by Rose Wulf
“Coffee, no sugar,” she called as she set his cup on the shelf. Her eyes again shifted to him, holding this time for a long second before she smiled and turned her attention back to the drinks still waiting to be made.
Seth released an inaudible breath, wrapped his hand around his coffee, and turned to make his exit. His morning coffee run was turning into a literal bright spot during his stay, but he was beginning to think it was a good thing he only saw her once a day. He suspected she had the potential to hold his attention even in a more important situation, and he still had a job to do.
Even so, as he unlocked his car, he couldn’t help but wonder what her name was.
****
Veronica had been right. It hadn’t been any fun at all having to tell Allison that she wouldn’t be able to make the party. But at least we were able to reschedule, she reminded herself. Instead of joining their friends for a couple of movies, dinner, and some games, she would be meeting Ali on Tuesday for a girl’s day. It was the best she could do.
And, in the meantime, it was Saturday afternoon, at least a hundred degrees, and she needed to find a decent place to eat her lunch. Despite the raging heat of the summer, Veronica had decided to grab a sandwich from a local deli and spend some time at the park. Provided, of course, that she could find a little shade. The heat was weighing down the paper bag in her hand, probably melting the cheese on her cold roast beef sandwich, and making her immensely glad that she had opted to go with a lightweight faded blue dress and sandals.
Finally spotting a full, sturdy tree that seemed to have a nice amount of shade beneath it, Veronica quickly moved over and sat down. The faintest of breezes was dancing across her heated skin, toying with her neck-length ponytail but stopping short of actually offering relief. Still, she smiled and tugged her lunch out of the bag. It was likely to be her only enjoyable meal of the day, and she wanted to make it last as long as possible.
She was still nursing the bottle of juice that she’d purchased alongside her sandwich when she heard movement somewhere behind her. She tried ignoring it, assuming that it was just someone taking their dog on a walk, but her interest was piqued when the first voice drifted to her ears.
“You better have a good reason for dragging me out here in broad daylight,” the first voice—male—snapped agitatedly. His voice was gruff and didn’t inspire confidence.
Despite herself, Veronica tightened the cap on her bottle and leaned slightly around the tree, curious now. She easily spotted the three men standing not too far from her. Two stood side-by-side, both a little shy of six foot, and the third stood opposite them, just slightly shorter than his comrades. But it was the way they were dressed that really intrigued her. Two wore ankle-length trench coats over jeans and heavy shirts with baseball caps on their heads, and the third wore jeans and sneakers beneath a hooded sweatshirt. The third man’s hood was pulled up, and all of their hands were tucked into pockets. She couldn’t imagine how they hadn’t already passed out from heat stroke.
The one in the hoodie spoke up next, his voice lower and startlingly darker as he said, “Quit whining, Wilson. You know why we’re meeting out here.”
The man standing next to the one in the hoodie spoke next, projecting his voice just a bit higher as he said, “Unless you want to back out.”
The one standing by himself—the first who’d spoken—scoffed and said, “I’m not a damn idiot; I kind of like my head where it is.”
“Good,” the louder one replied. He shifted his weight, glancing at the man beside him, before adding, “I heard Tiffany on the phone this morning; they’re going out tonight. She thinks they’ll be gone for hours. It’s the best chance we’re gonna get.”
“Tonight?” the first man—Wilson—repeated, a tone of incredulity in his voice. “But we haven’t worked it all out yet. Did you even get the code?”
“I did,” Hoodie said shortly.
Wilson flicked a glance toward him before looking back at the louder man and asking, “So…what’s the plan?”
“The plan’s pretty simple,” the louder man replied. “We wait until Robert’s out, and then we sneak inside and take the money. It’s not like he ever leaves guards; we’ll be in and out before anyone’s the wiser.”
Silence stretched, and Veronica’s eyes widened. Oh my god, she whispered silently. Never had it occurred to her that she’d be overhearing someone talking about a robbery. But that was exactly what it sounded like.
