Security Measures

by Sara K. Parker

  “So, that’s why he keeps getting on a computer in the corner,” Triss said, amusement playing over her face.

  “Isn’t it a little soon to be looking for a date?” Hunter asked. “Genevieve died, what, two weeks ago?”

  Triss’s smile fell and she nodded. “True.”

  “People get lonely,” Harrison remarked. “Of course, we can’t exclude him completely, but his digital fingerprint is clean as far as I can see.”

  “And he wasn’t on the ferry today,” Triss pointed out.

  “Okay, what else did you find?” Hunter asked.

  Harrison pulled up another screen, and Hunter leaned closer for a better look.

  “Instructions on how to create a timed detonator,” Harrison explained. “And ways one might conceal it.”

  Hunter’s pulse picked up as he met Harrison’s serious eyes. “Like under the gas cap of a vehicle.” Someone had planted a device on Triss’s car. This was information that needed to be handed over to the police.

  “Who?” Triss asked, her body statue-still.

  “Unfortunately, we don’t know. Whoever ran this search knew Frank Townsend’s log-in information. The search was run two days after his death, under his account, well after midnight.”

  “Who has access to computer passwords and log-ins?” Hunter asked.

  “We have an IT guy who works here a few hours a week,” Triss said. “Other than that, it’s anyone’s guess. I mean, I’ve helped a bunch of residents with getting logged in and setting up email and social-media accounts. I’m sure others have, too.”

  Others who might make a habit of jotting down usernames and passwords for nefarious use.

  “Do you remember anyone helping Frank with the computer?” Hunter asked.

  Triss shook her head. “Honestly? Most of us probably did. He’d never touched a computer until he moved into Harmony.”

  “Who’s ‘most of us’?” Harrison asked as he closed his laptop and put it away.

  “The other grad students, the staff. I wouldn’t be surprised if Frank called Barb out of the kitchen to help.”

  Harrison stood. “I’ll come by over the weekend and keep working. Anything else you need from me?”

  “I’ll let you know,” Hunter responded, following him to the door. “Appreciate the help.”

  Harrison said goodbye and stepped out, and Hunter knew he should, too. Instead, he shut the door behind the young technology whiz and turned to the bare living room.

  Triss eyed him warily from her chair. It was hard to believe that she was the same woman who, just hours ago, had leaned blissfully into a kiss unlike any he’d ever experienced. That kiss had stripped away what Hunter had long suspected was a facade of cold indifference, and there was no going back now.

  All the reasons he had for not pursuing a relationship with Triss—the fact that she was six years younger than him, the fear that he would hold her back from her career ambitions, his uncertainty about her feelings for him and his kids—didn’t matter anymore. He was logical enough to know that love could conquer all of those misgivings. Not that he would call this love just yet, but he didn’t have another word for it—the magnetic draw that he felt toward her, the compelling desire to understand her, the way his heart tripped when she walked into a room, or when she wrapped her arms around one of his kids.

  “I’ve got to get ready for work,” she said pointedly, no indication in her expression that she even remembered the kiss they had shared.

  It was his cue to leave, but he’d spent too long letting her get away with avoidance.

  “I won’t stay long,” he said, walking to the living room and sitting in the chair directly across from her.

  She was sitting curled up in the oversize chair, her palms resting on her knees, her relaxed posture at odds with the sudden alertness in her eyes.

  He suspected he only had seconds before she bolted, and he leaned forward, sliding a hand over one of hers and wrapping his fingers under the warmth of her palm.

  “We made a good team today,” he said.

  She slid her hand out from under his. “Good training does that,” she said simply, her cordial attitude in full force.

  “So we’re back where we started,” Hunter said quietly, more confused than upset.

  She sent him a quizzical look.

  “Pretending there’s nothing going on between us,” he clarified, unable to curb his own directness. He’d told himself he wouldn’t push for a relationship that didn’t seem like it was going to work. Had reminded himself that all his pushing years ago had ended up in Viv’s death. What was it about Triss that made him want to keep pushing?

  For a moment, her gaze softened, but he read only sadness there. “Obviously, there’s something here, Hunter,” she said finally. “But it won’t work.”

  “What am I missing?” he asked, carefully keeping his tone relaxed despite his hammering pulse and the real temptation to kiss her again—if for nothing else than to prove that this kind of connection wasn’t one people just walked away from for no clear reason.

  Her gaze flicked away from him for a split second, as if she was trying to come up with a believable story. He’d never known Triss to lie, and he hoped she wouldn’t start now.

  “For one, our lives are too different,” she began, looking suddenly quite matter-of-fact.

  “Different, yes, but not an impossible obstacle,” he pointed out reasonably. “Triss, today, when we—”

  “You caught me off guard with the kiss, Hunter,” she said, cutting him off, as if she knew exactly what he was going to say. And maybe she did. She seemed to know him and understand him in a way that even his late wife hadn’t been able to. “Chemistry does not solve all the problems.”

  She was staring so seriously at him that he had to work hard at not grinning. “Usually, that’s true,” he said, his attention drawn to the curve of her lips. “But this kind of chemistry...”

  She stood abruptly, and he looked up at her questioningly.

