Harlequin Superromance May 2016 Box Set

by Janice Kay Johnson

  After accepting hugs and promising to call, Lina and Bran left.

  “I’ll follow you home,” he said, his tone completely inflexible.

  Shivering, Lina didn’t argue. Snow had been forecast for the next day or two, and she wondered if it might start falling tonight. They could hardly stand out here on the sidewalk and talk.

  Bran’s black Camaro hugged her bumper all the way home. At her complex, he parked illegally but stuck something on his dashboard that she assumed said Police or the like, and followed her into the lobby where she collected her mail before leading him to the elevator.

  As it rose, he said, “Your friends are nice people.”

  “They are. You already knew Eduardo.”

  “Because of the investigation.”

  The elevator doors opened and they went down the hall to her apartment. “And you rented equipment to work on your house,” she said, curious about him.

  “I live in an apartment, too. I’ve been helping my brother work on an old place he’s restoring. I’d have said it was a dump, but it’s starting to look good.”

  She unlocked the door. “You’re lucky to have family nearby.”

  “He only moved here this spring. We’d...lost touch.”

  Lina wondered about the hesitation, but only nodded. Once inside her apartment, she watched as he assessed it, starting with the small, decorated tree that sat on a tabletop, then taking in her bookcases, furniture, the opening into the kitchen.

  “Can I get you a cup of coffee?” she asked, as much to fill the silence as anything.

  He shook his head. “Not when you won’t be having any.”

  “It’s no trouble...”

  “Thank you, Lina, but no.” He nodded toward her sofa. “Why don’t you sit down?”

  She did, her apprehension making her feel like a child who knew she was in trouble. So much for having the upper hand because this was her territory.

  “What did you mean by not exactly? Did you or didn’t you see his face?”

  Bran sat in a maple rocking chair facing her across the coffee table. “There’s not a good view.”

  “How can that be?”

  He sighed. “Cameras are aimed in front of the tellers, not behind them. One placed to the side let us see your friend and the manager with the two men, but it wasn’t a good angle. Both men wore knit ski masks. They stormed in, brandished weapons and yelled to intimidate the employees and the two customers who were in the bank at that point. Only one teller was at work, and she froze and didn’t push the alarm. They took away everyone’s cell phones. As I said, they were made to sit on the floor with their backs turned. According to one of the women, they were told that the first person trying to sneak a look would be shot.”

  “So none of them did.”

  “No. They were scared out of their skulls. None of them could even describe body types. They all agreed both men were big, which is typical when witnesses are scared. They did confirm that you were right about what was going on. The manager was refusing to open the vault. The robber who did the talking said they’d kill the woman if he didn’t do what they wanted. He said no again.”

  A whimper escaped her.

  He half stood, then sat again, his hands gripping the arms of the chair. “I’m sorry, Lina.”

  She took some deep breaths and was finally able to nod.

  “When the guy grabbed your friend, she fought. From what we can see on the video, it looks like she hooked her fingernails in the knit mask and pulled it sideways. He wouldn’t have been able to see at all. Subduing her, he couldn’t fiddle with it to align the eyeholes, so he wrenched it off. After he shot her, he grabbed it and put it back on. He wasn’t without it for more than a minute, if that.”

  “But Mr. Floyd would have seen him, too.”

  “Yeah. That was a death sentence for him, I’m afraid. That and—”

  She could tell he didn’t want to finish the thought. So she did. “And trying to stand up to them?”

  “I’d have put it a little differently,” Bran said. “If he’d cooperated from the beginning...”

  Maya and he would both be alive. Lina swallowed and nodded.

  “We’ll definitely want you to sit down with the artist,” he continued. “A couple of FBI agents arrived, and they’re pretty excited that you saw him. It turns out they’ve been after these two for a while.”

  “What do you mean? Have they robbed other banks?”

  “This is at least the third, and there’s a possibility of others. These guys have used the signs before. They took them away when they left after the two previous robberies, but witnesses had noticed them and remembered the wording, which was identical to what you saw and to the one taped to that sandwich board. You were right—they did take down the one on the door as they fled, but left the one at the drive-through. Unfortunately, neither have any fingerprints. These guys are careful.”

  Hung up on what he’d said at the beginning of that last speech, she asked, “What do you mean, a possibility of others?”

  “There’ve been a couple others in the past eighteen months that were so similar, it’s likely the same two guys. Ski masks, yelling, making everyone sit behind the counter with their backs turned. No one saw signs.”

  “If no one happened to come to the door or try to go through the drive-through...”

  “Exactly,” he said.

  “I remember the news mentioning several bank robberies not that long ago,” she said, trying to recall details. “But weren’t they down south?”

  “The two where we know they used the signs were both in Pierce County. One in Tacoma, one in Lakewood.” Two hours away, then. “The others that may be linked happened in Issaquah and Monroe.”

  So, midway. Both were at least an hour drive from Clear Creek.

