Red Zone

by Sherri Hayes

  To make matters worse, Gage Daniels was only adding to her discomfort. He was . . . irritatingly overconfident. After both Charlie and Hansen had left for the evening, he’d made it his mission to invade her personal space. First, he’d sat much too close to her during their uncomfortable dinner. Then, he’d followed her into her bedroom to make sure she had everything she needed. Did he really think she was that stupid?

  After splashing some cold water on her face, she toweled off before returning to her bedroom for some clothes. She’d made sure to lock the door before going to bed but checked to confirm before changing. If he decided to barge in on her when she was naked, she wouldn’t promise he’d come out unscathed.

  Dressed in her sweats and a T-shirt, Rebecca checked the safety on her gun before strapping it to her ankle and exiting her room. Peeking through the open door to his bedroom, she verified he was sleeping soundly. With confirmation he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, she descended the stairs, disarmed the alarm, and slipped out the back door.

  Her morning jog around the perimeter of the house served two purposes. There wasn’t any reason she couldn’t get in her morning exercise while checking the property out. She’d meant to do it the previous night but instead had spent her evening dodging Mr. QB’s advances.

  As she continued her circuit, the sun’s rays began to appear behind the mountains. She had to admit it was a beautiful property—extravagant, but beautiful. All the trees and bushes were manicured, so she assumed he had a gardener. There was a pool in the back, which meant pool man.

  The more she thought about it, the more she realized the list of suspects was astronomical, between people who knew him personally and would have access to his schedule, and those who, with the help of social media, could track his movements enough to know his usual hangouts. Maybe they were just getting lucky.

  But even as that thought crossed her mind, her instincts rejected them. Some of the pictures had been taken at places one wouldn’t normally think to spot a celebrity, like the grocery store. That one shocked even her. Either way, this felt too personal. This felt like someone who knew him, not just an acquaintance.

  Rounding the corner to the backyard again, movement halted her in her tracks. Crouching down, she released the snap on her ankle holster. A heavy silence filled the air and then a huge splash. She followed the noise, slowly edging toward its source.

  There, in the center of the pool, was Gage Daniels. His head and bare shoulders were visible above the water as his arms moved fluidly over his head and down into the water. He was a confident swimmer and obviously in shape. The sun was still making its way up into the sky, but there was enough light for her to see the well-toned muscles tense and flex as he moved through the water. She felt something as she watched him but quickly suppressed it. The man was a pampered athlete who was used to women falling at his feet. Attractive or not, there was no way she was becoming another notch on his belt.

  Once again, she made sure her ankle holster was secure before she turned to go inside. The last thing she wanted was for him to catch her watching him. She didn’t need him getting the wrong idea.

  After drying off from his morning swim, Gage strolled back into the house as he normally did with his towel wrapped loosely around his hips. He was halfway across the room before he realized he wasn’t alone. The beautiful but uptight FBI agent was standing in the middle of his kitchen, staring directly at him. He slowly smiled, and decided to take the opportunity to tease her some more. If he was stuck with her for the conceivable future, then he was going to have some fun.

  Crossing the room, he walked right up beside her to grab a banana. He made sure to get as close as possible without actually touching her. She tensed. “Morning, beautiful.”

  “It’s Agent Carson.”

  “Nope,” he said, leaning back against the counter with less than a foot between them. “You’re supposed to be acting like my girlfriend, remember? I wouldn’t call my girlfriend ‘Agent Carson,’ now would I?”

  He watched her chest rise and fall under the plain button-up blouse she was wearing. The motion was altogether distracting.

  “Mr. Daniels,” she said through gritted teeth. “When we’re out in public or around others, then yes, I am to act as your girlfriend. We are not, however, currently out in public. When we’re here, in this house, or alone, there is no reason for that pretense, and I would prefer you address me in a professional manner.”

  He took a large bite of his banana, trying to hide his amusement. He noticed she was concentrating very hard on spreading that cream cheese on her bagel. “Sorry, beautiful. Can’t do that.” Pushing himself off the counter, he made sure to brush her arm with his. “I’m going to go grab a shower. You’re free to join me if you want,” he said, winking.

  She closed her eyes, stopping all movement, but she didn’t comment. He figured his job there was done, for the moment anyway, and left to go take that shower.

  Two hours later, he was packed and ready to go. It was Saturday, and the team was flying out to Seattle for the game the next day. He needed to be at the stadium by eleven thirty to catch the team bus to the airport.

  When Gage walked out of his room, he found Agent Carson’s door shut, just as it had been the night before. Maybe he’d gone too far by following her into her room, but considering she was invading his home, he didn’t feel very guilty about it. Besides, it was kind of fun pursuing someone who was a bit of a challenge. Normally he didn’t have to do anything other than smile to get a woman’s attention. Sometimes he didn’t even have to do that, especially in Nashville. People knew who he was and that was enough. Rebecca Carson was a whole different animal.

  He knocked lightly on her door and waited. It didn’t take more than a few seconds for her to answer.

  “Yes?”

