The OUT OF LINE Series

by Jen McLaughlin

  “No, I won’t be fine.” He pressed his lips together, his nostrils flaring. “Because on top of that, the whole time he’s here I have to stay the hell away from you when I don’t even want to be away from you for a fucking minute. So, yeah, I’m a little bit distracted and cranky, to say the least.”

  He hauled me up against him and kissed me hard, not giving me a chance to reply. What would I have said anyway? What he said pretty much summed up my feelings, so instead, I clung to him, knowing we shouldn’t be kissing like this in public, but unable to help myself.

  I curled my hands into his shirt, twisting the fabric in my hands. I could feel the tears threatening to escape me, trying to run down my cheeks. But I wouldn’t cry. It wasn’t like this was goodbye or anything. It was a temporary setback—nothing and no one would make me walk away. Not even Dad.

  He ended the kiss way too fast, resting his head on mine. “Let’s get you back to your dad. Remember, if you see me watching you—don’t even look at me. Act like you’ve never seen me before. Act like I’m no one and nothing. Don’t save my name in your phone, and no incriminating texts.”

  “I can’t even tell you I love you?” I asked, my throat swelling with the tears that were trying to escape.

  “Not in those words. Text me…the sun is finally shining.”

  “The sun is finally shining?”

  “Yeah. It’s the first thing I thought of when I met you—that the sun was brighter and shiny and good.”

  My heart melted. How the heck was I supposed to walk away after that? “I don’t want to go.”

  “I know.” He kissed me one last time. “But you have to.”

  I stopped at the bike, but he tugged me past it. “Wait, where are you taking me?”

  “You’re taking a cab. I quietly called one while you were on the phone. We can’t risk being seen together,” he said matter-of-factly. When I opened my mouth to tell him no, he shook his head. “I know. It sucks, but it’s how it has to be for now.”

  I blinked back tears. “Will you stay here?”

  “No, I’m getting rid of your helmet and watching from the shadows, like I’m supposed to. And when your dad confronts me and asks where I was, I can tell him that I was watching you the whole time.” He slapped my ass. “Now off you go, Ginger.”

  I walked to the cab, each step I took away from him becoming harder and harder. By the time I slipped into the seat, I was ready to turn around and bolt toward him. It was like something inside me thought this might be the last time I saw him. I didn’t know what caused my racing heart and my fear, but it was tangible and undeniable.

  And I somehow knew as the cab pulled away from the curb and Finn got rid of my helmet and climbed onto his bike…

  Something was going to go terribly wrong.

  After I stashed Carrie’s helmet inside my apartment in record speed, I hopped on my bike and followed the cab back to the dorms. I knew Carrie’s parents were rich and a flight out didn’t exactly break the bank or anything, but why had they come out all of a sudden? Had they just missed her, or was it something more?

  Something like suspicion?

  Maybe the senator had caught on to some weird vibe coming from across the fucking country and just instinctively known something was going on with his baby girl. But he couldn’t. It’s not like he was a psychic or some shit like that. He couldn’t possibly know that I’d gotten a little bit too close in guarding his precious cargo.

  …Could he?

  Oh, fuck me. What if he’d sent over some extra security and I didn’t even know about it? What if, right now even, he had a man watching me?

  If he did, I was so screwed.

  Carrie had thought she heard someone earlier. I had brushed it off, but maybe I’d been wrong. Maybe someone had been there, watching us and reporting back to her father from the shadows?

  Son of a bitch…

  I revved my engine, gripping the handlebars so tight it hurt, cursing myself ten times over for not considering this angle earlier. The cab pulled over and Carrie climbed out, her eyes seeking me out immediately. I parked my bike and tilted my head, telling her silently to look away and act like I didn’t exist. Something told me she’d fail miserably. She wasn’t a good liar, my Carrie, and it’s one of the things I loved most about her—her honesty.

  But it just might be our downfall.