Wilson spoke up again, drawing her out of her thoughts as he asked, “And if someone catches us?”
The one in the hoodie calmly replied, “We kill ‘em.”
Chapter Two
Veronica was short of breath now, blue eyes impossibly wide, as she watched Wilson nod silently. Okay, a robbery was one thing, but…killing people? It was official. She should have taken her sandwich back home. The trio of potential murderers exchanged silent looks, and it became apparent that their meeting was done, so Veronica swung herself back around until she was hidden by the trunk of the tree. Her heart was slamming against her ribcage now and she was sweating for reasons that had nothing to do with the blistering heat. But she didn’t realize that she had begun breathing heavier until she heard the soft crunch of a footstep behind her as the hairs on the nape of her neck suddenly stood up.
Her stomach falling to the ground, Veronica held her breath and slowly turned around once more. In an instant every single horror movie she’d ever watched flashed through her mind, and she had to fight to keep from bolting to her feet and running away. She was about to throw up, or pass out, if not both. Her mouth had gone dry and spots were starting to appear in her vision. But she did her best to hide her body’s reaction as she forced her head to turn around anyway.
She wasn’t at all surprised to find herself looking directly into the eyes of the one in the hoodie, but that didn’t make her feel any better. In fact, it quickly made her feel worse. His dark eyes were narrowed, his lips drawn into a thin line, and his nostrils flared as he took a deep breath.
Immediately deciding that playing dumb was her best bet, Veronica pitched her voice a little higher than normal and deliberately tilted her head to the side as she asked, “Can I help you?” For once in her life, the blonde stereotype seemed like it just might come in handy.
If it was at all possible, his eyes darkened and his lips dipped into a definite frown. “It’s rude to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations.”
His voice was even more frightening up close, she decided. She swallowed, hoping her own voice would stay steady, and said, “I…don’t know what you’re talking about.” She held up her lunch bag and added, “I was just finishing my sandwich.”
“Don’t—” Hoodie cut himself off, his eyes widening marginally and lifting to look past her. He clamped his lips shut for a beat before grunting, “Hunter.”
Now thoroughly confused, Veronica turned her attention forward to see what—or who—had caught him off-guard. And she felt her heart leap at the same time as what little moisture had returned to her throat was sucked away, and she could only settle on feeling more confused as she found herself looking up at Tall, Dark, and Handsome.
“Am I interrupting?” Tall, Dark, and Handsome asked pointedly, keeping his sunglass-covered gaze on the man in the hoodie.
Hoodie took a step back, flicking a glance down at Veronica, before turning and striding away without a word.
Veronica watched him go as the first twinges of relief eased the knot in her stomach. She released a breath and returned her gaze to her rescuer with a smile. “Thanks,” she said.
He held out a hand to help her up, his lips lifting briefly, and replied, “Don’t mention it.”
Her hand tucked into his and her breath caught again. His hand was strong and warm around hers, sending a strangely intimate feeling of security straight to her gut. Swallowing heavily, Veronica let him help her to her feet as she chastised herself for her silly reaction to his touch. And, as she found her feet
and an oddly aware silence settled over them, the reality of what had just happened collapsed on top of her. She sucked in an unsteady breath as their hands fell apart, but before she could find her voice Tall, Dark, and Handsome was speaking again.
“Are you all right?” he asked, the deep, powerful timbre of his voice washing over her.
Veronica swallowed again and looked up enough to stare into the lenses of his sunglasses, wishing she could see past them. He must be at least six feet tall, she thought absently a moment before she replied, “Yeah.” She hesitated, suddenly wondering how best to word what she wanted to say next, and finally settled on, “So do you, uh, know that guy?”
Tall, Dark, and Handsome shook his head as he said, “Not in any way that counts. He’s an associate of a colleague.”
