“We don’t know if there’s a price on your head, Annie. We only know that someone is trying to intimidate you.”
“It feels the same to me. Either way, I’m in danger, and I’m hiding out until that changes.”
“Hiding out, but not with strangers. We’ve known each other for over a year.”
“You’re wrong. I haven’t known you for a year. At least not in any way that matters. You may know what my favorite cookie is, but I don’t know yours. I don’t know your favorite color, how many siblings you have, whether you’ve ever been married.”
“Chocolate chip. Blue. Two. No,” he said.
She offered a real smile but shook her head. “Those are easy things, Hunter. Telling me about them is like telling me that the sky is blue or the sun is shining. It’s all generic and simple. The hard stuff is the stuff I want to know.”
He should have ended the conversation then. Told her that it was time to go back to her room and her daughter, but it had been a long time since he’d sat next to a beautiful woman, caught a hint of her perfume in the air, felt the warmth of her body close to his and really noticed it the way he was noticing Annie.
She was a witness. There were lines he couldn’t cross, lines he wouldn’t cross, but sitting at a table, talking to her when she was anxious and worried…that wasn’t one of them.
“Then ask the hard questions. I’ll answer them,” he said.
“All of them?” she laughed, grabbing another cookie and peeling the top off it.
“Some of them. What do you want to know?”
“Why you’re a U.S. marshal.”
“That’s easy. The work is interesting and every case is different. I like the mental and physical challenge, too.”
“So, it’s not about the people?”
“It’s about justice, and it’s about the people. Usually not the people I’m protecting, though. Most of the time, they’re criminals who are hiding from people that they’ve betrayed.”
“I see.”
“What do you see, Annie?” he asked, because he was curious. He wanted to know how he looked to her.
“That you’re not what I thought you were.” She frowned and wiped a wet spot off the table.
“What did you think I was?”
“Someone who didn’t really care. Someone who was all about the job. All about getting the witness to trial so you could put another notch on your work belt.”
“Ouch,” he said mildly. He didn’t blame her for thinking that. He wore the persona, and he was happy to let people believe it was a real representation of who he was.
“I’m sorry,” she responded. “It’s the way you act, though.”
“I know.”
“And you don’t want to do something about it?”
“Why would I?”
“Because you’re giving yourself a bad reputation.”
“Like I said, most of the people I’m protecting are criminals and thugs. I’m not really all that concerned with their opinions of me.”
“What about the people you work with?”
“They know me well enough to know where my heart lies.”
“Where is that?” she asked, reaching for another cookie.
He snagged the package before she could grab one, pulling it out of her reach. “With the people I care about. My family. My friends. You and Sophia.” He admitted the last because he thought she needed to hear it.
Her eyes widened, a small frown line appearing between her brows. “Is that why you took the cookies?”
“What?”
“Did you take the cookies because you care about my health? Because if that’s the case, you can give them back. I’m not going to drown myself in a package of vanilla sandwich cookies. Tempting as it might be.”
“I took the cookies because I don’t think a pound of sugar is going to do much to help you fall asleep.” He stood and offered his hand, pulling Annie to her feet. Heat shot up his arm, and he took a quick step back. “The prosecuting attorney rescheduled the meeting you were supposed to have yesterday. We have to be at his office at ten. You’re never going to be able to drag yourself out of bed if you don’t get some sleep soon.”
“I won’t have to drag myself. Sophia will manage to get me out of bed just fine.” She rubbed her palm against her jeans, must have realized what she was doing and stopped.
He knew how she felt.
He could still feel the warmth of her skin. In all the years he’d worked as a marshal, he’d never been attracted to a witness. Never been tempted to cross the line. He’d never thought he could be.
He’d been wrong.
Annie was becoming a problem. If he wasn’t careful, she’d become a really big one.
“But you won’t be happy about it if you don’t get some sleep,” he responded, keeping his tone light and professional. What he was feeling had nothing to do with the job, and he wouldn’t let it affect him.
“Probably not, but I’ll get up anyway. I’ll even be nice to Mr. Antonio and practice answering all the questions that I’ve already practiced answering dozens of times.”
“I’m sure Antonio will appreciate it. Seeing as how you’ve been so difficult to work with up until this point.”
She laughed. “I’ve been trying to hold on to my patience, but after answering the same questions so many times, I’m getting a little tired of our meetings.”
“They’ll be over soon,” he assured her.
“I know.” She smoothed her hair, rubbed the back of her neck. “Can Sophia come with us tomorrow?”
“She’ll be safer here.”
He thought she’d argue, but she nodded instead. “Okay. Who’s staying with her?”
“Whoever you want me to get.”
“Come on, Hunter.” She smiled. “You don’t think I’m going to believe that you don’t already have someone lined up, do you?”
“Maybe you know me better than you think,” he joked, but it wasn’t all that funny. She shouldn’t know him at all because he was supposed to be background to her life. Not part of it.
“I know that you don’t leave anything to chance. So, who is it going to be?”
“Serena will be here. She’s good with Sophia.”
