Devil's Playground

by Arianna Hart

  She needed to walk. Caitlyn always thought better when she moved, and being stuck in the kitchen while a mouth watering man dozed not fifteen feet away didn’t help her powers of concentration much.

  Peeking into the living room, Caitlyn made sure Mac was really sleeping before she left. Keys in hand, she locked the door behind her and went out into the humid air. The heat almost discouraged her from walking to straighten out her thoughts but there was no way she’d be able to pace quietly enough not to disturb Mac.

  A quick look around didn’t reveal anything out of the ordinary, so she took off at a half jog. Okay, let’s get all the pieces lined up. Mac used to be a hostage negotiator for the FBI and was shot in the line of duty. The man that took him hostage was also shot but he died.

  Not a man, a kid. The article hadn’t released the age but did call him a youth. And he was in the hospital for detox. Could Mac be working on a drug bust? That would make sense. The neighborhood where the hospital was located wasn’t the best, and Caitlyn had more than enough reason to know that there were plenty of drugs going around in Hartford. A night rarely went by when they didn’t have at least one overdose or someone coming in with severe withdrawal symptoms.

  Mac said he was in deep cover. If he were out to take down the drug dealers, he’d have to be extremely careful about his cover. Liam had told her enough to know that the drug dealers the local police force could catch were only the small fish. Maybe Mac was out to catch the shark?

  Until he told her otherwise, that was a good enough working theory. If she’d been involved in the same situation, she’d want to go after the drug dealers too. It was probably a good thing she was a nurse and not a cop.

  Stepping into the air-conditioned coolness of the corner market, Caitlyn smiled at the girl behind the register and went in search of a bottle of water. Luckily she had stuffed the change from her grocery shopping in her shorts. She was desperately thirsty and hadn’t thought to bring her purse. As Caitlyn waited for the girl to ring up her measly two dollar sale, a flash of color out the window over the sales girl’s shoulder caught her attention.

  The red Honda!

  Don’t get paranoid, O’Toole. There were hundreds of red Hondas in the city. There was no reason whatsoever to get all freaked out because one was in her neighborhood.

  Driving slowly.

  Like they were searching for something. Or someone.

  Caitlyn bent down as if she were tying her shoes and counted to twenty until she thought the car would be gone. She was about to stand up again when she heard horns blaring and the sound of tires squealing.

  “Stupid dudes thinking they’re in a racecar or something.” The cashier rolled her eyes and snapped her gum for emphasis. “That will be two dollars and eleven cents, ma’am.”

  “Thanks.” Caitlyn handed her the money and moved behind the cover of the lottery machine where she could see out the window without being seen. No sign of any red Honda, but she’d head home in the opposite direction just in case.

  She’d have to tell Mac about this now. Being followed once could be any garden-variety weirdo, but two sightings were downright fishy. Caitlyn stuffed the coins and receipt into her pocket and headed back out into the heat of the day. Shading her eyes, she searched again for the red car. The coast looked clear but she’d hustle her butt home anyway.

  Caitlyn practiced the best way to tell Mac she thought someone was following her without appearing paranoid. Before she told him anything, though, she’d have to marshal some arguments. He’d want to leave, and there was no way he’d survive on the run.

  There had to be some way to convince him that she could not only take care of herself, she could take care of him too.

  Fat chance of that happening.

  She’d have better luck drugging him into submission until he recovered. She’d yet to convince her brothers that she could take care of herself. She didn’t stand a chance convincing her brother’s best friend.

  Drugging him senseless looked better all the time. Nope, that wouldn’t work, she didn’t have strong enough painkillers handy. And if they had to move in a hurry, she’d never be able to lift his unconscious body. She’d just have to force him to see reason, and if that didn’t work, she’d withhold his clothes.

  The image of Mac wrapped in one of her flower sheets running down the street popped into her mind and set her giggling.

  Not that she’d mind seeing him in nothing but a sheet again. Or nothing at all.

  In all her years of nursing, she’d never had such a problem keeping her emotions in check. She’d had plenty of good-looking patients over the last five years, but she’d always been able to compartmentalize that aspect of the patients and focus on their injuries Never had the surge of attraction hit her with such force before.

  Maybe it was because she’d met Mac before and felt attracted to him? Or maybe it was because it wasn’t a hospital setting? Hell, she didn’t know why her professionalism deserted her. All she knew was being near Mac made her pulse race regardless of whether she was treating him as a patient or as a man.

  Before she could figure out how to ice down her hormones she’d arrived back at her apartment. The old house didn’t look like much from the outside but it had charm. Not to mention it was rent controlled.

  Unlocking the door and stepping into her kitchen, Caitlyn locked the door behind her and tossed the keys onto the table. Her eyes were still adjusting to the dimness of the apartment after the brightness outside when she went in to check on Mac.

  He wasn’t there.

  Caitlyn rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times. Where could he have gone? He had more stitches in him than her grandmother’s quilt. What was he thinking?

  As she reached for the phone to call Liam to get his help tracking a half naked man, she saw a foot twitch under the futon. Mac? How could he fit under there? It looked scarcely a foot off the ground.