She found her nerves fading a bit more at his tone. It was obvious that he wasn’t particularly close to Hoodie, and that awareness was more comforting than anything else. She could only hope that meant he also wasn’t somehow involved in whatever those men had been planning.
“Do you mind if I asked what Richards wanted with you?” Tall, Dark, and Handsome asked carefully. She got the distinct impression that he was trying to figure out what had been going on without scaring her off.
Forcing her eyes away from his dark lenses, Veronica gave the partially-crumpled paper bag in her other hand a light, pointed shake and took a step toward the park exit before asking, “Is that his name? Richards?”
“Gregory Richards,” he clarified, easily matching her pace.
Veronica nodded thoughtfully, as if the name would actually help her in some way. Her breath failed her for a moment as it occurred to her that knowing his name might, in fact, make things worse. Should I go to the police? That would definitely make things worse. What she needed was to know more about the situation she’d inadvertently found herself thrown into. And that thought sparked another, a thought that caused her to come to an abrupt stop and turn slightly to face her companion properly. “Do you know a man named Robert? Or someone named Tiffany?”
Tall, Dark, and Handsome stopped as well, his lips dipping into a faint frown as his hands slid into his pants pockets. “One of each,” he said carefully. “Why?”
If he really knew the potential victims of what she’d heard, then telling him was more important than keeping quiet for her own sake. She took a breath and explained exactly what she’d heard, and why Gregory Richards might have been trying to scare or threaten her. She studied what she could see of his facial expression, noting the increasing tightness around his jaw and the thin line his lips formed as she spoke. He didn’t look like a man who liked what he was hearing. Or, oh, God, what if he just didn’t like that she had heard the conversation?
No, she decided almost instantly. While she realized she didn’t know anything about the man before her, she was observant enough to have noticed that Richards had disappeared far too quickly to be on any sort of good terms with him. Tall, Dark, and Handsome couldn’t be a part of whatever Richards, Wilson, and the other man had been planning. Of that, and against all reason, she was sure. But there was one thing she desperately wanted to know, so, after a moment, she asked, “How worried should I be?”
He released an almost inaudible breath and carefully replied, “I wouldn’t be. Assuming what you heard was the truth, they’ve got bigger things to be worrying about right now.”
It was sweet of him to try to reassure her, but Veronica knew that he wasn’t entirely right. Yes, those men were busy and distracted, but the way she saw it, she could well have just jumped to the top of their list of things to do. All she could hold on to was the fact that he knew them better than she did—as in, he knew who they were—and so, for that reason, maybe he knew what he was saying. She would have to hold on to that for the sake of her own sanity.
Releasing a breath, Veronica turned and resumed walking as she said, “I hope you’re right.” Tall, Dark, and Handsome kept pace beside her as they walked, nodding his head in silent agreement with her statement. And it wasn’t until she had dropped her lunch bag into the garbage that she realized they had skipped that all-important first step of communication. She turned to face him again, this time with a friendly smile, and extended her hand as she said, “Oh, I’m so sorry; I’m Veronica Wyndham.”
His lips twitched ever-so-slightly and he removed a hand from his pocket in order to wrap it again around hers as he replied, “Seth Hunter. It’s nice to officially meet you, Ms. Wyndham.”
She couldn’t decide what she liked more—his simple, straightforward, powerful name or the fact that he actually recognized her—and heard herself saying, “Veronica, please.” Am I blushing? Oh, that was so humiliating. Suddenly she felt like she might be fifteen again after all.
Seth inclined his head as his hand returned to his pocket and he said, “Veronica it is, then.” He paused, but she got the impression that he intended to say more, and slowly asked, “Would it be all right if I gave you my number? In case Richards bothers you again.”
Her heart did something funny at the idea of having his number, and she told herself to ignore it as she nodded and dug her phone out of the purse hanging from her shoulder. “Sure,” she said, hoping for not the first time that he would accept her reaction as casual. Before she could stop herself, she was adding, “But then maybe you should have mine, so that you’ll know it’s me who’s calling.”