“All of you are good with her, but I’m her mother. I want to be the one to take care of her.”
“She was in day care in Milwaukee. That went okay, right?” he asked even though he knew it had. He’d done the research before she’d left St. Louis, found a good neighborhood and a good day-care facility for Sophia. He’d been the only one of the team who’d known her location, and he’d kept it quiet, too, so that she could have exactly what she was describing—a feeling of security and safety.
“That was different.”
“How?”
“I wasn’t afraid that every time I left her, I might not return.”
He hadn’t thought about that. Probably because he wasn’t a father. He didn’t have someone waiting for him to come home. He wouldn’t be missed if he didn’t return. There was something a little sad about that. Something that made him wonder if he’d made the right choice when he’d decided to opt for a career over a family.
“I’ll bring you back to her. I promise you that.”
“Promises are easy, Hunter. It’s keeping them that’s hard. You were right. I need to get some sleep. Good night.” She nearly ran from the kitchen. Her feet pounded on the stairs. The floor creaked above his head.
He didn’t hear the door to her room close, but he knew she’d closed it.
He dropped back into his chair, scanning the computer monitor for any sign of trouble. Nothing, and he hadn’t expected there to be. No one but the immediate team knew Annie was there, and as long as Hunter had anything to do with it, no one would.
The wind howled through the eaves and rattled the windows, cold air seeping in through the windowpane. Because the house was a rental, he and Burke hadn’t done much to improve the place, despite the fact that the landlord
had told them they could make any changes they wanted. They’d spent so little time there, it hadn’t felt important.
Now he wished they’d paid to have new windows put in, done some weatherproofing, sealed the little cracks in the old wooden panes. The upstairs rooms had once been the attic. The walls weren’t insulated well. The floors were icy in the winter. Not a good place for a little girl to sleep.
Annie would keep her daughter warm. Even if that meant giving up her own blankets. That was as good an excuse as any to go upstairs. He walked up the stairs and opened the linen closet, dug through it until he found a blanket that his niece had left behind. It was small and pink with tiny flowers.
The door to Annie’s room was closed. Just like he’d known it would be. He knocked softly, not sure if Annie would answer.
She’d been in a hurry to leave the kitchen.
To leave him.
The door opened, and Annie appeared, the black Bible clutched to her chest. He wanted to ask her why she didn’t buy a new one, get something that had no connection to her husband, but it wasn’t his place or his concern.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, her face pale as paper, her eyes deep blue.
“I was afraid that Sophia would get cold.” He held up the blanket, and she took it.
“Thank you.” She would have shut the door, but he put his hand on the wood, holding it open.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because…there’s something happening between us that neither of us expected?”
“I don’t—”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” He cut her off. He didn’t believe in playing games, and there was too much riding on her trusting him to ignore what they’d both felt. “How about you don’t pretend otherwise?”
“All right. I won’t pretend, but it doesn’t mean anything.”
“You’re right. It doesn’t, and I don’t want you to do anything foolish to prove that.”
“I’m not planning to.”
“No matter what, Annie, you’ve got to stick with the plan and stay with the program. For your sake and for your daughter’s.”
“You don’t have to keep reminding me. I know what’s at stake.” Her knuckles were white, her grip on the Bible and the blanket so tight, he thought she’d leave nail gauges in the leather cover and holes in the blanket.
“But do you trust me to do whatever it takes to keep you and Sophia safe?” That was the real question. The one he needed an answer to.
“I don’t know, but I trust God, and this is where He’s put me. Until things change, it’s where I’m going to stay.”
“What things?”
“How can I know, Hunter? I just know that for now, I have to stay. If that changes, I’ll let you know. Now, do you mind if I try to get some sleep? I really am exhausted.”
He let go of the door, and she closed it, the lock clicking loudly in the sudden silence.
She’d said she was going to keep cooperating, but Hunter couldn’t shake his concern as he walked back to the kitchen. All of her acquiescence wouldn’t do any good if she suddenly decided she was finished being part of the program.
She’d be on her own then, out in the open where anyone who wanted to harm her could find her.
No bodyguards. No weapons. Just Annie and Sophia.
The thought filled him with anger, dread and a healthy dose of fear.
He paced to the living-room window and looked out into the front yard. Frozen rain coated the grass and pinged off the pavement. He’d always loved winter. The stark beauty of it reminded him that there was more to life than the hectic schedule he kept. More to living than sitting in an office or standing guard over witnesses. When he looked at snow-laden trees or the stark branches of the trees, he could see the beginnings of life and the ends of it.
Nothing lasted forever.
Winter reminded him of that.
It was in the winter that he was most likely to question the path he’d chosen. Over the years, he’d had other work offers. Local police work. Training work. He’d been offered a job as bodyguard more than once. He’d even been asked to move to Montana to help his uncle with the ranch he owned there.
He’d turned down every opportunity because St. Louis was his hometown, and U.S. Marshals work had always been his passion.
Right then, though, looking out into the wintery morning, he wasn’t sure if it always would be.
TWELVE
At some point, Annie must have fallen asleep.