  Better question, why was he hiding under there?

  “Mac?”

  “Caitlyn, is that you?”

  “Who else would it be?”

  “How about you help me out from under here and I’ll explain?” His voice was muffled but not enough for her to miss the pain in it.

  “Hold on, I’ll fold up the futon a little so I can get you out easier.”

  “Thank God. I really didn’t want to have to slide out from under here.”

  Caitlyn folded the futon back and lifted it away so Mac would have room to move. She tried not to look at the naked butt cheek peeking out from the sheet but couldn’t seem to help herself. A rear end like that should be bronzed.

  It wasn’t until she saw the bright red splotches of blood leaking through the bandages that she managed to stop staring at Mac’s behind.

  “Hold on, let me help you, you’re popping your stitches.”

  “I’m fine. Really.” Mac’s voice was ragged with pain.

  “Shut up. You can be a hero next time. Right now you’re ruining all my handiwork, getting blood on my floor and about to lose the IV.”

  Squatting next to him, Caitlyn got a good hold on the sheet he’d partially wrapped around him and pulled him across the smooth hardwood floor. When he was out of the way, she unfolded the futon again.

  “Now, do you want to tell me what you were doing hiding under the bed?”

  “Someone was poking around, trying the windows and fiddling with the lock on the back door. I couldn’t move very well, so I rolled off the bed and wormed my way under it.”

  “Busting open stitches along the way. I made sure all the safety locks were on the windows and I locked the dead bolt before I left.”

  “How was I supposed to know that? The last I knew you were in the kitchen. I woke up when I heard someone at the bathroom window and you were nowhere to be seen.”

  “I took a walk. I had some thinking to do and I didn’t want to wake you up while I paced. I only went down to the corner and back. I was gone ten minutes, tops.”

  “Did you se
e anyone on your way out?” The urgency in his voice sent a shiver down her spine. She had to tell him about the car now.

  “Not exactly.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Well, earlier today when I was out shopping, I noticed a red Honda following me, so I hopped onto the highway and ditched him. Just now I could have sworn I saw the same car driving down the street.”

  “Shit. Why didn’t you tell me before? I’ve got to get out of here before I put you in even more danger.” Mac tried to push up off the floor but his arms shook with the strain and he couldn’t get his feet under him before he collapsed.

  “That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. You’re in no condition to run out on your own.”

  “I’ll manage.” His sky blue eyes were defiant.

  “How? Please tell me how you are going to go running around chasing bad guys with a hole in your gut and an IV dripping from your arm? Do you want gangrene? If you take that IV out and stop the flow of antibiotics, that’s what will happen. Those stitches can’t come out for three weeks and it’s going to take at least that long for you to begin to recover your strength.”

  “Tom will never forgive me if I put you in danger. Any more danger. You don’t know what these people are like. They won’t ask how much you know, they’ll just assume it’s too much and kill you.”

  “Then it really doesn’t matter if you leave now or not, they’ll kill me regardless. And let me handle Tom. I’m a big girl. He isn’t in charge of me, my decisions, or my safety.”

  “You don’t understand—”

  “No, you don’t understand. You aren’t going anywhere and it’s time you realized it. I’m going to roll you onto your back and help you get onto the bed. Don’t pull away from me, I don’t want you to rip any more stitches.”

  He grumbled something incoherently but did as she asked. Caitlyn tried not to think about how much pain he must be in right now. Rolling off the futon would have been painful enough but the effort it took to get himself under the bed had to have been excruciating. Once she got him back on the bed she peeled the gauze back to check the stitches.

  “Well, you only pulled them, you didn’t rip them out so I guess I can forgive you. But just this once. Don’t do it again.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said with a weak smile.

  “That’s the second time today I’ve been ma’amed. Do I really look old enough to be a ma’am?”

  “It must be an authority thing, because you look barely out of high school.”

  “Flatterer. But don’t stop, I like it.” Caitlyn laughed as she wrapped new gauze around his waist, doing her best not to touch his skin.

  “I can’t believe you don’t know how beautiful you are.”

  “Yeah, that’s me. Femme fatale.” She rolled her eyes and snorted.

  “Honestly, you are one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen.” Mac held her chin in his hand before she could turn away.

  “You’re just buttering me up so that I’ll let you out of bed again.” He looked right into her eyes, like he could make her believe his words by will alone. His hand felt hot on her face, and his breath caressed her cheek. He was so close, if she leaned in just a little her lips would meet his. Caitlyn’s pulse raced at the thought and she licked her lips in anticipation.

  The phone by the bed rang, breaking the spell. Mac dropped his hand back to the mattress. She was going to kill whoever was on the other end of the phone.

  Chapter Four

  Caitlyn reached for the phone, but Mac’s hand stopped her from picking it up.

  “Tell no one.”

  “No kidding. Do I look like an idiot?” She rolled her eyes again.

  His sky blue gaze fired into her eyes for another breathtaking second before he released her wrist. Her arm tingled from the contact.

  “Hello?” She had to clear her throat to get the huskiness out of her voice.