  “We need to leave for the stadium within the next thirty minutes. Are you almost ready?” He’d mentioned their flight to her over dinner last night. She’d questioned him about his schedule, trying to keep things professional, while he did everything he could to distract her. He had to give her credit—every time he’d push, she’d push back. He liked that. She was making him work for it. That was something he’d never had to do. He’d been a star player in high school, and with that, came girls. College had been much the same. The problem was, most of the women bored him to tears. Rebecca Carson was a challenge he was up for . . . and nice to look at, too.

  “Yes,” she said, opening the door.

  She stood there wearing an outfit similar to the one he’d seen her in the previous day. “You can’t wear that.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You can’t wear that. You’re supposed to be my girlfriend. My girlfriend would not wear something so . . .”

  “Tasteful?”

  “Boring was more what I was looking for.”

  “There is nothing wrong with my outfit.”

  “If you were going to a funeral, maybe. You’ve got to learn to loosen up, Rebecca.” She froze when he used her first name. That was another piece of information he’d managed to weasel out of her the night before. “Lose the jacket,” he said, taking a step into her room.

  To her credit, she didn’t move away from him. Instead, she pushed her shoulders back and stood to her full height. “You’re wearing a jacket. What’s wrong with mine?”

  “I’m required to wear a suit when I’m traveling with the team. You, however, are going to look like the FBI agent you are if you’re seen with me wearing that.”

  She looked at him as if she were trying to find some ulterior motive. “Fine,” she said, then removed her jacket and placed it back on the hanger. When she returned to stand before him, his hands automatically went to the buttons at the top of her blouse. Before he knew it, her fingers were wrapped around his wrist in a hold bordering on painful.

  “Hey! Let go of my wrist. I have to use that tomorrow.”

  She released him and took a step back. “What do you think you’re doing?
”

  Gage examined his wrist. It seemed to be okay. “Are you always this touchy?”

  “I don’t like people touching me without my permission,” she said.

  “Duly noted.” Without looking back, he turned and walked out of her room. If she wanted to walk around looking like she was about to enter a nunnery, then so be it. He wasn’t risking his throwing arm over it.

  Rebecca watched as he left room still examining his wrist. She hadn’t hurt him, not really. Pressure points were effective in getting someone’s attention, but she hadn’t used enough force to do him any real harm.

  Walking over to the mirror, she took a good look at herself. Did she really look like she was going to a funeral? Her hair was pulled back away from her face just as it always was, and she had on a pair of black dress pants and a cream-colored blouse. Rebecca supposed, if she were honest, she did look a little stuffy.

  With a tentative hand, she reached up and liberated her hair from its binding, allowing it to flow freely around her shoulders. Then, with nervous fingers, she released the top two buttons of her blouse. It was silly, really. She wore less clothing when she worked out in the gym, but for some reason she felt less than fully dressed like this. Daniels was right. She had to look the part of a girlfriend, not an FBI agent.

  As satisfied with her appearance as she was going to get, Rebecca grabbed her luggage and walked downstairs where Daniels was waiting.

  “Better,” he said when she emerged.

  “Happy to hear you approve,” she said, her voice full of sarcasm. He just continued to look at her with that cocky grin of his. “Are we ready to go?”

  “Yeah,” he said, reaching for her bag.

  “What are you doing now?” she asked, frustrated.

  He ignored her and walked toward the door. “You coming?” he asked when he’d reached the garage.

  She took a deep, calming breath. It’s just part of the job. Then, squaring her shoulders, she followed him.

  The drive to the stadium was quiet. She kept watch, but no one appeared to be following them. Daniels had explained how everything worked. The team met in the players’ parking lot at the stadium and was then bused to the airport. No wives or girlfriends were allowed on the bus, so she’d arranged for Hansen to meet them here and drive her to the airport.

  She’d much rather be on the bus with Daniels, since it was difficult to protect him or observe his interactions with others when he wasn’t in her line of sight. Making an exception for her presence, though, could tip their hand to the stalker, and that wasn’t something they needed. Staying under the radar was the whole point of this girlfriend façade.

  Daniels slowed down and turned into the players’ parking lot. A lot of people were mingling around, mostly men, however there were a few women, wives and girlfriends, she assumed, mixed in the crowd.

  He parked the car a good distance from where the crowd and the charter buses were waiting. After retrieving his duffle bag and her luggage from the backseat, he walked around to her side of the car. “Your ride’s not here.”

  She looked around, but he was right. There was no sign of Hansen. Her phone had no messages, so she assumed he was on his away. One thing she’d learned in her first years in the bureau, Hansen was a good partner. He was where he said he was going to be when he said he was going to be there. “We’re early. I’m sure he’s on his way.”

  “Whatever, beautiful,” he said, hiking the duffle bag up farther on his shoulder.

  He walked away. She followed.

  “What are you doing now?” he said, stopping and turning back to her.

  “Coming with you, of course.” She pointed to the other women in the group. “The other wives and girlfriends are waiting with the players, are they not? Wouldn’t it look off if I didn’t join you as well?”

  He frowned.

  Although she usually wanted to wipe that cocky grin of his off his face, she didn’t like the way this new expression made his face look. It was out of place, unnatural.

