Love Inspired Suspense June 2015 - Box Set 2 of 2: Exit StrategyPaybackCovert Justice

by Shirlee McCoy

  Nia, that’s a horrible thing to think. Yet, with his track record, she couldn’t help but go there.

  Aiden got Nia’s crutches and offered them to her. “Sorry,” he told Danny.

  “You should be, jerk.” Danny got to his feet and gripped his side. “I think I cracked a rib.”

  “Let’s go into the living room,” Nia said, motioning them ahead of her.

  Her twenty-four-year-old brother stormed out of the bedroom. Nia sensed Aiden was about to apologize again, so she stopped him. “Thank you for protecting me.”

  “What’s your relationship with your brother like?” Aiden said.

  “We don’t talk much. We’re not close.” She hobbled across the bedroom.

  “But he has a key to your place?”

  As she struggled to come up with an answer that wouldn’t upset Aiden further, her brother called from the kitchen, “You got anything stronger than lemonade?”

  “No, Danny, I don’t have anything stronger than lemonade.”

  He shut the refrigerator and joined them in the living room. He hadn’t changed much, still wearing his favorite Detroit Lions jacket and cowboy boots.

  “I could use a beer,” he said.

  “And I could use an explanation.” She shifted onto the couch.

  “I haven’t heard from you in years and suddenly you show up in my apartment late at night? Are you in trouble again?”

  “Me? Of course not,” he said in a charming voice.

  She disliked that tone. It made her wonder if everything he said was a lie.

  “So introduce me to your boyfriend.” Danny sized up Aiden, who hovered near the bookshelves, arms crossed over his chest.

  “He’s not my boyfriend. He’s my boss.”

  “Yeah, right, and what, he was bringing by paperwork at—” Danny checked his phone “—eleven-fifteen?”

  “It’s been a long day,” she said. “I was in a hiking accident and Aiden brought me home from the hospital. It’s late and I’m tired. What can I do for you?”

  “What can you do for me? Whoa, you make it sound like I’m a customer or something. Ya know what, never mind.” He started for the door.

  Guilt snagged her conscience. “Hey, come on. Don’t leave.”

  He hesitated and turned to her. “Sorry I bothered you.”

  “It’s not a bother, but your timing couldn’t be worse, that’s all. Come on, sit down.” She patted the sofa next to her.

  He glanced across the room at Aiden but didn’t move. She sensed her boss intimidated her brother.

  “Aiden, it’s okay,” she said. “I need a little alone time with my brother.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’ll be fine.”

  Aiden pushed away from the wall and crossed the room. Stopping in front of Danny, he said, “She needs to rest.”

  Danny offered a mock salute. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

  Aiden cast one last glance at Nia. “I’ll be outside in the car if you need me.”

  “No, really, go home. It’s all good.”

  Aiden brushed past Danny as if he didn’t exist and closed the door.

  “Whoa, sis, you really know how to pick ’em.” Danny went to her bookshelves and fingered a framed picture she’d taken on a recent hike at Echo Mountain. “What’s this?”

  “Spruce Falls. Danny, why are you—”

  “Is it hard to get to?”

  “Not too hard. It’s off the main trail up to the summit.”

  “It looks…peaceful—” he hesitated “—safe, like you could hide up there and no one would find you.”

  Not even the stepmonster. She heard the inference about Walter, their stepfather. Feeling safe was something both she and Danny craved with every fiber of their being.

  He glanced at her. “Maybe you’ll take me there someday?”

  “Sure.”

  “But leave the intense boyfriend home.”

  “Again, he’s my boss, not my boyfriend, and he has every right to be intense. You broke into my apartment. What’s that about?”

  He hung his head and wandered toward the sofa. “Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you.”

  “Try again.”

  He shrugged. “I was afraid you wouldn’t let me in.”

  “When have I ever turned you away, little brother?”

  “You haven’t, but I figured you would eventually.”

  “Danny, what’s going on?” she said with worry in her voice. She tried keeping the judgment in check.

  “I needed a break from working in the shop.”

  “You’re still working on cars?” she said, hopeful. That meant he wasn’t involved in something illegal.

  “I was, until a few months ago. Decided to try something else, but it didn’t work out and the guy in charge is kinda upset with me, so I thought I’d get away and come visit my sister.” He shot her that killer smile, the one she suspected blinded the ladies.

  Nia wasn’t falling for it. “What was the something else?”

  “Huh?”

  “The other job you took after leaving the garage?”

  “Collections.”

  “What kind of collections?”

  “What, you don’t trust me?”

  “Danny,” she pressed.

  He turned away and paced the living room. “I worked for a guy who loaned money to people and I collected.”

  “And where did he get this money that he so generously loaned out?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Maybe you should leave.”

  Danny looked at her in shock. “What?”

  “I want the truth. That’s all I’ve ever asked of you. What was the guy into?”

  “I don’t know, Nia. Honest.”

  “Drugs? Was he a drug dealer?”

  “Why do you always go to that place? You know I was set up when I was a kid.”

  “I’m sorry, but you haven’t made the best decisions in the past.”