  “Because of the string of robberies, we’re assuming the two men are not locals,” Bran said. “The agent in charge of the investigation suspects that they live in Pierce County, but decided it was getting too hot down there for them to risk hitting another bank in the area. Some had taken additional precautions, including armed guards, and these two were smart to be nervous.”

  “That’s why you think I don’t have to worry.” She felt lighter, suddenly.

  “It’s likely that the guy just had one of those faces that isn’t especially distinctive.”

  “Have they killed anyone before?”

  He shook his head.

  Lina absorbed the information. So much anger rose in her, for that instant she was almost glad Mr. Floyd was dead, too. If not for him, Maya wouldn’t have died. He’d put the bank’s money ahead of her life.

  They sat in silence for long enough, she had trouble making herself look at Bran. Could he tell what she was thinking? If she didn’t say anything else, would he go away?

  If he did, that would only give her longer to tie herself up in knots. Ask. You have to ask.

  She took a deep breath. “Are you married?”

  He jerked, rocking the chair. “What? Why would you think—” Then he fell silent.

  “I saw the invitation. You left it on the dresser. It was...it was your wedding day.”

  “Oh, hell.” He sounded weary. “That’s why you took off, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m not married, Lina. I wouldn’t have slept with you the night before my wedding, for Christ’s sake. How could you think—”

  “I didn’t know you. I still don’t know you.” With an effort, she calmed herself. “But you were planning to get married.”

  “We’d called it off a couple days before I met you.” He made an odd sound. “She called it off.”

  “It’s not very flattering to me, either way,” Lina said. “All I knew was that I’d been stupid.” So much for
calm. Every tumultuous emotion she’d felt today coalesced into a burst of rage. “You didn’t use a condom!”

  “No.” Honesty and regret showed stark on his hard face. “I didn’t even think about it until later. I’m sorrier than I can say. I...worried.” He paused. “I tried to find you.”

  Because he was afraid he’d gotten her pregnant, not because he wanted to see her again. Good to know.

  “If you saw the invitation, you knew my name.”

  She bent her head and focused on her hands, clenched into fists on her thighs. “Yes.”

  “Were you ever going to tell me?” For the first time, anger crackled in his voice, too.

  “Yes.” She made herself lift her head and meet those blue eyes. “I swear I was.”

  “When?”

  “Soon.” She’d been telling herself the same thing for months. Soon. More honestly, Lina said, “Before she’s born.”

  He looked stunned. “She?”

  “Yes. I had an ultrasound. I’m having a girl.”

  “You mean, we’re having a girl.”

  She didn’t blame him for the renewed anger, even though she had good reason to be mad, too. “It’s we if, well, you believe this is your baby. And you plan to take responsibility.”

  “Yeah,” he said hoarsely. “I believe you. And of course I do. This is my fault.”

  “This?” She shot to her feet. “If you see this baby as some horrible mistake you feel duty-bound to take responsibility for, forget it!”

  Instead of fighting back, he let out a pained sound and rubbed both hands over his face. “Lina, will you sit down?”

  She wanted to tell him this was her baby and he could take a hike. But she suspected her volatile emotions had more to do with hormones and the horror of the day than with anything he’d said. Slowly, she lowered herself again to the sofa.

  He sounded inexpressibly weary when he said, “You’ve had time to come to terms with it. I haven’t.”

  “You’re right,” she said stiffly. “I’m sorry.”

  “Did you consider an abortion?”

  She closed her eyes and made herself be honest. “Briefly. I was...pretty freaked out. But, you know, I’m thirty-two. I want to have children. I can be a good mother on my own.”

  “You won’t be on your own.”

  She couldn’t deny that financial support would be welcome. A teacher’s salary wasn’t fabulous. Even if she could work up until the birth, she would miss the last three months of the school year, which would eat up a fair amount of her savings.

  “Do you have other children?” she blurted. Why hadn’t she wondered before?

  “No. God, no. I’ve never been married.” A muscle twitched in his jaw. “You?”

  “I’m divorced.”

  At her answer, emotion crossed his face. She couldn’t quite decipher it.

  At last he nodded. “There’s more we’ll have to talk about, but right now I just want to say one thing. From here on out, this baby ties us together. It would help if you could trust me.”

  He hadn’t gotten mad. He almost sounded...gentle. Lina took some deep breaths and remembered the hope she’d felt that morning six months ago, before she saw the wedding invitation. What had he done that was really so awful? Face it, she’d readily agreed to spend the night with him. He had gone so far as to give her an out when he asked if she’d be sorry in the morning, and she knew in her heart he wouldn’t have taken her to bed if she’d said yes, or even maybe.

  Not using a condom had been unbelievably stupid, of course, but he’d probably been hungover.

  She was making excuses for him.

  Well, who was she to talk? The responsibility had been shared. Drowsy or not, she should have thought about a condom, too.

  And...he was right. He would forever be her child’s father.

  “I...I think I can,” she said shakily. “Trust you, I mean.”

  “Thank you.” Instead of leaving, he asked, “Do you feel all right? You’re not having any problems?”