“That seems fair,” Seth replied. He rattled off his number a moment later, and then dutifully typed hers into his phone when she recited it for him.
Once their phones were put away again Veronica was reminded of that dreaded moment when the date was over and the couple had to part, despite neither wanting to. Only that was an incredibly stupid thing to be thinking, since they’d barely learned each other’s names and were in no way romantically involved. It’s official, Veronica. You’ve gone too long without a boyfriend.
Barely resisting the urge to shake her head, Veronica managed, “Well, I should be going…but it was good to meet you. And thank you, by the way.” That was stupid. You already thanked him. What, are you thanking him for giving you his number now?
“It wasn’t a problem,” he assured her easily, another faint grin tilting his lips. “And hopefully your day will only get better from here.”
She smiled automatically at his words, nodded, and only just managed to avoid repeating that she needed to go before turning and starting down the sidewalk with a small wave.
****
Seth watched Veronica walk away with conflicting, confusing emotions tangling in his gut. He wanted to be relieved for finally having a solid lead on his investigation, but all he really wanted was to go after Richards and make sure he would never be bothering Veronica again. And that surge of protectiveness was entirely unexpected. There were very few beings he could honestly say he was protective over, and none of them were human.
Time enough to dwell on that later, he told himself as he turned and started in the direction of his own car. As he walked, he tugged his phone from his pocket once more and dialed Robert. When the line clicked and Robert offered his usual greeting, Seth declared, “We need to talk. Where are you?”
“Home,” Robert replied, sounding startled.
“I’m on my way,” Seth stated flatly before Robert could say more. He didn’t wait for the other man’s response before disconnecting and switching his phone for his car keys. They needed to move on this lead before it evaporated on them, and there was a good chance that Richards and the other two would be going underground now that they knew they’d been overheard. He could only hope they weren’t very good at it.
The engine had barely rolled over before Seth’s mind returned to the scene he’d unintentionally walked into a short while before. He’d only been passing by, once again reviewing what few details he had, when he’d caught sight of Richards leering at Veronica. It looked like he was actually thinking about attacking her, right out in the open. And he was trying to
tell himself he was only upset because of what that would have risked, and because Richards (along with Wilson and another whose name he still didn’t know) had been eluding him for over a week. But he suspected he was lying to himself.
Veronica had looked so innocent and vulnerable, sitting on the grass beneath the tree and staring up in fear into Richards’s eyes. The truth was, she would probably have drawn his attention even if Richards hadn’t been practically drooling over her. And he was angry over the thought of what Richards might have done to her if he hadn’t walked by when he did, but he wasn’t so sure he was angry for the right reasons.
Tightening his hands over the steering wheel, Seth once again attempted to yank his thoughts away from Veronica. I need to be focusing on taking care of this situation before it gets out of hand.
****
Veronica eased her car into her mother’s driveway at precisely five-thirty that afternoon, resignation, guilt, and frustration vying for dominance within her. Despite the fact that she’d already made new plans with Allison, and Allison hadn’t sounded too crestfallen, Veronica still wished she didn’t have to be going to the potluck. It doesn’t matter now, she reminded herself with a sigh as she dropped the keys in her purse and reached for the handle. It was time to plant a smile on her face, but it was not time to give in to her frustration.
That thought firmly in mind, Veronica climbed out of her car and made her way to the door. Her mother’s house—the house Veronica had called home for her entire childhood—was two stories tall and well cared for. It was sporting a fairly fresh coat of ivory paint, and the trim stood out with a contrasting shade of dark brown. The grass was bright green, the garden on either side of the staircase was in full bloom, and the bushes in the front of the yard had obviously been recently trimmed. Not that any of this surprised Veronica. There had only been one time that she could recall when her mother had let the housework go.
She stepped out of her shoes in the foyer as she called out, “Mom?”