  “Even this kind of chemistry doesn’t solve everything,” she said.

  “What’s the other problem, then?” Hunter asked. “Maybe there’s another way to solve it. Unless there’s a secret husband somewhere. That would be a tough one,” he joked softly, in an attempt to ease the tension in her expression.

  She looked at him for a moment so long that he found himself wondering if, perhaps, she did have a secret husband. The idea was ludicrous, but it was obvious that Triss was hiding something.

  “No husbands, secret or otherwise,” she said finally, but she didn’t smile. “My other reasons are private, Hunter. I need to ask you to respect that.”

  He wanted to respect it, but his heart told him otherwise. Sensing she was about to kick him out, anyway, he stood to leave. Instead of walking toward the door, though, he paused, mere inches of charged air separating them. “I can do that,” he managed to say. He’d have to figure out how, but he’d do what she asked. Still, he read sadness in her eyes and a longing that didn’t match the words she’d spoken to him.

  “Thank you,” she whispered finally, but instead of reaching for the door to usher him out, she stepped closer and slid her arms around his waist, the warmth of her embrace enveloping him. She rested her cheek against his chest, her thick black waves grazing Hunter’s jaw. The hug caught him by surprise, but he didn’t miss a beat. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and smoothed his hands up and down her back for a long moment. She was a contradiction he didn’t know what to do with. In the same breath that she told him they could never work out, she was reaching for him. It was true that chemistry could not overcome all obstacles, but this was more than chemistry—this deep connection of souls, this knowing one another so intimately that unanswered questions didn’t seem to matter.

  “I’ll respect your privacy and not ask you to tell me your other
reasons,” he said against her hair. “But I’m still going to try to prove you’re wrong.”

  EIGHT

  Triss sighed, closing her eyes against the comforting slide of Hunter’s palms along her back, the warmth of his breath near her ear. This hug was definitely not conducive to keeping her distance. Dredging up enough willpower to move, she pulled away. Hunter immediately let his hands drop to his sides, giving her space. She crossed her arms over her chest as if that might keep her from stepping into his arms again. Her eyelashes were suspiciously damp, though she didn’t think she’d been crying. But there was something so right and easy about being with Hunter. Sometimes, she felt like maybe nothing did matter. Maybe she could move on from her past and pick up with a new start in life.

  Hunter’s deep brown eyes searched hers, that perpetual light in his gaze tugging at her heart. His kids shared that trademark sense of humor and lightheartedness. She did not, though she craved it. Guilt panged at the thought. It was torture, knowing Hunter, and his Levi and Josie. It was as if God Himself had put them in her life to say “See, this is the kind of life you could have had.” Only, she had bailed. And even though a small part of her heart wondered if Hunter and his kids were her chance at redemption, she knew the reality. If she said yes to them, she was also saying yes to daily grieving, as she experienced all she had turned her back on when she’d kissed her daughter goodbye six years ago.

  “This is too much all at once,” she finally said to Hunter, who seemed to be practicing his fail-safe interrogation strategy of long silences. “Let’s concentrate on figuring out what’s going on around here for now?”

  He was silent for a moment, but then agreed. “Fair enough. For now.”

  “I’ve got to shower, so I’m kicking you out,” Triss said, even though she had the strangest desire to call in sick. She was constantly working, achieving, planning. It kept her from thinking and regretting. Only now, for the first time in years, she felt like she could use some downtime to think. She’d been ready to tell Hunter to get a replacement for his shift at Harmony, and then she’d stepped right into his arms. Her own actions were confusing to her.

  Hunter made his way to her door, turning to her once more before he left. “I’ll be outside if you need me.”

  She locked the door behind him and went straight to her room. Except for the provided bed and dresser, it was bare. Smoke damage had ruined many of her clothes, and she hadn’t had a chance to shop. Thankfully, sweet Kaye had washed some of the salvageable clothes for her. She grabbed a pair of dress slacks, a blazer and a white oxford, then hurried to the bathroom to shower.

  She emerged from her apartment nearly an hour later, having rejected all dwelling on Hunter and pushing herself directly into work mode. With barely enough time to dry her hair and not enough time to flat-iron it, she scraped it into a tidy topknot and yanked on her blazer. She didn’t have much time to eat something before heading out for her shift.

  Hunter pushed away from the wall as she walked out, his dimpled smile making her heart leap.

  “Just in time,” he said. “Vince and Adam are starting the meeting in the commons.”

  Dinner would have to wait.

  All of Creekside Manor had gathered for the meeting, and extra chairs had been brought in from the dining hall. Residents, grad students and staff were all present. Vince and Adam would have to repeat the presentation at Silverwood and Emerald—there simply wasn’t a room large enough to accommodate everyone at once. Also, Triss would venture to guess that some of the rules would be different at the other home sites.

  “Looks like everyone’s here,” Vince said, shoving his too-long comb-over out of his eyes. “This won’t take long—just want to keep you all informed.” He pointed to a camera in one corner of the room. “We’re installing some extra cameras throughout the property, as you can see,” he said. “Should be all set in a couple of days. Then we’ll work on installing new locks and—”

  “Hold on there. How many cameras are you installing?” George Wyrick asked. “And where are they?”

