Lauren didn’t seem to like it either. Her mouth flattened into a thin line. “Bullshit.”
Sensing they were headed for an explosion, Kayla tried to turn the conversation. She smiled at Paul. “Are you going out on the water today?”
His skin turned a bit green at the mention. “Tomorrow, unfortunately.”
“How exactly do you plan on being on board if you don’t like the water?” Garrett asked.
“My preference is to run the office.”
Garrett shot the kid a man-to-man smile. “Ah, got it.”
But Paul was still wincing and otherwise looking like he wanted to dig a hole and hide in it. He turned to Lauren. “You told him?”
Now Kayla got it. This was a stunning case of male embarrassment. Paul didn’t like having his seasickness known. Since this might not be the town for it, she understood.
Lauren didn’t sugarcoat it. “You threw up in front of a pleasure-boat cruise. The word was bound to get around.”
“There are meds for that sort of thing,” Garrett said.
Kayla took pity on the poor guy. She knew exactly how it felt to look out over the water and want to unload your lunch over the side of the boat. There were all kinds of tricks about watching the horizon or patches. None of them worked. She could attest to that fact.
“I think Paul is wise to stick to dry land.” She touched an arm to his back, careful not to invade his space too much, and pointed at the counter. “Hungry?”
He looked at Lauren and she nodded. “We have time for a quick bite before we dig into some accounting.”
“Sounds wildly exciting,” Garrett mumbled, earning him a scowl from Lauren.
“Have a seat and I’ll join you in a second.” Lauren kept the fake smile in place until Paul was out of earshot. Then she turned on them. “What the hell?”
Garrett lowered his voice. “You might want to remember Matthias is undercover.”
“And apparently not very good at his job.”
Kayla didn’t like that. She couldn’t let anyone think Matthias had fallen down on the job. It just wasn’t like that. “I’m alive, so he’s actually great at it.”
“I’m sorry. I just heard the news today . . .” Lauren rolled her eyes at Kayla. “A warning text would not be a bad idea from now on. For the record, that’s what friends do.”
That was probably true but Kayla hadn’t known how else to handle this mess. There were things she could tell and things she couldn’t. People lurked around and anyone who overheard could be her stalker. Not exactly an easy road to walk.
She went with the most obvious answer. “I’m hoping that was the last time it ever happens.”
“Right.” Lauren turned to Garrett. “So, you’re on bodyguard duty today?”
“For a few hours.” He took out his phone. “I’m going to need to collect some information from you about Paul and the pier and other things.”
Kayla’s head started spinning again. “Wait a second.”
“It’s fine.” Lauren grabbed the cell from Garrett’s hand and added her phone number. “Done.”
“You don’t have to—”
“You know, Kayla . . .” Lauren wrapped an arm around Kayla’s shoulder. “This would be a good time for you to figure out you’re no longer alone. I am going to do whatever I can to help and to keep you safe. So deal with it.”
Said so honestly and without any ego, the words stormed through the last of Kayla’s defenses. “Okay.”
“Now, I need pancakes.” Lauren’s gaze moved to Garrett when he started to talk. “Yes, I know that’s breakfast but I’m feeling like breakfast.”
With a wink, Lauren walked away. She went over to the counter and sat down with Paul.
Garrett watched and didn’t even try to hide the fact he was staring at her ass. “She’s right, you know. There are a lot of people who care about you and want to help you.”
She wasn’t the only one on the team. Kayla knew that. “Matthias.”
“He fucked up but he’s trying to make it better.”
The seriousness of Garrett’s tone caught her attention. They may joke around but the connection was real. “I know but, honestly, sometimes I want to punch him.”
The tension expired and Garrett laughed. “Oh, I get that.”
“This just all needs to end.”
He nodded. “Give it time.”
Wrong answer. “I’ve given it seven years.”
Chapter 22
Matthias was in the last place in the world he wanted to be, one of his satellite offices near the Capitol in DC. Wren summoned him. Told him they had a problem. Wren didn’t make statements like that without meaning them.
By the time Matthias got there, he realized Wren was actually understating the problem. He’d been tracking Mary Patterson . . . and she was in town. Landed two hours early, only to be picked up at Wren’s request.
His friend did know how to fix a problem.
Matthias stood with Wren, watching Mary through a two-way mirror. Matthias didn’t use the room often; it was mostly for security protocols and to test his team on how to beat a lie detector. But the space did come in handy sometimes.
Wren clapped Matthias on his good shoulder. “Ready to say hi to Mom?”
He winced at hearing her called that. “Thanks for handling this.”
“It’s what I do.” Wren didn’t say anything else. He walked out of the room and Matthias followed.
The ten steps from one side of the mirror to the room on the other were some of the longest Matthias had taken. He had zero interest in the upcoming conversation, except to figure out why Mary thought dropping in unannounced was a good idea. The timing with the shooting made him more than a little suspicious.
They walked in to find Mary sitting at a table, playing on her phone. She glanced up, looked down then her head popped up again. She looked at Matthias’s shoulder sling then scowled.