  She walked up to her parents, her steps quickening as she grew closer. After one last look over her shoulder at me, she ran into her mom’s open arms. Her mom hugged her tight, burying her face in her hair and inhaling deeply. As if she missed Carrie’s scent and needed to get as much of it as she could while she could.

  Fuck, I got that. I got that all too well.

  Next, her dad—the man I’ve never even seen crack a smile—grinned and hauled her into his arms, spinning her in a wide circle and saying something I couldn’t make out. Carrie laughed in reply, the sound breaking through the night, and I closed my eyes.

  Ah, that sound…

  It had the power to save me from anything.

  I watched from the shadows, my heart as heavy as a bowling ball in my chest. They looked so happy and normal right now. I had a hard time placing the man who was paranoid enough to send me to watch his daughter in secrecy with the man who stood here now, laughing and bussing Carrie’s nose with a huge smile on his face.

  And watching her in the arms of her parents just made our whole situation real. Would they ever welcome me into their family with open arms like that? All smiles and kisses and hugs? Doubtful. But I’d do my damned best to make it happen.

  I’d make him accept me if it was the last thing I did, damn it.

  The next morning, after an hour of watching Carrie bond with her parents and a mostly sleepless night, I woke up hung over and yet way too sober. I’d spent all night plotting and trying to come up with every possible scenario that could occur with her father’s visit. I also tried to figure out why he was here.

  And I failed.

  I checked my text messages. One was from the senator. I’m in town.

  It was a test. He knew I knew, but wanted to see what I said. I saw you last night while I stood post. Welcome to California, sir.

  Thank you. Consider yourself off duty until I leave. I’ll be in contact ASAP.

  I clenched the phone. In other words? Stay away. Looking forward to it, sir.

  I also had a text from Carrie. It was ridiculous how happy that made me. The sun is finally shining today, Susan.

  I grinned. She’d saved me in her phone under a woman’s name. How smart and devious. I liked it. Indeed it is. You ready for chemistry class?

  I flopped back on my bed, resting my phone on my bare stomach as I waited for a reply. I didn’t have to wait long. My phone vibrated, and I picked it up. I prefer anatomy.

  Ha! Of course she did. That was our code for exploring each other’s bodies, after all. I grinned. Oh, me too. Believe me.

  As I waited for her to reply, I checked the time and realized she might not reply at all. She’d be walking into class right now, so she’d be silent for a while. Maybe I’d go to the beach. Ride a wave or two and try to figure out what was going on with my boss. Between the unusually quiet days leading up to this visit and the visit itself, I knew he knew something.

  The question was what?

  A knock sounded on the door, and I rolled out of bed wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. If someone wanted to knock on my door at this ungodly hour in the morning, then I reserved the right to open it half naked.

  But when I opened the door, I wished I’d put some clothes on.

  Senator Wallington, Carrie’s father in the flesh, stood on my porch staring at me with what I could only describe as speculation in his eyes. Fucking sneaky bastard. I stepped in the doorway, not letting him inside. “Sir? I didn’t realize you were texting me from my porch.”

  “I figured as much.” He looked over my shoulder, so I closed the door even more. “Yet…here I am.”

>   He craned his neck to try and see past me, but I didn’t budge. Boss or not, he didn’t get to drop in at my place unexpected like this. And Carrie’s clothes were all over my room right now since I hadn’t cleaned them up.

  If he came in, he’d know. And I’d be done for.

  “Is there something I can do for you, sir?”

  “Yes.” He crossed his arms over his flawless gray suit. Behind him, security stood in their black suits and shades, watching us both Men in Black style. Did I look that constipated when I stood behind the senator, not moving or talking? “You can let me inside, for starters.”

  I motioned down my body, my other hand gripping the door as tightly as I could. “It’s a mess and I’m not dressed. I wasn’t prepared for company.”

  “I don’t care if it’s a mess, and it’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” he said simply, his voice perfectly calm. His eyes moved over my tattoos, seeming to fall upon each and every one. Then he snapped his attention to my face again. “Let me inside, Coram.”