She didn’t even remember lying down.
She’d been sitting on her bed, reading from Ephesians, the winter storm raging outside. The next thing she knew, Sophia was patting her cheek.
“Mommy! Wake up!” she cried, her sweet voice pulling Annie from the edge of sleep.
She opened her eyes. Sunlight streamed through the closed slats of the blinds and dappled Sophia’s hair with gold. The storm had broken. The sun had risen.
And Annie was going to have to see Hunter again.
She wasn’t all that happy about it.
Not after she’d asked him those questions the previous night. Not after he’d held her hand and she’d felt the heat of his touch zip straight into her heart.
He’d felt it, too.
And, in true Hunter fashion, he hadn’t been willing to ignore it.
“Mommy!” Sophia tugged her hand, trying to pull her out of bed.
“Okay, sweetie. I’m up.” She dragged herself out of bed and glanced at the clock. She had a couple of hours before she had to meet with the attorney. Plenty of time to feed Sophia and get herself ready.
She grabbed clothes from her suitcase and walked to the door. She should have just opened it, but she pressed her ear to the wood, trying to hear voices. She didn’t want to face Hunter. Not yet.
“Let’s go, Mommy.” Sophia tugged her hand impatiently.
“Okay. Right. Let’s go.”
Please, don’t let him be out there, she thought as she opened the door. She hadn’t slept well, and she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to have a conversation with anyone. Especially not Hunter.
The hall was empty, and she hurried Sophia to the bathroom. She took a quick shower and searched for a blow-dryer. She came up empty.
She toweled her hair dry and took a quick peek in the mirror. The circles under her eyes looked like the black smudges football players had under their eyes during games. Her skin was as pale as paper, her hair almost black in contrast. She’d chosen a simple black shirtdress. Usually, she loved it, but it only made her pallor more noticeable. She glanced down. It also showcased the ugly scabs on her knees. She could see them through the thick black tights she wore.
“Yikes,” she murmured.
“Yikes,” Sophia repeated, tugging on the skirt of Annie’s dress. “Up?”
“Sure.” She sighed. She could put on some makeup before she left. Maybe pull her hair back. It wasn’t as if she was going to a job interview, but Mr. Antonio was constantly stressing the importance of how she presented herself during trial. Young. Demure. Respectable.
She’d always thought she was all those things, and she’d never really worried about the opinions of others, but the prosecuting attorney and his team were worried about Joe. He’d been a gambler, a liar. He’d borrowed money from people who were part of a crime syndicate that had been responsible for murders, robberies and drug running.
Annie had to be the antithesis of all of that because her testimony against the men who’d murdered Joe was the keystone to the prosecutor’s case. Without it, there was a very good chance that one or both of the men would walk away free.
She lifted Sophia, her palms sore and raw. A good reminder of her foolishness. She should have trusted Hunter, and if she hadn’t been able to do that, she should have trusted God.
He was in control. Not the prosecuting attorney. Not the marshals. Not whoever was trying to scare Annie into silence. S
he’d forgotten that for a while, but a long, sleepless night reading her Bible and praying had reminded her of where her strength and hope lay.
She just had to keep that in mind as she went through the day.
The house was silent as she walked downstairs and into the living room. The lights were off, the curtains closed. She braced herself as she walked to the kitchen. Burke should be pulling his shift by now, and Hunter should be sleeping or getting ready to escort her to the lawyer’s office.
Hopefully.
Because she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to face him.
She walked into the kitchen, nearly sagging with relief when she saw Burke, his head bent over what looked like a dismantled high chair.
“Morning,” he said without looking up. “Coffee is ready. Serena dropped off some stuff for breakfast. Check the fridge.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll have this contraption put together in a few minutes, if you want to wait to feed Sophia.” He snapped a piece of plastic into place and set the high chair upright. He had a slimmer build than Hunter, his muscles less defined beneath the white dress shirt he wore. “Hunter should be down soon. I think he said you’re leaving at nine.”
“The meeting isn’t until ten.” She opened the fridge, snagging Sophia’s hands just before she pulled eggs from the side shelf.
“You’re meeting at a friend of Antonio’s instead of his office. It’s too risky to do anything else.”
“Risky?” She grabbed a yogurt and some blueberries and carried them to the table.
“The closer we get to trial, the higher the risk. Hunter doesn’t want to take any chances. None of us do.” He set the high chair into place near the table, brushed his hands on his black slacks. “There you go. Perfect.”
“Thanks, Burke,” she said, setting Sophia into the chair and strapping her in. “This is going to make feeding her a lot easier.”
“Anything for you, doll,” he said with a wink.
She ignored the flirtation.
Even before she’d married Joe, she hadn’t been much for it. She’d wanted to settle down, not play the field.
A box of Cheerios sat on the counter. She poured a few onto the tray of the high chair, cut a banana into pieces that Sophia could enjoy. They could share the yogurt. Annie wasn’t all that excited about eating. Too many cookies in the middle of the night.
Love Inspired Suspense January 2014 Page 11