  Vince shrugged as if the question was pointless. “Around ten, mostly outside.”

  Hunter stood then. “Mind if I chime in here, Vince?”

  Vince nodded.

  Hunter walked up to the front. “Good to see you all here this evening. I’ve met most of you by now. I’m Hunter Knox, one of Triss’s friends.” He motioned to Triss to join him, so she followed his lead. “We’re working with Shield Protection Services to help make sure that all the security protocols and equipment here are up-to-date. We’re installing a total of twelve additional cameras on the property, and we’re upgrading the four current cameras. Eight of those cameras are installed around the property outside, mostly at points of entry. The additional cameras are installed in common areas inside the facilities here.”

  “Just as long as you’re not putting hidden cameras in bathrooms!” Riley called out with amusement. “I was just watching the news about some creep who owned a hotel doing that, and—”

  “Wait, what? I don’t want any cameras in my bathroom!” Sissy called out.

  “Calm down, Sissy,” Kaye said, patting her arm. “No one wants to be a fly on the wall in any of our bathrooms.”

  Triss suppressed a laugh as Hunter more or less took over the presentation, which was for the best, considering Vince seemed reluctant and a bit put out to have to deal with new systems and protocols, and Adam seemed distracted, constantly checking his cell phone and looking at the clock, his uniform shirt hanging loose on his gaunt frame. Triss zeroed in on him, noting dark circles under his eyes, and hair that had grown a bit too long, curling at the nape and around his ears. She hadn’t seen much of Adam lately, but she’d need to check in with him because he was looking rough.

  Hunter continued to inform everyone about the two other major changes: the installation of new locks and distribution of key cards throughout the next week, as well as new security protocols for visitors.

  “Do we get a say in any of this?” Don asked suddenly, and all eyes turned to him. Sprawled out, with one arm casually draped over the chair Hunter had previously occupied, he did not appear on first glance to be upset.

  “We’re always open to suggestions and feedback,” Hunter said diplomatically.

  “Well, I can get on board with the cameras and the locks and the key cards. But the visitor logs are overboard. I mean, Mack pops into my apartment every hour most days and—”

  “Every hour?” Mack asked, indignant.

  “Maybe not every hour, but—”

  “I won’t pop by at all tomorrow then, if that’s the way you feel, and—”

  “I’m not saying—”

  “Okay, gentlemen,” Hunter interrupted. “This conversation can happen later, but I hear what you’re saying. You’re used to your friends visiting, and you visiting your friends.”

  “Last thing we all want to do is sign in and sign out whenever we go to each other’s places,” George asserted.

  “Housekeepers are one thing,” Kaye said. “And even, no offense to the newcomers—you are all lovely—but even the grad students or new employees that we don’t know well yet. But I tend to agree that having friends sign in is overkill.”

  Triss watched Hunter as he listened to concerns rise up, and she wondered how he would respond. She needed to get going soon.

  “That’s a valid concern,” Hunter said. “What we’d like to do is run a two-week trial period with the new system and protocols. Then we can invite feedback and make adjustments if we need to. How does that sound?”

  What they didn’t know was that Shield hoped to have caught the culprit by then.

  “I can live with that,” Don said.

  Triss started to excuse herself, but Hunter signaled for her to wait.

  “I’ll be around tomorrow if anyone needs to talk with me. My partner, Bryan, jus
t arrived, and I’m heading out. Vince, want to take any other questions?”

  Vince stood, and Hunter caught up with Triss as Bryan walked through the door.

  Bryan handed Triss a key fob. “Got a car outside for you. Roman’s lending you one of the old BMWs.”

  “Thanks,” Triss said, unable to hide her surprise. She’d assumed she’d be reliant on Hunter or Bryan to drive her everywhere for the next week or so until she could purchase a new vehicle.

  “He said you can use it through the end of the year. Buys you some time.”

  Triss made a mental note to thank Roman and said goodbye to Bryan, who would be patrolling the property and working on installing new locks throughout the night shift.

  Hunter walked next to her as they stepped out into the cold evening air. “You look exhausted,” he said, his gaze observant, and her mind flashed to the brush of his lips on hers, the safe warmth of his embrace.

  “I’ll be fine,” she answered.

  “Maybe tonight, but the zoo will be a challenge tomorrow,” he said, tired amusement in his voice. “Five kindergartners and Levi. There’s not enough sleep or caffeine to power through this one.”

  The zoo. Josie’s birthday. Triss had completely forgotten. She needed to bail. It was too much. He would understand, could see how tired she was. But she’d get some sleep and see how she felt around noon before she decided.

  “Speaking of which, Roman said he’ll get you to Harmony in the morning. He’ll stick around until my relief can get here around nine to cover my shift. I’ll text you when we’re on our way to pick you up for Josie’s party.”

  Triss nodded, still contemplating how she might back out. “Sounds good.”

  “I’ll follow you to the job location and then head home.”

  Triss considered telling him to go on home now. No way was anyone able to tamper with the Shield BMW. She’d be safe enough tonight. But she knew it would be a futile argument, so she thanked him and turned to the car, using the key fob to unlock it.