  I knew he wouldn’t walk away, and since he was my boss, I couldn’t exactly refuse him entry. Fuck, I wanted to. Standing here talking to Carrie’s dad while half naked with the scratches down my back that she’d made were perfectly visible was not my idea of a good start to my day.

  I tugged on my hair and sighed. “You’ll need to at least give me a second to pick up a little bit. Give me that much.”

  “You hiding something, Griffin Coram?”

  I winced, hating the fact that I was being forced to lie again. I’d hoped my lying days were over when Carrie figured out who I was, yet here I was—lying through my teeth to her father—my boss. “No, sir. The only thing I’m hiding is a mess that I’d rather you not see.”

  He sighed impatiently. “Go on, then. Clean up and throw some clothes on. We’ll go out to eat once you’re clean enough.”

  I nodded and closed the door in his face, taking a second to brace myself for the upcoming confrontation. If he was taking me out to eat, then it couldn’t be a bad thing that he was here, could it? Fuck if I knew.

  I pushed off the door and made quick work of throwing on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Next, I tossed all of Carrie’s clothes into a box, along with the pink hangers, and shoved it under my bed. After I made my bed, I stepped back and did a once-over of my place.

  It looked Carrie-free again, unfortunately.

  I smoothed my hands over my hair, took a calming breath, and opened the door. Senator Wallington still stood there, looking as poised as ever. I motioned him in. “If you’d like to come in now, you can.”

  The senator walked in, his gaze scanning the interior. His eyes seemed to touch upon anything and everything he could without digging through my drawers. I couldn’t help but shift on my feet uneasily. Knowing my luck, I’d probably missed something. Maybe I’d left out a shirt or a hair tie.

  He turned to me with his brows up. “This big enough for you? I can get you a bigger place if you prefer.”

  And just like that? The stress faded away. If he was talking about getting me a bigger apartment, I wasn’t getting fired. It pretty much ruled out the possibility of there being another security guy out here with us. If he knew I was in love with his daughter, I would be at the business end of a fist right now.

  Everything had to be okay. And my father would still get his retirement pension, and all was okay in the world. Minus the fact that I was a big fat fucking liar.

  I forced a smile. “I’m fine here, sir. It’s close to campus, and that makes my job easier.”

  “Good.” He slid his phone into his pocket, his eyes on my bed. Could he tell that only a few hours earlier, his daughter had been with me in that bed he studied so closely? “Why do you have two surfboards in here?”

  My breath slammed out of me. I eyed Carrie’s blue surfboard and thanked God she didn’t pick a girly one. “Why not? I like variety.”

  He gave me a hard look and sighed. “Let’s go.”

  “After you, sir,” I said quietly. I followed him outside, my palms sweating the whole time. I scanned the faces of the guards following the senator, then slid my shades onto my nose. “Cortez. Morris. Nice to see you again.”

  “You look different out of a suit, Coram,” Morris said, his voice flat. “Like a surfer boy.”

  I was a surfer boy, but I kept my mouth shut on that matter.

  “You look different in one while standing in California.” I shrugged. “I need to blend in, so surfer boy I am.”

  “Makes sense,” Cortez said.

  “Yeah. How many of you are there out here?”

  “Just us, to the best of my knowledge,” Cortez said, his eyes on the senator, who walked in front of us. “But with the senator?” Cortez caught my gaze, not dropping it. “You never know.”

  Well, shit. That sounded an awful lot like a warning. “I’ll remember that.”

  “You should,” Cortez said, motioning me forward into the town car.

  I nodded to both of them, then slid into the back of the car, settling into the far side of the seat to make room for all four of us. I kept replaying Cortez’s words in my head, dissecting them and trying to make sense out of the whole thing.

  My mind raced and my heart raced even faster. Was Cortez trying to warn me about something? Maybe he was trying to tell me that the senator had sent another man out here. If so, it would mean Carrie and I wouldn’t even be able to be together. Could I handle that?

  I’d been waiting to come clean for my father, but if I couldn’t even see the woman I loved, would it be so cut and dry? Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure about that.

