Grinding his jaw to relieve tension, he watched her leave the room. Seeing her defeated like this left him feeling inept and powerless. The same way he’d felt when Laura walked out on him. When Mac died. All the pain of his loss came flooding back the way it often had in the last two years.
Had he been fooling himself into thinking he could ever let go of his past to lead a normal life again? Could he ever let it go? Forget?
His phone rang, startling him.
“Dani,” he answered.
“You’ve been in there a long time,” she said. “Everything okay?”
“No.” Cole filled her in on the text message. “Alyssa and her kids will be staying with us until this is all sorted.”
“Good decision. It’ll make our jobs easier.” He was glad to hear her easy agreement confirm he hadn’t overreacted for once.
“About the phone,” she went on. “I’m sure Saunders would’ve used a throwaway to send the text, but I’ll trace it to be sure.”
“You want the number now?” Cole warily looked at Alyssa’s phone sitting on the table.
“No. I can get it from the account info Alyssa gave me earlier. I’ll run the number when we get back to the house.”
“It’s not likely to lead anywhere. Maybe you should catch a quick nap first.”
An awkward silence filled the phone. “Dani?”
“I’m not fragile, Cole.”
“I know that.”
“Do you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he said more forcefully than he should have, but after having Alyssa question his motives he didn’t have the patience for Dani to do the same thing.
“I’ve proved myself time and time again and you still want to coddle me.”
He huffed out a sigh. “That’s not what I’m doing here. You’re my sister. I love you. I want what’s best for you and right now that’s sleep.”
She didn’t respond.
“C’mon, Dani. I’d say the same thing to Derrick or Ethan.”
“Would you? Would you really?”
“Yeah, I would.” He paused for a few seconds to make sure his next statement came out more lighthearted in hopes of alleviating the tension. “But they’d probably belt me instead of arguing with me.”
“Fine,” she said, sounding seriously miffed. “When we get back to the house prepare to do battle.” She disconnected.
Well that was two for two. One more strike this afternoon and he was out.
As he waited for Alyssa, he wandered the family room looking at photos on bookshelves. The twins were in nearly every picture, but several of the photos included Todd and Alyssa, reflecting the good days of their marriage.
A pang of jealousy hit him. Not for the life she’d shared with Todd, but for a life he wanted. A wife. A family. But that would never happen for him.
Footsteps pounded down the stairs and Cole turned to see Alyssa laden with her belongings. She’d slung three tote bags over one shoulder and clutched a pillow and large stuffed elephant in her arms. Her eyes barely peeked over the top, but he could see enough of them to know she wasn’t upset anymore.
“Let me help.” He took the bags from her shoulder, catching the fresh scent of bleach from the crisp white pillowcases. “I never knew kids needed this much stuff. Or is it all for you?” he added, hoping to see the same smile he’d seen in the photos.
“Me, of course.” She wrinkled her nose at him. “I especially love curling up with Ellie and Curious George.” She lifted the blanket and elephant higher.
For a moment, he didn’t know what to say, but she broke out laughing and he joined in, enjoying the easy camaraderie between them. He wanted more of the fun-loving, playful Alyssa. Of the woman who could make him laugh and smile with abandon. Something he hadn’t been able to do or even wanted to do in a long time. She had such an incredible ability to go from dejected to carefree in a matter of minutes. How she accomplished it, he didn’t know. He would ask her at some point, but right now they needed to get out of this house.
“Is this everything?” he asked.
She looked around the room and her joyful expression fell. “Should I take my old phone?”
“They could’ve put tracking software on it, so no.” He held out his hand toward the garage, then followed her and opened the door to the backseat of his SUV. He loaded her bags then turned to her. “I hate to say this, but I’d appreciate it if you’d lie down on the floor in the back until I’m sure we’re clear.”
She stared at him. “Is that really necessary?”
“It’s probably overkill, but—”
“—you’re not taking any chances.” She finished his sentence as if they’d known each other for years rather than a day. Without another word, she climbed in and he took the driver’s seat.
He pressed the garage remote she’d given him and turned to look at her. “Ready?”
“As ready as I can be when I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
He had the urge to offer comfort, but he suppressed it and slowly backed out. He checked for Dani in the rearview mirror, and when he caught her thumbs-up, he backed onto the street. She took the lead in her car and Cole trailed her. They drove through the well-manicured neighborhood, the sun beaming down on them. Small groups of children played in grassy yards and the rumble of a lawn mower hummed in the distance. Everything was as it should be, but he didn’t let his guard down until they merged into heavy traffic on the main road without a tail.
“You can sit up now if you want,” he called out.
“Is it okay if I sit up front with you? Riding shotgun is so much better than the backseat.”
“Of course,” he answered, pleased that she was willing to sit next to him after their earlier argument.
He heard her moving around and then those incredibly long legs slid through the opening between the seats, and she gracefully dropped to the passenger seat. She struggled to click her seatbelt into place and he enjoyed her cute look of concentration. He could get used to looking at her. Being with her. A relationship with her would be worth the effort of getting over his past and not letting it control him any longer.