  “I’m trying to get my life together, and maybe I shouldn’t have taken this collections gig, but I’m out now. I want to find something steady.”

  “In Echo Mountain?” she said, trying to tamp down her panic.

  Although she loved her brother, she suspected he wasn’t serious about straightening out his life, and he usually brought trouble with him wherever he went.

  “Obviously the thought freaks you, so I guess not.”

  Once again, the guilt anchor pulled her down. If only she’d been a better sister…

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “But I never know what you’re going to get into next.”

  She’d finally made a stable life for herself in Echo Mountain, a life blessed with generous and loving friends.

  “I came here because I needed your help,” he said.

  She held her breath.

  “But you’ve obviously given up on me,” he whispered.

  “Stop talking like that. What do you need?”

  “A place to lie low for a few weeks, maybe even a job. What about at the resort? They’ve got to have something there for me.”

  Her instincts piqued. “Daniel, why do you need to ‘lie low.’”

  “I sorta lost some of my boss’s money.”

  “What do you mean lost it?”

  “It was a good deal, guaranteed to double my money and—”

  “You gambled it away?”

  “It was a sure thing. The guy gave me—”

  Nia put up her hand. “I don’t want to know the details. How much did you lose?”

  He hesitated before answering. “Two grand. I figured I could get a job and save everything I made if I moved in with you, and pay the guy off in a few months.”

  A shudder ran down her spine. She loved her brother, but neither loved nor trusted his decisions. If he applied for a job at Echo Mountain resort, they’d do a background check and discover his criminal record.

  And her shame.

  “You’re welcome to spend the night.” Nia grabbed her
crutches and stood. “There’s an extra pillow and blanket in the front closet. You have a car, right?”

  “Sure.”

  “Tomorrow morning you can take me to the bank and I’ll withdraw money from my savings so you can pay off your boss.”

  “No, Nia—”

  “Danny, you’re my brother and I want to help, but this is the last time, okay?”

  “Yeah, thanks, sis.”

  Nia went into her bedroom and shut the door. She couldn’t take one more random thing today: the federal agents looking for Aiden, her terrifying fall and now her estranged brother showing up—make that breaking into her apartment—and asking for help. Worse, he suggested he insinuate himself into her carefully arranged life. She loved him, but nothing good could come of that.

  She fought a sudden headache and collapsed on the bed. Glancing out the window, she noticed Aiden’s car parked across the street. The inside light was on and it looked as if he was reading something.

  She should call him, tell him she was fine and he was relieved of his duties, yet she took comfort in knowing he was watching over her.

  Since escaping her abusive stepfather, Nia had always prided herself on being a self-sufficient, strong woman who’d left her hardships behind. It all seemed to come rushing back with the appearance of her brother, the boy she’d tried to protect.

  She should feel content that Danny was in the next room and Aiden was outside. Instead, she was still rattled from the afternoon’s events and felt a bit off center. She took a deep breath and recited one of her favorite passages from the Bible, Psalm 138:7.

  “‘Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life,’” she whispered. “‘You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me.’”

  *

  One more. They had one more building to check.

  Aiden collapsed on the hard earth, gripping his leg. He wasn’t sure he’d make it.

  “You okay, Mac?” his friend, twenty-year-old Buddy Yates, said.

  “Football injury acting up. I’m fine.” Aiden tried to stand and the knee gave out again.

  “Yeah, not so fine,” Yates said. “Hang back.”

  Aiden wanted to argue but knew he’d only slow down the process if he hobbled along, and they all wanted to get back to base ASAP.

  “Be right back, old man.” Yates shot Aiden that goofy smile and walked away.

  An explosion rocked the ground, debris flying everywhere, a wall of dust blocking visibility.

  “Yates!” Aiden called out.

  “I’m good!”

  A barrage of gunfire echoed across the small village.

  “Yates!”

  *

  He gasped and opened his eyes, glancing around in confusion, trying to figure out where he was. Gripping the steering wheel, he realized he sat in his truck back in Echo County, Washington. He wasn’t in the sandbox.

  Someone tapped on his window and he snapped his head to the left. Nia frowned at him from the other side of the glass. He counted to three, struggling to get a grip.

  He lowered the window. “Good morning,” he said, but even he could tell his voice didn’t sound right.

  “Want some coffee?” Nia handed him a travel mug. “Black with two sugars, right?”

  “What time is it?”

  “Nearly ten. I can’t believe you stayed here all night.”

  He couldn’t believe she was making small talk after just witnessing his pure and utter weakness. The nightmares were less frequent lately but no less terrifying.

  They had to stop.

  He took the coffee and their hands touched. In the briefest of seconds that connection drove away the brutal images that terrorized him in his sleep.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “Why didn’t you go back to the resort last night?” she asked, leaning on a crutch.

  “Guess I fell asleep.” Which was true. He could have left, but there’d been something about her brother that didn’t sit right with Aiden. “Where’s your other crutch?”

  “Inside. I only need one.”

  “Nia,” he said in warning.

  “You must be sore from sleeping in your truck. Want to come in?”

  “Don’t change the subject. You need to use both crutches.”

  “Fine, come in and have breakfast.”

  He eyed her building. “Is your brother…?”