  “Fine,” he said, his smile returning. This time, it held a devious quality. “Let’s go introduce the guys to my new girlfriend.” Before she could say another word, he grabbed her hand and pulled her forward.

  It took a lot of effort on her part not to rip her hand out of his grip, but she knew that wouldn’t look good. She had to play the part, whether she liked it or not, so she gritted her teeth and smiled.

  When they reached the group, he introduced her to a couple of his teammates, Zach Evans and Kenny Blake. She recognized Zach from one of the pictures that had been taken of Daniels. Judging by the easy conversation she was witnessing, the three were fairly close friends. There was no sign of a wedding ring on either’s finger, and no women there to see them off.

  Zach and Kenny looked shocked when Daniels introduced her as his girlfriend. They both quickly introduced themselves again, welcoming her to the team. She wasn’t sure she completely understood that, but her being there obviously held some significance.

  They were polite, asking her the standard ‘get to know you’ questions. Was she from Nashville? Did she grow up around here? She noticed they didn’t ask her how long she and Daniels had been together, and wondered if they’d be subjecting him to a barrage of questions once she was no longer standing beside him. That thought made her smile. It would serve him right to be put into an awkward position and try to scramble for answers.

  At eleven fifteen, several men walked out of the stadium. They were all older. The one in the middle announced it was time to load the buses, and the atmosphere around her shifted. There were hugs and kisses as the players said good-bye to the women they were leaving behind.

  Zach and Kenny both said a quick good-bye and then disappeared inside the bus, leaving her standing alone with Daniels. “I see your ride has arrived,” he said, moving to stand in front of her.

  She glanced over her shoulder and saw Hansen leaning casually against his car across the lot. He nodded when he noticed her looking. Getting down to business, she turned back around to face Daniels. “We’ll follow behind the buses. I’m booked—” She stopped midsentence as he closed the distance between them.

  As he came closer, she was ready to jump down his throat for invading her space, when he leaned in and whispered, “I’m going to kiss you good-bye now. Gotta keep up appearances, beautiful.”

  Before she could respond, his lips made contact. The kiss was brief, his mouth gone before she could even react, but it left her lips tingling.

  She stared up at him in disbelief. He was still standing way too close for comfort. “Have a safe trip,” he said, winking. Then he picked up his duffle that had been lying on the ground beside them and strolled over to one of the buses as if nothing unusual had happened.

  Stunned, she stood longer than necessary to watch as he loaded the bus. Shaking herself out of her haze, she picked up her own luggage and walked to where Hansen was waiting. It didn’t take a genius to know he’d seen the kiss. “Don’t say a word, Hansen.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it, Carson,” he said, smiling as he opened the car door and slipped inside.

  Chapter 4

  They attacked him the minute he sat down.

  “Since when do you have a girlfriend, man?” Kenny asked.

  “Yeah. I mean she’s hot and all, but I thought you didn’t do girlfriends,” Zach added.

  Gage shrugged. “It’s new.” What else was he supposed to say? Zach and Kenny were his best friends. The three of them went out almost every weekend together. They knew his history with women. Knew he didn’t date. Not in the traditional sense at least. The other guys might not question his new relationship, but these two would. No one was supposed to know who Rebecca Carson really was, but it was going to be a challenge to make Zach and Kenny believe he’d turned over a new leaf.

  “New?” Zach scoffed. “Dude, you were just with that blonde last week at the club. So either this girlfriend thing happened in the last few days or you were che
ating, and you know how I feel about that. Friend or not, I’ll kick your ass for her,” he said, suddenly dead serious.

  “I wasn’t cheating.” Gage hurried to assure his friend. “It . . . it happened this week.”

  Zach was a bit more reserved than him and Kenny. He’d left his longtime girlfriend behind in upstate New York to come play professional football in Nashville. They’d kept in contact, and as far as he’d been concerned, still dating each other exclusively. When they’d gotten a bye week between playoff games, Zach had flown back to surprise her. Only he was the one surprised. He’d found her snuggling up to another man in the local coffee shop. The fallout wasn’t pretty, and Zach hadn’t been able to get his head back together before the next game even though Gage and Kenny had tried everything they could to cheer their friend up. He’d ended up taking a hit that he should have seen coming and had dislocated his shoulder. It had meant the end of his playing for the rest of the season.

  “Wow,” Kenny said. “That is new.”

  The bus began moving, and Gage glanced out the window. He looked around until he found the car containing the two FBI agents. In the background, he could hear their coach had stood up to talk to the team as he usually did. It was just the standard ‘this is what’s going to happen when we arrive at the airport, remember you are representing the entire team’ speech he always gave.

  Gage tuned him out and closed his eyes, thankful for the diversion. He didn’t want to lie to his friends, but he couldn’t tell them the truth.

  The ride to the airport was relatively short. Everyone grabbed their gear and shuffled off the bus into the busy airport. Zach and Kenny were ahead of him in the group. He’d intentionally hung back on the bus and let them go ahead. Too many things were going on in his head right then. He didn’t need them adding to the chaos.