broke into my apartment saying you owe money to them. I know you’re in trouble. Let me help.”

  “I don’t owe money. Now they owe me the money,” Jayleen snapped. “You have no idea what has happened, but I’m going to cut you in, I promise. A little from George will tide me over until I get the big payment. Trust me. I’m finally going to give you something.”

  Evan’s teeth ground together loud enough that Michelle winced. What the heck was her mother talking about? None of this was making sense. “Mom. Where did you get my tablet?”

  “Tablet? Oh. There are a couple of good pawnshops east of Portland that I know about. They sell everything, and I figured that idiot would know about those places, too. It was kind of easy to find,” Jayleen murmured, sounding like she was coming down f
rom the wine and ready to sleep.

  Apparently Michelle hadn’t been given the names of all of the seedy pawnshops in the city. “I’ll pay you for the tablet.”

  “Not like that famous George guy will,” Jayleen countered. “I’ll be in touch.” She disengaged the call.

  “This is crazy.” Michelle slapped her leg. “What the heck do I do now?”

  Evan took her phone, glanced at the screen, and then brought his phone to his ear. “Ian? Yeah. I need you to trace a number for me.” He rattled off Jayleen’s cell phone number. He paused and listened, and then his face cleared and he grinned. “That’s great. It’s about time you visited your dad. Yeah. Have your guys in Seattle do it. Thanks.” He clicked off.

  Michelle set her phone back into her purse. “Ian?”

  “Yeah. Ian Brodie, a buddy who owns a private detective firm in Seattle, but he’s home outside of Spokane, visiting the family ranch. He’ll get the information for us.” Evan turned and patted her hand, covering it with warmth and reassurance. “Don’t worry. We’ll find Jayleen.”

  Hopefully in time to spare George from having to pay.

  Evan’s phone buzzed, and he lifted it to his ear. “Boldon.” He paused. “Anything else? Okay. Thanks, and keep me posted. I appreciate it.” He clicked off and looked her way. “That was the Portland police. Charlie the intruder is awake and refuses to talk. Lawyered up right away.”

  Her chin dropped. “Well. Guess we have no idea who’s after me, then.”

  Evan grimaced. “Not until we find Jayleen. For now, let’s grab dinner and head north, since that’s where she said she was, anyway.”

  North. To Evan’s place. Her curiosity reared up and she tried to concentrate on the rainy dusk outside the car. Sleeping in the other room from him the night before had been more like not sleeping and thinking way too much about his hard and very able body.

  Another night so close to him? A woman could only take so much.

  He sped up and glanced her way. “You’re flushed. What are you thinking about?”

  “Cats,” she murmured. “Definitely thinking of getting a cat.”

  Chapter Six

  Michelle slowly awoke as Evan drove into Washington State, where the spring storm increased in force, making visibility difficult.

  Evan’s phone finally dinged, and he answered it, his chin lifting as he listened for about a minute. “Excellent. Thanks. Bye.” He handed the phone over to Michelle. “Use Google Maps and find the Trailblazer Motel, would you?”

  She sat up, groggy from a short nap. “Sure.” She did so and read the results. “It’s an hour and a half to the east. Is that where Jayleen is?”

  He nodded. “Yep. We’ll have to backtrack a little, but this is important, right?”

  “Crucial.” She couldn’t let George down, and she needed to finish her comic. “If we found Jayleen, whoever is after her might have done the same thing.”

  “Affirmative.” Evan switched lanes on the interstate so he could exit and circle around. “When we get there, I’m lead.”

  No problem. He was the guy with the gun and knew how to use it. “Fine by me,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around her torso and trying to clear her head. Man, she needed some sleep. “How are your ribs?”

  “Fine. The cut wasn’t deep and is just a nuisance. I stopped bleeding a while ago.” He didn’t seem overly concerned about it.

  What kind of injuries had he endured through the years that a knife to the rib cage was more of an annoyance than anything else? They’d gone such different ways in their lives. “Did you ever track your uncle down?” She remembered from their childhood that his uncle had raised him for a while after his parents had died, but then had become ill and had to give him to the state.

  “Yeah. He died,” Evan said quietly. “I don’t remember much about him, to be honest. He was there and then not and that’s the end of it.” His tone was a little too matter-of-fact.

  She reached out instinctively and grasped his hand, which was resting between them. “You’re not alone.”

  He turned, those piercing blue eyes pinning her. “I haven’t felt alone since I arrived at Miss A’s. We have her, our friends from there, and I have my teammates. Now I have a whole town, one I hope you like.”

  Of course she’d like his town. That was the problem. “You can’t seriously think you’re going to stay in one place, Evan. It’s not you.”

  His grin was somehow sweet with a hint of rueful. “After nearly getting blown up, a guy changes a little. Even a guy like me.”

  “Blown up?” Her heart rate kicked up.

  He shrugged. “Close enough, and that’s all I can say. It’s in the past.”