  “Still asleep.”

  “No, thanks. Wouldn’t want to wake him.”

  She glanced down for a second, then pinned him with soft brown eyes. “I’m sorry that you and Danny got into it. He didn’t—” she hesitated “—hurt you, did he?”

  “Hey, I was the one who had him pinned, remember?” he teased.

  But they both knew she wasn’t referring to physical injuries. Which meant she’d sensed the physical altercation had set off his posttraumatic nightmare.

  “I know, but I wish it hadn’t happened,” she said.

  He didn’t want her feeling responsible for his problem. “You and your brother work things out last night?”

  “More or less. I’m not sure we’ll ever completely work things out. It’s a complicated relationship.”

  “Aren’t they all.”

  His cell vibrated. “McBride,” he answered.

  “You okay, boss?” Scott asked. “You didn’t come back last night.”

  “I was watching over Nia.”

  “Okay, well, what do you want me to tell employees about the staff meeting?”

  “Ah, right, the staff meeting.”

  “That’s this morning,” Nia said, panicked.

  “Sorry, Scott,” Aiden said into the phone. “I guess with everything that happened yesterday, I lost track of things. We can reschedule—”

  “No,” Nia interrupted. “It was a major hassle getting everyone’s schedules worked out so we could meet. Tell them we’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

  “We?”

  “Sure. I’m coming with you.”

  He read determination and something else in her eyes, something he’d never seen before. A softness when she looked at him.

  “Nia, you’re supposed to take it easy. We’ll manage.”

  “I need to be there. Be right back.” She headed to her building barely using the one crutch.

  Aiden wanted her to stay home and take care of herself, not come to work. Then again, maybe work would keep her mind occupied and off the events of the past eighteen hours.

  “Boss?” Scott said.

  “Tell everyone to assemble in the barn in twenty.”

  “Will do. How’s Nia?”

  “She seems okay.”

  “Is she still standing beside you?”

  “No. Why?”

  “Deputy Walsh wasn’t able to confirm the two men looking for you were federal agents,” Scott said. “They could be undercover and using aliases. With your permission I’d like to do a little digging of my own.”

  “Sure. Go for it.”

  “Okay, see you when you get here.”

  “Thanks.” Aiden pocketed his phone and considered that bit of information. If the guys weren’t federal agents, who were they and what did they want with him?

  One thing for sure: Nia’s instincts had been on the mark. Those men weren’t who they said they were. She had never spoken much about her past, and Aiden wondered if her childhood had been a violent one that she’d rather not relive. Maybe that was why she didn’t ask him about his own trauma: because she’d felt the same type of shame, the kind you felt when trauma consumed you.

  Nia couldn’t have experienced the level of trauma that Aiden battled—at least, he hoped she hadn’t. No one should be saddled with the kind of guilt that weighed down his heart each and every day: guilt about the last time he spoke to his father before his death; guilt about Yates dying right in front of him; and even guilt about not being able to protect Bree from an abusive ex-boyfriend.

  Aiden had gone nearly a month witho
ut nightmares and he’d hoped he might be past all that. Apparently last night’s hand-to-hand combat with Nia’s brother ignited the trauma.

  Whipping open the door, he stepped out of the truck and stretched his arms over his head. He glanced at her apartment window, imagining her deadbeat brother passed out on the couch. Aiden was pretty sure that guy didn’t have Nia’s best interests at heart.

  But Aiden did. She’d done so much for him, and not just as the resort’s concierge.

  He wasn’t sure how he was going to maintain his distance since he’d have to stay close to protect her, but somehow he’d manage. He had to fortify that boundary in order to keep his perspective. Emotions made you weak and sloppy, and he couldn’t afford to be either if he was going to keep her safe.

  *

  Aiden kept the meeting short, mostly because he wanted to get Nia back home with her ankle elevated. It was obvious the woman didn’t know the meaning of the word relax as she darted here and there on one crutch, passing out materials and making sure everyone had a beverage. It was as if she was playing hostess. Aiden mused she’d make a great hostess, and a wonderful wife someday.

  Whoa, watch it, buddy.

  An hour later the meeting ended and a few people approached Nia, asking about her fall and subsequent injuries.

  “So, nothing serious?” Tripp, the front-desk associate, asked.

  “A minor head cut and sprained ankle. I’m really fine.”

  “Are you taking time off?” Tripp said.

  “I don’t plan to.”

  “That decision is up to her boss,” Aiden chimed in. “And he’d feel better if Nia took the necessary time off to nurse her injuries.”

  “Interesting how you’re referring to yourself in the third person, big brother,” Bree said with a raised eyebrow.

  “Like that, huh?” Aiden countered. He didn’t want to argue with his sister today. He simply didn’t have the energy after his mostly sleepless night.

  “Thanks, everyone. Back to work,” Aiden ordered.

  Nia started for her office.

  “Nia, you should—”

  “Come on, boss,” she interrupted. “At least let me go through my inbox.”

  “Okay, if you wrap it up by one.”

  “Deal.” She left the barn and Aiden followed.

  Scott approached Aiden. “We’ve got an issue with the pool-access door. Key cards are sporadically not working.”