A horn honked, and he forced his focus back to the road and his surroundings. What a fool he’d been. Letting himself be distracted when he was supposed to be vigilant and keeping watch. Didn’t he learn anything from losing Mac?
Alyssa craned her neck, searching through the windows. “Where’s Dani?”
“I’m giving her a chance to get ahead and check out the beach house before we arrive.”
Alyssa swiveled in her seat. “Is this more overkill, like me lying on the floor?”
“Not this time. No one’s been at the house in a while so it’s best to check it out first.”
She wrapped her arms around her waist and fell silent for the rest of the drive. When they arrived at his rental, Dani gave an all-clear signal from the open garage door. He pulled in, got out and retrieved Alyssa’s belongings.
She didn’t say anything and didn’t look at him on the way inside. Maybe she’d gone back to thinking about their argument. Or remembering her life with Todd. That’s what Cole would be doing anyway. Remembering the past.
“Can you help Alyssa choose bedrooms?” he asked Dani in case Alyssa didn’t want him hanging around while she unpacked.
“Sure,” Dani said. “Give me the bags.”
Cole shifted them to Dani, and Alyssa followed her through the family room and into the hallway leading to the bedrooms.
Cole went to the large window looking over the beach. A family strolled in the sun, laughing and happy. A young couple flew a kite, running with abandon. Not the kind of day he usually frequented the beach. He liked the gloomy overcast days. But he could imagine Alyssa in this crowd. She’d choose the bliss
ful, carefree days.
A long shadow shifted in the sand by the corner of the house, catching Cole’s eye. The shadow moved then disappeared. The skin on Cole’s neck prickled. Someone was out there.
“Dani,” he yelled and drew his weapon. “We have an intruder.”
He ran for the door and heard her footfalls coming down the hallway.
“Where?” she asked, her gun in her hand.
“I saw his shadow moving around the side. Hallway’s the safest place for Alyssa right now. Lock the door after me.”
He stuck his head outside to evaluate the situation. All clear. He stormed outside and waited to hear the lock click closed before moving along the perimeter of the house. At the end of the building, he made another quick assessment before taking the corner.
He spotted footprints in the sand. One set heading toward him, the other away and running parallel to the building. Long strides. Big prints.
He was right. A man had been here.
Cole hurried along the building. He glanced through a window to confirm Alyssa wasn’t in the line of fire. He checked around the back of the house. A car cranked at the road above but failed to start.
The intruder was fleeing.
With his gun in hand and arms outstretched, Cole slipped around the corner and headed up the hill. His feet sank into the sand, making it slow going. He dodged tall clumps of grasses swaying in the sea breeze. The car cranked again, caught this time and roared to life. Tires spun on sand then took hold and squealed away.
Cole closed the distance to the road and spotted an SUV turning the corner. Not any SUV but a Pacific Bay Police cruiser. Cole got a quick look at a bald-headed man behind the wheel but couldn’t make out any identifying marks on the car.
Cole jogged back to the house and made a final sweep, checking for explosive devices or other signs of tampering, before unlocking the front door.
“All clear,” he yelled.
Dani eased into the family room, her weapon still in her hands. Alyssa probably thought Dani was overreacting, but Dani followed proper procedure. She kept her gun drawn until getting a visual on Cole and confirming he wasn’t compromised. She turned back to the hallway. “You can come out, Alyssa.”
“What’d you find?” Dani holstered her gun.
Alyssa entered the space with that worried expression he’d seen too many times in the last day lodged on her face.
Cole gestured at the sofa and waited for her to sit and for Dani to perch on the arm.
He jerked his head toward the window. “There was a man outside the house. He fled to the back and up to his vehicle at the road. It was a Pacific Bay Police car.”
“Nolan?” Alyssa asked, no emotion in her voice at all. That bothered Cole more than if she’d sounded upset.
“Not unless he shaved his head since the last time we saw him.” Cole kept a watchful eye on Alyssa. “Are there any bald-headed local officers?”
“Frank Gibson. The man who was talking to Nolan last night.”
Dani leaned forward. “You catch any details on the car to help confirm that ID?”
“If you did,” Alyssa added, “I know all of the registration numbers for the police vehicles.”
Cole shook his head. “Unfortunately, he turned a corner before I could see anything. But I would appreciate having the ID numbers in case we run into another of Saunders’s men.”
Alyssa grabbed a notepad and pen from the table. “I’ll write it all down for you.”
“Thanks,” Cole said, but his mind had already drifted to how he was going to increase security after this latest development. Though he’d played down the significance for Alyssa’s sake, a man lurking outside the house meant only one thing to him.
If someone felt a need to watch them, then life was about to get more interesting and far more dangerous.
* * *
Before heading to the school to pick up the twins, Alyssa unpacked their bags. They’d been through so much in their young lives. The least she could do was make them feel welcome when they arrived. After putting their clothes in the long oak dresser, she placed Brianna’s Curious George blanket on one of the twin beds and settled Ellie on top. Next, she pulled out an assortment of Power Rangers and displayed them on the nightstand for Riley. She stepped back to confirm the room looked like a little slice of home.
