Ava couldn’t keep up with the voices, all moving around her. Coming closer then farther away. She had no idea how many people were here now. She rubbed her palms on her jeans, wanted to sit down, was about to, right there on the sidewalk. She jumped when she felt a hand on her arm again. This time it was more gentle.
“I’m officer Dennison.”
It was a man, older sounding than the first two police on the scene.
“It’s okay, Ava,” Luke said, still several feet away. “It’s the police.”
She didn’t shrug the man off, but she didn’t feel comfortable being led anywhere. Didn’t feel comfortable getting too far away from Luke.
“This your phone?” someone asked.
She held out her hand. Felt for the shape of the pop socket stuck to the back of her case. “Yes. Thank you.”
The sound of another car pulling up fast had her taking a step back. She didn’t know how close she was to the street. This car had no sirens and the second the door opened there was a string of curses.
* * *
Fuck, Luke thought. He was face down on the gritty sidewalk, his blood still running hot and as if things couldn’t get any worse, Nick was on the scene.
“Get him up. Get him up,” Nick said again, his voice sounding just as disgusted as it had every time Luke had screwed up.
“Get him the hell up. FBI.”
With his hands still zip tied behind his back, Luke stumbled against the wall as he stood. “Didn’t know the FBI responded to street fights.”
“Is that what this is?” Nick’s brow shot up. “A street fight?”
His seventeen-year-old self wanted to sneer at his brother. Tell him that’s exactly what it was and he could just fuck off. The only reason he didn’t was because the look of disappointment on his older brother’s face made him feel more than anger now. It made him feel.
Then his brother was giving orders. “Get those fucking ties off my brother.”
That surprised him, that Nick would be so quick to claim him.
Nick ripped off his sunglasses, rubbed at his forehead then gave Luke a long, studied once over. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Is she okay?” Luke looked over for Ava, saw where she was standing but couldn’t see her face, as there were three cops around her.
“I think so. Let’s see the hands?”
Luke held out his hands.
“Not too bad considering the other guys.”
Luke took his first look at the assholes, all on the pavement. Four men, all early to mid-twenties, in sagging jeans and T-shirts. And all in various degrees of hurt.
Another officer, the one who seemed in charge, left Ava and came to him.
“Sounds like, from the lady, it was a straight up Good Samaritan deal. We’ll get your statement, then you can go.”
Luke told him in as few words as possible what had happened. He answered the officer’s questions, repeated himself when prompted.
“Any idea how she ended up on this end of town?” Nick glanced around? “Not much around here. No shopping.”
“Said she got spooked,” the officer said. “Told the driver to let her out.” Garbled radio speak came through the officer’s radio on his hip. He pulled it off and stepped away.
Nick looked at Luke. “One of them’s wanted for questioning in a case I’m on,” Nick told Luke.
“Oh.” So Nick hadn’t peeled out of work like his ass was on fire to come see his little brother’s latest screw up.
“You’re free to go. Take care of her. I’ll take care of this.” Nick looked at the four in cuffs and his partner taking a facial of one of the guys with his phone. Nick clapped a hand down on Luke’s shoulder, a purely brotherly gesture. He gave his brother a tight smile and went to Ava.
“Ava.” He held out a cautious hand. “Hey. It’s me.”
Ava turned toward his voice and reached out with shaking hands. She looked so damn scared. What if he hadn’t answered the phone, or made it in time? Then his arms were around her and she was clinging to him. Luke closed his eye and held her as much for himself as for her. He buried his nose in her hair, inhaled, assuring himself she was okay as he moved one hand up and down her back.
Too soon, she pulled back. “I’m okay,” she said, and wiped a shaky hand over her face, smoothed her hair back.
Still holding her shoulders, he looked at her a long moment, then led her to his truck. He put her in, drew the seatbelt across her body. Even if she was perfectly capable, he needed to take care of her right now. He set her bag in her lap and closed the door. More like slammed it, as is entire body was still vibrating. He quickly rounded the hood and got in.
Ava didn’t say anything, but he could hear her breathing. Her face was pale, her fingers gripped so tightly on the edge of her bag he thought they might snap.
“Are you all right? Are you hurt?”
“No. Everyone’s asked me that. I’m not hurt. Are you?”
“No.” He’d been pinned down under heavy fire. He’d had teammates pinned down, which was a thousand times worse. But even then he’d maintained a steady calm. This was different. This was Ava and seeing her in danger, seeing the fear in her eyes—that had struck a particular nerve. He’d known he had the capacity to kill. Knew he would kill to protect his home, his family. But this felt different.
He started up his truck, backed out and headed away from the scene before he went back and killed someone. The world didn’t need scum that preyed on the helpless. Thinking what could have happened, what they could have done to her, to Ava, if he’d been just a minute later—
He tried to relax his grip on the steering wheel, then thought to hell with it. To hell with deep breathing. He slammed his palm hard on the steering column. Hard enough he felt the zing up to his elbow and hard enough to make Ava jump at the sound. Shit. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. How many were there?”
“What?”
“How many? When you got there?” she asked, her voice still shaky.