  “So far, no big problems. I was sick to my stomach for a couple months, but mostly right now I just need more sleep than usual.”

  He gazed at her, unblinking. “What do you mean, so far? And do you have problems that aren’t big?”

  “Nothing ominous.” Although she worried constantly. “My blood pressure is a little higher than the doctor would like. She’s leaning on me to get plenty of exercise, which I’m doing. Otherwise...things can go wrong later in the pregnancy, but that’s rare. I’ve always been healthy. My mother had no difficulties in childbirth.” When he failed to look convinced, she added, “It is all natural, you know.”

  “Do you feel the baby moving?”

  She smiled and looked down to see that she had laid an open hand on her swollen belly. “Yes. It’s amazing. The first time—” she lifted her head “—it was a flutter, like a butterfly inside me. But she’s already getting stronger. She’ll be kicking me before I know it.”

  He appeared unwillingly fascinated. “I’ve never really been around many pregnant women. Today I wondered how you’ll manage to drive when you get further along.”

  She made a face. “I don’t know. I want to work as long as I can, though, which means driving.”

  “At least you’ll have the summer.”

  “Combined with maternity leave, it’ll give me nearly six months off, thank God. I have a bad feeling that leaving her in day care will be hard.”

  Lina would swear he was making calculations, but he didn’t share them with her. Instead he shook his head after a minute. “Man.”

  “I’ll bet you wish you hadn’t gotten out of bed this morning.”

  “But you were going to surprise me with the news one of these days anyway, weren’t you?”

  Lina didn’t like the sardonic note in his voice. He didn’t believe she would have told him. She’d have liked to be offended, but couldn’t really blame him. After all, she’d procrastinated for months.

  “I would have.”

  He rose abruptly and said, “I’ll let you know when we get the sketch artist scheduled. The holiday may complicate that. I assume you’re off work.”

  “We go back the fourth.”

  “Can you make yourself available tomorrow for the FBI agents to interview you?”

  “Yes.”

  His gaze settled on her Christmas tree before returning to her. “Are you expecting family?”

  She wasn’t expecting anyone. Did she have to tell him the truth? He’d think she was pathetic.

  “My family lives near Minneapolis. Flying didn’t sound like fun right now—” she touched her stomach “—so I decided not to join them.”

  He frowned a little. “Won’t you be celebrating with friends?”

  “Maya—” Her voice hitched. “Maya was my best friend.”

  “I’m sorry I reminded you.”

  “Did you think I’d forget?” she asked incredulously.

  “No.” A man she suspected was rarely hesitant, Bran lingered, looking down at her. “You’re likely to have nightmares, Lina.”

  “I didn’t this afternoon when I napped.”

  “It’ll all catch up with you.” On that cheerful note, he nodded. “I’ll call in the morning. Lock up after me.”

  She followed him to the door. He hovered momentarily just outside as if he wanted to say something else, but finally dipped his head again and walked away without looking back.

  Lina closed the door and locked it, then sagged against it, the painted steel cool beneath her forehead. Thoughts and images tumbled in her head like clothes in the dryer.

  Maya staring at her. Her head... The monster seeing her. Tearing across the street, expecting a bullet to strike her any moment.

  And
then the shock of having Bran walk in.

  At least she’d gotten the dreaded meeting over with, but...

  From here on out, we’re tied together.

  Lina moaned and bumped her head repeatedly against the door.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  BRAN SHOULD HAVE gone straight home, but his car seemed to steer itself across town to his brother’s house. Christmas lights glittered like icicles around the eaves, and a warm glow from the windows told him Zach and Tess were still up. He glanced at his watch: 7:34. Of course they hadn’t gone to bed. Bran realized how unbalanced he felt. With a snort, he thought, Unbalanced? How about stupefied? His damn head was spinning. The day felt as if it had already lasted twenty-four hours at least.

  He turned off the engine but hesitated. He should have called first. And...was he really ready to tell anyone else?

  Bran guessed he must be, or he wouldn’t be here.

  With a sigh, he got out and crossed the lawn, bounding up the steps to the porch. He rang the bell and waited. No surprise, Zach had put in a new front door with a peephole. He worried about Tess, and for good reason. After the two of them witnessed an ugly crime committed by another sheriff’s deputy, she had been terrorized. Even though Andrew Hayes, the deputy, had been convicted of attempted first degree murder for trying to kill Tess, Zach hadn’t let down his guard. Bran didn’t blame him.

  Zach opened the door. If he was surprised, it didn’t show. There was still tension between the two of them—reconnecting after twenty-five years wasn’t easy—but tonight Bran saw only welcome.

  “Hey, come in. I hear you had an exciting day.”

  He didn’t know the half of it.

  “It was a little out of the ordinary,” Bran agreed. “I was heading home, but somehow I ended up here.”

  “Have you eaten? We have leftovers.”

  “Thanks, but I had a good dinner. I’d sent Lina—uh, our principal witness—to a friend’s house, and when I went to get her, they fed us. Best Mexican food I’ve eaten in years, if ever.”