  The rain splattered harder, spitting pieces of hail. He released her hand to use both of his on the steering wheel. “We might need to pull over.”

  She clasped her hands together and stared out at the nearly empty interstate. “Let’s get as far as we can.” Then she was quiet, humming along with the radio and letting him concentrate on the road. Every once in a while, she’d glance at the map on the phone and give him updates.

  Finally, they pulled off the road to a nice area with multiple hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and a shopping mall. She sat up as he drove into the parking area of the Trailblazer Motel, which was two stories tall with wooden sides adorned with stone. “Stay here.” He reached in the glove box for his gun and badge, leaving the engine running as he ducked into the rain and ran toward the front door. Seconds later, he was out of sight.

  She looked around at the various cars in the parking lot but had no clue what Jayleen was driving these days. An old VW bug was parked away from the other cars; maybe that was hers?

  Evan exited the motel and ran for the truck, jumping inside and turning the wheel. “She’s in room twenty-four on the first floor around the building.” He maneuvered past the other vehicles and parked in front of the clearly marked room, scouting the area. Few vehicles and no people were in the drizzling rain. He stopped the engine.

  Michelle slipped out of the truck, shivering in the rain, and ran toward the door with Evan right behind her.

  He reached in front of her and twisted the knob, which gave easily. “Step away from the door.” He gently moved her to the side and rushed inside, going low with his gun out.

  Michelle turned to see an empty room with wine bottles lined up on the counter next to a phone.

  Evan swore and strode through the room, looking in the bathroom, shower, and beneath the bed. “There are no clothes or anything else. She’s gone.”

  Michelle pushed wet hair out of her eyes, her stomach sinking. “She could be anywhere.”

  “Anywhere within three hours,” he agreed, striding to a plain looking phone and picking it up. “Maybe we can find out what she’s up to by going through this burner.”

  Doubtful. Jayleen had plenty of experience hiding things from the cops.

  Michelle walked back outside the room. “All right. Where to now?”

  Evan followed her, his gaze intense. “Nowhere. We both need sleep, and I got us a room on the second floor.”

  She blinked, and her body stilled. Then it warmed. Then it chilled. Then a whole lot of warmth and want and need that she so couldn’t handle right now swept through her, making her voice unsteady. “A room?”

  “Yeah, Peaches. Until we find the guys after you, I’m not leaving you alone for a second.” His low rumble drifted easily through the sound of the rain.

  Okay. She could handle this. The whole-body shiver that took her called her a liar.

  * * *

  This was hell. Pure, hot, devastating hell. Evan remained unmoving beneath the covers in his bed, all too aware that Michelle was in the next bed. Why did he get two queen beds? He’d been offered a king, but he’d wanted to be a gentleman.

  Screw that.

  Finally, he rolled over to face her, light from the outside street lamp glowing through the thin curtains and providing plenty of visibility.
“Sorry we couldn’t find anything on Jayleen’s phone.” The thing had been wiped clean. “My friends in Seattle and Raider’s contacts in DC are looking for her. We’ll find her.”

  “I know,” Michelle mumbled.

  Not enough. He cleared his throat. “Are you still thinking of getting a cat?”

  She rolled over on her bed, her hair flopping over her face. “That’s the worst come-on you’ve ever used.”

  No, it wasn’t. “Remember when I offered you peppermint schnapps and promised it’d make you want to get naked? That was worse.” Although it had ended with them skinny-dipping in the river to cool off and then making love until dawn beneath the stars. He’d been smart enough to bring a blanket.

  “Fair enough.” She sighed, her pretty blue eyes clouded. “What are we doing?”

  Not what he wanted to be doing, that was for sure. Guess it was time to get it all out in the open. “We broke up because of the uncertainty of my job for both of us. That’s over now.”

  She swallowed, the delicate line of her neck moving. “I don’t believe you.”

  Ouch. Jesus. Okay. For some reason, he hadn’t expected that statement from her. “This is different from last time.” The second he heard the words, they hit him in the chest. How many times had she heard that exact phrase from her drug-riddled mother as she’d once again gotten clean? Briefly. Another thought slammed him. “The physical therapist? Are you more serious than you said?” The man had a stable job; that was for sure.

  “I don’t think we need to talk about Mike,” she said.

  That wasn’t an answer. Definitely not the answer he wanted.

  “What do you want?” she murmured.

  “You.” It was the damn truth. He’d always wanted her and would always want her. It had taken him a couple of years to get straight and healthy, and at the end, somewhere deep inside, he had known she was his goal. He’d also known that some goals were out of reach.

  Michelle, at the moment, was way out of reach.

  The proof, as Miss A always said, was in the pudding. He didn’t have pudding, but he had time to convince her. Time to reassure himself that their past wasn’t just a dream he’d created to survive some horrible situations. “I could make you forget Mike,” he drawled.