“Four,” he said. She hadn’t even known how many. For some reason that scared him more than anything as it demonstrated just how helpless she’d been. And Nick hadn’t said right there what case the perp was wanted in, but he’d find out.
“Thanks for coming. If you could take me home, I’d appreciate it.”
Luke heard her, but he had no intention of taking her home. Not yet. Not until he’d recovered from seeing her standing there like a lamb surrounded by wolves. And made sure she’d recovered.
“I’m fine,” she said, when he gave no sign he’d heard her. “Nothing happened to me.”
He took a turn too fast and Ava’s hand shot out to the console between them to brace herself. “Slow down. You’re making this into way more than it is.”
“I don’t think I am.” And from the way her voice shook he knew she may be telling herself it was no big deal, but she wasn’t feeling it. But he eased up on the gas and at the next light made a right onto a quiet, empty street. He pulled the car over to the side, put it in park.
Her paper-thin veneer of composure didn’t fool him. She sat rigid, her hands clenched, one still on the console and the other on her bag. Her eyes were closed and closed tight and her brow was pinched so hard it looked painful.
He was a man of action. His natural inclination was to funnel anger and fear into a plan. Something tangible he could do. When he’d gotten there, seen the men surrounding her, he’d known what to do, without hesitation. But now…Now he didn’t know what to do for her.
He reached out, put his hand on her neck and felt her jump. “Sorry,” he said, but didn’t remove it. He just touched her, felt her rapid pulse, gave her a gentle, what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze. “Take a breath.”
She did, blowing it out on a shaky exhale.
“Nice and easy. That’s it.” He rubbed his hand slowly up and down the back of her neck. “What the hell were you doing there by yourself, anyway?”
“I…” She swallowe
d. “I was going to the gym. To swim.”
“To swim,” he repeated, looking at her then realized she didn’t know. “You ended up on the wrong side of town all alone because you wanted to swim?”
“I like to swim. I didn’t know I was on the wrong side of town. I don’t know if the driver got lost or was going a different way. I usually pay better attention if I’m in a cab or Uber. But then I usually know exactly where I am and where I’m going and…”
She rubbed her hands over her face then dropped them to her lap. “Traffic moves so slowly in the city it’s not that hard to keep up. I panicked and I asked to get out. I shouldn’t have.”
“Don’t do that again.”
“I won’t. That was stupid.”
“I mean, don’t go swimming.”
“What?” She turned her face to his.
“Don’t take an Uber, a cab. Go by yourself. Whatever. Just… don’t.”
“Excuse me?”
There was a snap in her voice and he noticed some of her color was coming back.
“Don’t treat me like that. Don’t make me feel like I’m not capable.”
“I don’t mean to do that. I—”
“Never mind.” She held up a hand meant to stop him from speaking. “Just take me home.”
“I’m not taking you anywhere just yet.”
Her eyes were open now and narrowed right at his. “Are you trying to make me mad?”
“Maybe.” Better mad than shaky. He didn’t like the uncertainty he saw or her pale face. She’d had a scare but she wasn’t crying. Hadn’t leapt into his arms when he’d arrived, not that he’d given her a chance. He laid his hand over hers, tightening his grip when she would have pulled it away. “Just hang on. If you don’t need a second, I do.”
She sighed, leaned her head back to the headrest.
When he felt he was more in control, he put the truck in drive, then took her hand back in his.
They drove in silence … Until he turned onto the road leading to Freedom Farm.
“Wait. Where are we?”
He stopped at the top of the hill. “How do you know we’re not at your house?”
“Because there’s no hill just before my parent’s house for one thing. I want to know where.”
“Amazing,” he murmured, shaking his head. “We’re at the barn, or almost.”
“I told you to take me home. I don’t want to go for a ride right now.”
“I know. I’m sorry. Look, I can take you home, but you’re pale as a ghost and you’re still a little shaky. If you thought your parents were overprotective before, well… they’re going to know something happened the second they see you. I thought we could just take a minute. Let you calm down a bit, get some water, something to eat.”
She wasn’t the only one still shaken. He didn’t particularly want to run into his sister either. Which reminded him he should probably tell her he’d run out after saying he’d stay put.
But it was more than that. Ava’s guard was back up, he could see it in the set of her face. If he wanted her to trust him, and he did, this hadn’t been the best way. “Ava. I’m sorry. I thought maybe we’d go for a walk, or a ride. If that’s doesn’t sound good, I’ll take you home right now if that’s what you want. Whatever you want.”
She blew out a breath, turned her head to her side window. “I don’t like not knowing where I am.”
“I know. I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.” He put the truck in park and put his window down, then hers. “We’re at the top of the hill. You were right about that. The road rises just a little after you leave the main road then takes a steady roll down to the front of the barn. You can just see the top of the barn from here.”
She lifted her face to the open window, the warm breeze fluttered blond strands around her face.
He reached over, took her small hand between his massive ones. “Do you want me to take you home?”
“No.”
She didn’t say anything else for a long moment. Then she looked at him, her eyes full of unshed tears and he felt a hammer blow to his chest.