Matthias assumed that qualified as motherly concern on her part. “I’m surprised to see you.”
“What happened to you?” She didn’t stand up. No hug. No kiss. No real hello. Didn’t even put down the phone.
“I’m fine.” Not that he thought she cared all that much about his state of mind or his health.
Since meeting Kayla, one thing had become very clear in his mind, the thing he hadn’t wanted to admit or deal with before now—Mary’s sole intent was to use him. Her “real” son was gone and she wanted answers. He understood that drive. Hell, he didn’t even know Nick, except for the bit he’d learned from Kayla and the hero worship from the woman in front of him, and he wanted answers for the poor kid.
No one should die that way, carved up and left to bleed out. The forensics report made it clear Nick had likely taken both the brunt of the attack and the longest to die. The defensive injuries meant he’d been awake and saw his attacker.
He’d choked on his own blood as the life seeped out of him. It was shitty and violent. The crime scene reeked of overkill. The idea that Kayla walked into that without warning made Matthias fucking pissed.
But he had another woman to worry about right now. One with a secret agenda and a problem with sincerity.
Mary waved her hand in front of him. “Did she do this to you?”
“You think Kayla hurt me?” The idea was ridiculous. Even Wren smiled. “Come on.”
Mary’s face flushed red and anger poured off her. “You don’t know what she’s capable of.”
Before she could wind up and start spewing, Matthias cut her off. “Why are you in town?”
He knew where Kayla was and why. She was not running from the law. If anything, she welcomed it after he got shot. Nothing Mary told him about Kayla had turned out to be true.
“You told me you found her. I needed to come and see for myself, but you didn’t give me that address. I’d planned to go to Annapolis and call you to come get me.” Her gaze shot over to Wren where he stood leaning against the only door out of there. “I didn’t expec
t to be picked up and brought here.”
“My friend can be dramatic.” Even Matthias had to admit the fake airport pickup was a bit over-the-top for Wren.
Wren shrugged. “It seemed like the right thing at the time.”
She’d stepped out of the airport, thought she was getting into a cab, and Wren’s people brought her here. They told her immediately, which showed even Wren drew the line at kidnapping an unsuspecting woman.
No matter how it all played out, she needed to go home now. Having her here would put Kayla on edge. She already didn’t have much faith in him. Seeing Mary would not help that situation. Matthias had a big enough hill to climb when it came to Kayla.
He sat down across from her. “You should go back.”
“No.” She turned her phone facedown on the table. “I have waited for years to find her.”
She was not great at subterfuge. Not very smart about surveillance either. Before he put her in a cab at the end of this talk his people would be able to hand over her phone records and tell him what she’d been doing on that phone before they walked in. The place had cameras and high-tech equipment everywhere.
It was in his damn office. He knew everything that happened in it.
He knew some other information as well. “You’ve found her before.” Kayla made that clear even though Mary never admitted it to him.
Surprise flashed across her face but she quickly schooled it again. “What?”
Nice try. “This isn’t the first time, right? But you lost her and couldn’t figure out her new name, so you contacted me.”
He hated that he looked at this woman who’d given birth to him and felt nothing. Not even a kick of anger. It made him feel like a heartless dick.
He felt sorry for the kid she once was. The idea of not having resources or an ability to take care of a kid made him crazed. But turning the corner and thinking of her as a mother? That wasn’t happening.
“I thought you would want to find the woman who killed your brother.”
“Half.” The guilt trip was an interesting choice. That sort of thing worked because for whatever reason he did feel something for Nick. Neither one of them picked their parents. Matthias had to hope his dad had been decent.
“That distinction doesn’t matter. Blood is not the point when it comes to loyalty.” Her fingertips clicked against the table. “You owe him.”
“I understand loyalty.” The man standing in the room with him had Matthias’s back. So did Garrett and all of the Quint Five, the original group Quint took in and trained.
He’d treated them like family. Respected them. Taught them about honor and brotherhood. Refined their skills and targeted their energy in more productive ways so that they could earn a living and not end up in jail. For the first time in his life, Matthias had been able to depend on someone other than himself.
So, yeah, he understood loyalty. He also knew it had to be earned.
Wren pushed away from the door and crowded in closer. “If you went to Annapolis she might see you and run again. You’ll make things worse.”
“That won’t happen.” Something about Wren seemed to make Mary nervous. He stood just outside of her personal space with his arms folded, but when he approached she got jumpy.
Wren shook his head. “Don’t underestimate Kayla. She’s resourceful.”
Mary pointed at Wren but talked to Matthias. “See, he knows how she operates.”
And he’d had enough. “Wren’s people are going to take you to the airport and . . . what?”
“I’m not leaving yet. I need to be here. For Nick.” She choked on his name. “I’ll stay in DC. I have a hotel room.”
She didn’t have any money. He knew because the money she did have had come from him. He’d paid off her debts and the mortgage she claimed strangled her and put her under a constant threat of bankruptcy. That left extra cash, but the hotel part still surprised him. “You do?”