Satisfied, she returned to the family room, where she spotted Cole settled on the sofa. Leaning back, his legs casually crossed, she could picture him sitting in his own home. Maybe he’d have the TV on watching sports like Todd had often done to unwind from the job.
She waited for the uneasy feelings that usually surfaced when she thought about Todd, but for some reason only fond memories of him from the days when life had been good between them popped into her mind. Days of playing with the twins, of celebrating life’s milestones and even simple things like going to the grocery store together or picking out Christmas presents for their children.
The kinder, gentler Todd was the man she wanted to remember but always had a hard time conjuring up. Maybe seeing the flashes of Cole’s kindness and empathy left her longing for a man with similar characteristics in her life again.
Not a good thing.
How was she supposed to keep her defenses up around Cole if she couldn’t remember how badly things had gone with Todd?
Shaking her head over her foolishness, she headed for the sofa.
Cole came to his feet and spun in one fluid motion, his eyes alert, his body ready to fight. Ah, yes. This was better. Though officially out of the law enforcement game, Cole was still a cop through and through. And cops were to be avoided at all costs if she didn’t want to end up with another man who would let his job control his life.
Cole came around the sofa. “Did you get the twins’ room settled?”
“Mostly.”
“Let me know if there’s anything you need for them to feel at home here, and I’ll get it.”
“Thanks,” she said. “It probably seems like I’m spoiling them, but the past few years have been hard on them and I want to spare them from as much turmoil as I can.”
“We’ll try to make this as easy on them as possible.”
“I wish I didn’t have to tell them about Nolan. I don’t know how they’ll react if it turns out he’s behind this and we have to expose him.”
“No if,” Cole said, his expression darkening. “Saunders is a dangerous man, and the only way out of this is to expose him.”
Cole was right. There was no if. Everything pointed to Nolan being a killer, so why didn’t she accept that he was the bad guy here? It’s not like she was known for trusting the right men. She’d made the same mistake with Todd. Why couldn’t she admit she had terrible judgment?
Cole stepped even closer, capturing her attention. “Everything will be okay, Alyssa. Trust me to know what Saunders is capable of and let me protect you from him.”
She wanted to let Cole take care of everything—wanted to believe he was one of the good guys—but for all she knew a deep, dark side lingered below the surface and these flashes of kindness were simply that. Flashes.
She took a step to put distance between them before the soft expression on his face convinced her he really was a knight in shining armor. “I do trust you and Dani to take care of us, but I can’t help worrying about Brianna and Riley.”
“You know I won’t let anything happen to them, don’t you?” Cole met her gaze. She expected to see confidence there but found uncertainty instead. She guessed he was thinking about that friend he’d lost and felt responsible for. Maybe now that he seemed open, she could encourage him to share more.
“You want to talk about your friend?” she asked, trying to sound casual. “You know, the one you alluded to in the car.”
His eyebrows rose. “
Where’d that come from all of a sudden?”
“You get this look on your face every time you think about him.”
“This isn’t really about you worrying that I can’t keep you safe, is it?”
“Not at all. I just thought it would help to talk about it.”
He opened his mouth but then looked at his watch. “We really should get going. I’d like to pick the kids up early from school if that’s all right. It’s easier to keep an eye on everything around us without other parents and children crowding around.”
“Sure. Fine,” Alyssa answered, but she was disappointed that he wouldn’t confide in her. “I was thinking that I’d like to cook dinner tonight to repay you and Dani for your help.”
“We don’t need repayment.”
She held up a hand. “Before you say it, I know this is your job, but I love to cook. Besides doing something nice for all of you, cooking will help keep my mind busy, too.”
For a long moment he stared, his gaze almost as palpable as a physical touch. “You really are a very nice person, Alyssa Wells.”
“And don’t you forget that,” she laughed, hiding her heavy heart over his refusal to share. “Just let me check the pantry for supplies.”
He’s like Todd, that nagging voice whispered in her head on her walk to the kitchen. Cold and distant when he didn’t want to share his feelings. Warm and caring when he wanted to be. And it was that kindness, plus the look of interest in his eyes a moment ago, that she clearly needed to guard her heart against at all costs.
SEVEN
Cole leaned against the wall in the elementary school hallway and waited for Alyssa to emerge from the classroom with her children. The smell of paste mixed with a spaghetti lunch saturated the air. On the large art board across from him, cotton-ball clouds were glued above beaches made of real sand, making each picture different and unique. A small water fountain gurgled below.
He felt big and clumsy, so out of place in a spot where he’d once hoped he’d belong. He’d dreamed of being a father. Of everything involved in being a dad like picking up his kids from school, sitting in the drizzle of soccer matches and roughhousing on the lawn. But that dream died in Iraq. He’d tried to let go of his guilt over surviving when Mac hadn’t made it. To let his family and God help. But no matter what he did, how hard he prayed, he couldn’t move on.
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