  “Cat? Did I wake you up?” Liam’s voice boomed through the earpiece.

  “No, just had a frog in my throat. What’s up?”

  “Nothing, just wanted to see if there was anything you wanted to tell me.” His voice held a hint of laughter.

  “Uh, what do you mean?” What did he know?

  “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe some trouble you’ve gotten into lately?” More laughter colored his voice.

  “None that I can think of.” Or that she could tell him about anyway. “Why do you ask?” Had one of the patrol cars gone by her house and seen her dragging Mac into the apartment?

  “Just didn’t know if you needed me to fix a parking ticket for you.”

  “A parking ticket? No, I haven’t gotten a ticket in years.” At least not since Liam had joined the force.

  “That’s not what I heard,” he taunted.

  “Quit the theatrics, Liam. What do you mean?”

  “I heard from Sue in dispatch that your plate got called in last night around midnight for a parking violation near the hospital. She told me to tell you to park in the garage. It’s too dangerous to be parking in the streets at midnight anyway.”

  “I did park in the garage.” Someone must have gotten her plate, but why go to the police?

  “Yeah, right. That’s why your plate got called in. What are you thinking anyway? You get free parking, use it. You could get mugged or raped if you don’t pay attention. I’m gonna have one of my buddies drive by tonight to make sure you’re not on the street, and if you are, I’ll have you towed. That’ll teach you.”

  “Don’t you dare! Liam Patrick, you will not have my Jeep towed. I’m a big girl now, and I can take care of myself.”

  Mac eyed her with a half smile on his face. Amusement twinkled out of his eyes and he relaxed back against the pillows.

  “Then don’t park on the street and you won’t have to worry about it.”

  “I didn’t park on the street,” she growled. “Is that the only reason you called? To bust my chops about getting a ticket and parking on the street?”

  “Pretty much. You going to the firehouse for dinner tomorrow night?”

  Oh crap. The firehouse. Almost every Friday night, Liam and Caitlyn met up with Jim at his fire station to have dinner with him and his crew. With the crazy schedules all three of them worked, it was the only way they managed to see each other more than once a month.

  “I’m not sure. I might have plans.” She looked at Mac. He shook his head.

  “Go,” he mouthed.

  “What plans? A date?” Liam’s voice lost its teasing quality and suddenly got more intense.

  “No, just some stuff I have to do around the house. If I can get them done tomorrow after work and still get some sleep, I should be able to make it.”

  “’K. I’m working straight through the weekend but I’ll be there after work Friday night.”

  “I’ll see you there, then.”

  “Park in the damn garage tonight.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Nag, nag, nag. I love you too.”

  “Whatever, just remember, I’m having someone drive by when you get off.”

  “Good-bye.” Caitlyn hung up with a sigh. Someday her brothers were going to realize she wasn’t a baby anymore.

  “What was that all about?” Mac asked, looking at her through half closed eyes. He must be getting tired again from his exertions.

  “My brother, Liam, the cop. He heard from a dispatcher that my license plate was called in for a parking violation and was calling to give me a hard time.”

  “Parking violation? When?” His eyes were wide open and wary now.

  “Last night. Looks like someone grabbed my plate and called it in.”

  “Did you see anyone when you were leaving?”

  “Just the security guard manning the exit.” The memory of running feet and squealing sneakers popped into her brain. “Oh! But I think I might have heard someone in the garage before I pulled out. It’s possible someone spotted me and took down my plate. But why would they call the police? Wouldn’t t
hey want to stay as far away from the police as possible?”

  They would—unless they were working with the police. But Mac couldn’t tell her that. The reason the FBI was involved at all was because of that very possibility. And with her brother on the police force, he couldn’t take any chances. He felt like a shit keeping her in the dark about the investigation but this was too big an operation to risk family loyalties getting in the way.

  “Well? Wouldn’t they?” Caitlyn looked at him with an eyebrow raised in question.

  “You’d think so. Maybe someone misread another plate and they got yours instead.” Even to him, that sounded lame.

  “I don’t think so. It would explain why someone tried to get into the house and why someone followed me earlier.”

  “What kind of car did you say it was again?”

  “A red Honda, tinted windows and souped up wheels.”

  Adrenaline shot through his system, his blood raced through his veins, and his heart pounded. Carlos! It had to be him. Damn! He had to get out of here before Caitlyn got even deeper into this mess. “Looks like you’ve been tagged as helping me. Three things in one day are a little too much for coincidence.”

  “True, but there’s not a whole lot we can do about it. We’ll just have to be especially careful until you’re well enough to travel.” She brushed off his concern with a wave of her hand. “I wish I didn’t have to work tonight but there’s no way I could find coverage now.”

  She had to work tonight? This could be his chance. He’d get out somehow while she was at work.

  “No, you need to go in, make things look as normal as possible. I’ll be fine here.” He thought about what he’d need to survive on the street. Very little, actually. “I don’t suppose you have a gun, do you?”

  She bit her lower lip a little nervously. “I do, but I don’t know what kind of shape it’s in.”

  “What do you mean?”