“You investigate and I’ll wait.” She reached across the table and put her hand over his. “Me being here, ready to go find her, will be your incentive to hurry up.”
He looked down at her hand. At the slim wedding band she still wore even though her husband was long gone. A wave of unexpected sympathy hit him. He may have missed a life with her, but she did have one once.
“I don’t need motivation. I promise.” He tried to make the words sound hopeful but he wasn’t sure he pulled it off.
“I’ll find someone who can take you back to your hotel.” Wren went to the door and motioned for Matthias to follow. “Can I see you for a second?”
The second Wren’s back was turned, Mary slipped her hand back to her side of the table. Once Matthias got up, she grabbed her phone and went back to scrolling.
She could turn it on and off. He hoped like hell he hadn’t inherited that skill.
He stepped out to find Wren leaning against the wall. The ease with which he moved through the halls here suggested he owned the place. He actually didn’t, but he had hit it big first and staked Matthias as he grew Quint and turned it into the powerhouse it was today. Matthias never forgot that assist from Wren, though Wren never mentioned it.
Wren exhaled. “Your mom is interesting.”
Calling her that grated against his nerves even louder this time. “It’s Mary, and I don’t buy the story either.”
“Any chance she’s good with a gun?”
“I don’t actually know her, but I doubt she has the skills to pull any of this off.” She couldn’t hide her desire to be on the phone. The idea that she could stage an elaborate plan and hunt Kayla and beat security didn’t make much sense to Matthias.
“I’ll watch her, but you should be careful.” Wren held up a hand. “Look, I know about bad parents, but they can still pluck the guilt strings. That woman sounds like a pro on that score.”
Since Wren’s father was literally a killer, Matthias didn’t ignore the advice. But he also didn’t want his friend to worry or take all of his time handling Matthias’s life. He was a big boy. “I’m good.”
Wren didn’t even try to hide his smile. “Are you?”
“I’m not sure what you’re asking.” But he knew. This was about Kayla’s and Garrett’s big mouth. The fucker.
“You told Kayla about Nick. You got shot.” Wren made a face. “You’ve kind of had a shitty few days.”
He’d also had some pretty great moments, but he wasn’t about to share that. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“That’s because you care about her.”
Now that Wren was in love and acted stupid, he expected all of his friends to do the same. No thanks. “It’s because she deserves the truth.”
“That’s it, huh?”
The tone. The stare. Matthias didn’t like any of it. “You think because you’re getting laid on a regular basis that you’re now an expert on women?”
“I think I know a guy who’s leading with his dick and not his brain when I see him.”
Now, that just pissed Matthias off. “When have I ever done that?”
“And that’s my point.”
“I’ve got this.” As soon as the words left Matthias’s mouth he knew they were a lie. Fact was he did like Kayla. Too much. He’d been away from her for a few stupid hours and missed her. What kind of shit was that?
Wren nodded. “We’ll see.”
Chapter 23
Matthias didn’t come to the café all day. He finally showed up in a suit just as Kayla and Garrett arrived back at the inn. Got there just in time for dinner, and Garrett must have known he was on the way because he ordered for three.
That was two hours ago. Garrett had just disappeared to his side of the space, leaving the door partially open as they’d all silently agreed to do.
Matthias sat sprawled on the bed in jeans and white T-shirt this time. All comfortable and not making a move. Not talking to her either.
She had no idea how to start the conversation. They’d barely spoken, except to talk about the
investigation and practical things, since that night. Whenever she thought about Matthias’s relationship to Mary and the way he dodged the truth about her, Kayla’s head started to pound. The fury that hit her when she’d first found out had died down and she couldn’t call it back up.
Ignoring him didn’t work. Trying not to think about him failed. Being without him all day made her grumpy. She really couldn’t win.
She decided to go with something easy and try to open the gate that had slammed shut between them. She didn’t mean it as a test because she really wanted them to get back on track. She also wanted to know the answers to the questions dancing in her head. “Where did you really go today?”
He lowered the pages in his hand and his eyes focused on her instead of the reading. “To the police and then to see Wren. He had more intel for me and my people had collected more to add to the piles out there.”
“Ah.” She stood at the end of the bed, hoping something more brilliant than that response would come to her. After a few seconds ticked by she knew it wasn’t going to happen.
“I also ended up checking in with Mary, not that I had a choice.”
Kayla thought her heart stopped. It actually ached inside her chest. “What does that mean?”
He put the pages on the mattress next to his hip. “Since I didn’t want to use my people for everything, especially because my connection to Mary isn’t known, I asked Wren to track her. He figured out she was on the move and asking questions. Calling people. I went to DC to listen to Wren’s report then try to work it out with her.”
“I guess the fact she’s still pursuing me and keeping up her crusade shouldn’t surprise me.”
He let out a long, labored exhale. “She’s determined.”
Kayla didn’t point out that it was a trait he might have gotten from the other woman. “To have me arrested.”
“Something like that.”
Kayla appreciated that he didn’t bother to deny it. “What did you tell her?”
“To back off.” He put his hands on his lap. “I want her to leave you alone.”
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