  When the senator sat beside me and closed the door, I blinked at him. “Where’s the rest of your team, sir?”

  “They’ll watch Carrie today. After all, I have you with me.”

  “I don’t even have my weapon, sir.” I tapped my fingers on my knee. “It doesn’t go with the clothes.”

  He waved a hand. “It’s fine. I doubt we’ll be attacked at breakfast.”

  “All right.” I cocked a brow and buckled up, not sure how to take the senator’s behavior. “She’ll see them in those suits.”

  “I know.” He shrugged and looked out the window, gripping the side of the door so tight his knuckles showed. His entire body screamed of impatience and anger and something a hell of a lot like knowledge. “She knows they’re here now, so she won’t question it.”

  Okay, he had a point, but she wouldn’t like them being there. I fidgeted with my seatbelt, but forced myself to stop. It made me look guilty—which I was. Damn it, I hated this shit. Maybe I should come clean. Spit it out. Get it over with.

  He wouldn’t really cut off my father without a penny, would he? I didn’t know, and I couldn’t take that chance. If it were just me, I would open my mouth right now and tell him I loved his precious daughter. I’d accept the consequences of my actions. But with Dad months away from retirement, I couldn’t take that chance.

  I forced myself to nod. “That’s true,” I said, my voice stiff sounding even to my ears. “Do you have other guys besides me out here, sir?”

  He looked at me, his eyes so like Carrie’s it gave me the creeps. Even though they were the same shade, they were completely unreadable to me. He also had a way of staring me down that made me want to confess all my sins. Hard. Cold. Calculated.

  He clenched his jaw. “Have you seen anyone else following Carrie lately?”

  “Just thought I saw a few shadows moving.” I shrugged. “Could’ve been my imagination.”

  “Keep an eye on it. As of now, you’re the only one out here.”

  Thank fucking God. “I will, sir.”

  He tapped his fingers on the door. “If you need backup…”

  “I don’t. I’m fine.” I adjusted my seatbelt again. “If that changes, I’ll let you know.”

  “Are you juggling the Marines and my daughter with ease?”

  Was it just me, or was that question rife with innuendo? “Yes, sir. I
have to report for duty this weekend, but I’m sure she’ll be fine without me watching her. She’s proved to have a remarkably good head on her shoulders. You must be very proud of her.”

  The senator smoothed his jacket, a look of pride taking over his face. Not a smile, but the closest thing I’ve ever seen from him that wasn’t directed toward his family. “Indeed, I am.”

  “As well you should be, sir.”

  He looked out the window. “Your father says hello.”

  I swallowed hard. Part of me had hoped he would have come here, too. I missed him. “I look forward to seeing him once I return home for the holidays.”

  “He was going to come along, but something got in the way.” The senator turned away, his jaw hard but his eyes somehow softer. “Something unavoidable.”

  “Oh?” I loosened my seatbelt, my heart quickening at the odd reply. I hadn’t heard from my father a whole lot lately, and it hadn’t even registered on my radar with all the other shit I had going on, but now it was glaringly clear. “And what would that be? Is everything okay with him, sir?”

  He looked back my way, and the momentary flash of emotion had dissipated. The relentless politician I was accustomed to had returned. “I think that’s something you need to talk to him about.”

  That didn’t sound fucking good at all. What unavoidable thing could my father have had come up? “I’ll call him after breakfast, sir.”

  “Good.” Senator Wallington looked out the window again, giving me a reprieve from the nonstop scrutiny. I’d never seen the man so damned restless before. “I have to say, I had my suspicions in coming out here. Suspicions that led me to come out here directly.”

  And just like that, my heart stopped beating, then painfully accelerated. “Sir?”

  “I knew Carrie was hiding something. I came here because I knew she wasn’t being completely honest with me, and now I know what she’s hiding.”

  My chest squeezed tight. “What would that be, sir?”

  “Don’t you know already?” He leaned closer, eyeing me like a predator with its prey. “I think you do. I think you know exactly what I want to know, and you’re going to tell me every detail without leaving a single thing out.”