“I hate thinking, knowing, that I can’t take care of myself.”
Luke caught her chin, tilted her face up to his. “That’s just bullshit. How long have you lived in New York?”
“Ten years. Twelve.”
As much as he feared for her, his fear was not what she needed from him right now. “I’m thinking that’s long enough for you to have heard of women being abducted, murdered? Hell, not just there, but anywhere.”
“Sure.”
“Were they all blind?”
“No.” She wrapped fingers around his wrist, slowly lowered his hand from her chin. “That’s not my point. I’m not one of those people who think, oh, I can do anything despite my disability. I don’t. I know there are things I can’t do.”
He rubbed his hand across his mouth, unsure what to say. Was she waiting for him to agree with her? Maybe to chastise her again for getting a ride to go do something she had every right to do? He closed his eyes a moment, and chastised himself instead.
He focused on the dark behind his lids. He didn’t know if that’s what she saw. The absence of light. Of anything.
“Name one,” he finally said after a long silence.
“What?”
He turned to take in her profile. She was so strong and vulnerable, so smart and beautiful. And her usually stubborn chin that was dropped toward her chest just now. “Name one thing you can’t do.”
A wry laugh left her lips and she frowned. “There’s more than one and I’m not complaining or fishing for compliments. I’m not looking for you to feel sorry me.”
“I don’t feel sorry for you. That’s ground we’ve already covered.”
“Well, then I don’t need a ‘pump up, let’s look on the bright side’ talk.”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not a pump up, bright side kinda person. And I’m just asking you to name one.”
“Fine. I can’t drive.” She turned, gave him a triumphant look. “That’s one. I’m also not great at puzzles. Probably wouldn’t make a great sniper,” she added, seeming to relax a bit more. “Movie critic. Art Critic.”
“Pfft.” He waved those off. “Critics are full of shit.” He started the engine and put the truck in gear. He didn’t want her feeling like she couldn’t do things. He wanted her safe and he wanted her smiling.
“What are you doing?”
“It’s what we’re doing and we’re about to knock off number one on your list.”
22
“What are you talking about?”
“Driving,” Luke answered. “You’re about to learn.” He drove down the gravel that led to the cabin, then beyond to an open field.
“Are you crazy?” She grabbed onto the side as they hit a dip in the ground and bounced over.
“Maybe a little,” he said, smiling at her shocked expression. He drove on until he felt they were in the perfect spot, then put the truck in park. “Come on,” he said leaning in, stopping just short of her lips. “It’ll be fun.”
She shook her head at him, but her lips twitched.
“That’s my girl.” He pressed his lips to hers. “Climb over here,” he said, giving her a little tug as he climbed out.
“What? Wait! Where are you going?”
“I’m not going anywhere. Trust me.”
As she moved into the driver’s seat he maneuvered the seat back as far as it would go.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she said, getting behind the wheel. “I can’t believe you’re doing this. I’m going to get us both killed, or at the very least kill your truck.”
“If you do, I’ll get a new one.”
“Just like that.”
“Just like that. Scoot all the way up on the edge of the seat. Little more… Yep.” It was tight but he climbed in behind her. Damn near pulling his groin, getting his right leg up and around her.
He continued getting them situ
ated until his feet were over the pedals and her bottom was on his thighs. “Lift your feet a little.” With his hands on her hips he pulled her back against him. “Now, we’re going to take it real slow. Just listen to my voice and follow my directions.”
“Okay. Now what?” She ran her hands over the steering wheel, feeling the shape of it, touching the buttons for radio and volume lightly. Excited now, her hand veered over to the levers on the side of the wheel. “What does this do?” She pulled and pushed them.
“Don’t—” The wipers scraped over the dry glass with a squeak. “That’s the window wipers. We only need those when it rains.”
She adjusted herself, pulling the tail of her shirt from under her bottom and leaning on the horn in the process. It blared and she screamed, and jumped back, damn near crushing his nuts.
He groaned, but she was laughing. He was happy to take a little pain if she was laughing.
“Now… you put your hands at ten and two, like on a clock.”
“Do you know—”
“Yes, I’ve felt a clock.” She put her hands in the right place.
“You’re going to use this to steer, just like you do a horse. I’ll do the gas.”
“Okay, let’s do it! Turn it on! Can I turn it on?”
“Yes,” he chuckled and took her hand, placed it on the key. “Turn this,” he mimicked the movement over her hand, showing her the way the turn it.
“The engine turned over and rumbled.”
Her dainty hands flew back to the position and he was reminded again of just how small she was, and how helpless she’d be against a pack of men who wanted to hurt her.
“What’s next?”
“Next we put it in gear. There’s forward and backward and …well those are the important ones.”
“Oh, God. Do we have to go backwards?”
“Not today. We’ll save that for your next lesson.” He put the truck in drive, with his foot on the brake. “Okay, I’m going to give her a little gas, nice and easy. You just hold us straight.”
“Okay.”
He gently got them going at ten miles an hour but there was nothing gentle about a field.
“Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh.” She repeated it like a mantra. Or a prayer.
Waiting On the Rain Page 17
