Banged Up

by Jeanne St. James

  Teenager, crewmember or not, he had a bad feeling about this. But he wasn’t going to jump the gun and tell Colby. He didn’t want to frighten her without reason. He would just keep a close eye on her and her house.

  ———

  Colby glanced at her watch. 1:13 a.m. She never meant to stay this late at work. But she had gotten involved in an experiment and had wanted to finish it. She hated leaving ends untied. As it was, she wanted to make up time for leaving early last Monday to go with Mace to the shooting range.

  She expected Mace had probably had gone to bed a few hours ago.

  Her house keys jingled softly when she inserted them into the door and slowly turned the doorknob. She didn’t want to wake him if he was asleep. The foyer was dark; the only glow came from one of those lighted plug-in scents she had stuck in one of the outlets.

  She slid her hand along the wall by the door until she found the switch. She flipped it.

  A small, surprised cry escaped her when she turned to find Mace sitting at the top of the stairs in only sweat pants. How long had he been sitting there?

  Okay, there wasn’t a problem.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you. I was trying to be quiet. Sorry.”

  She was whispering, but it wasn’t necessary; there was no one else to awaken. The only thing she could think of was to ignore whatever problem he perceived. She was an adult and she was single and she had a job. She was allowed to work late without feeling guilty.

  Closing the front door behind her, she locked it and carefully put her briefcase on the foyer table. Slipping her feet out of her shoes, she straightened up to face him. His eyes were narrowed and dark. Colby cringed.

  “I couldn’t sleep.”

  Damn it, she didn’t have to answer to anyone. “Oh, do you want some tea? I’m going to make myself a cup of chamomile.”

  She headed into the kitchen, listening for his bare feet to pad down the stairs. But she didn’t hear anything and assumed he just went back to bed.

  She grabbed a mug and a box of herbal tea bags out of the cabinet. After putting the kettle on the stove, she turned to take a seat at the table. Mace was already there. Colby jumped, her hand clutching her chest. “God, you scared me. I didn’t hear you come in.”

  When her heartbeat slowed, she grabbed another mug and tea bag and placed it in front of him. Then she settled into a chair across from him, waiting for the water to boil … or the other shoe to drop.

  But, there was no problem.

  “Do you know what time it is?” His voice was low and grumbling.

  There was no problem.

  “Yes, unfortunately, I do.”

  She pulled her hairpins out, letting her hair fall around her face and down her back. It felt good to release her hair out the braid after a long day. She combed her fingers through the thick mass, untangling some snagged strands. “I’m beat. And to think I have to get up in a few hours and do this all over again.”

  “Do what?” His eyes pinned hers and she felt like a moth caught in a flame.

  “Do what? Work, of course.” She unbuttoned the top button of her blouse.

  “You were working?”

  Colby stood to get the whistling kettle, breaking his eye contact. There was no problem! She filled both of their mugs with the steaming water. “What else?”

  “I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?”

  She put the kettle back on the stove and turned to him. Okay, there may be a problem. “Mace, what are you getting at?”

  “I was just a little worried about you.”

  “Why? I’m a big girl.”

  “It was getting late, or should I say early. I thought you normally didn’t work this late.”

  Colby stirred a little honey into her tea. “I don’t. But, Martin and I…”

  “Martin!” he spat.

  Colby looked at him incredulously. There was a problem. “Yes, Martin. We got involved in a project we are working on, and before we knew it, it was late. At this point we decided to get a late supper and—”

  He held his hand up. “Enough. I’ve heard enough. You don’t have to explain.”

  Colby slammed her spoon down on the table. You had better believe there is a problem!

  “You’re damn right, I don’t!” She stood, pushing her chair back. “I’m going to bed.”

  She stomped out of the room, trying not to spill her tea. As she carried it upstairs, she could have sworn she heard, “Been there, done that.”

  Once in her room, she locked her bedroom door. She wanted to scream but instead she settled for some quiet fuming. She called him every name in the book, though only in her head. Who did he think he was? Did he think he owned her? Just because they slept with each other—even if it was a few times and included stuff she had never done before—he now owned her body? No. She had already had someone who thought he owned her body and soul—and everything else. Look where it left her. She didn’t need another man treating her like that.

  She sat on her bed and sipped her tea, but not enjoying it. There wasn’t enough chamomile in the world to calm her down right now. Her doorknob slowly turned. She grinned smugly toward the door. She waited for him to knock on the door and apologize.

  But the doorknob released and she heard nothing else. He must have gone to bed. Good!

  Let him stew in his own juices for the rest of the night.

  Though, if he hadn’t acted like such an ass she could have used the company. And everything that would have gone along with that.

  ———

  The next morning came too soon for Colby. She was exhausted after getting barely three hours of sleep. She’d be lucky to be able to function at work.

  After showering, she crept downstairs, trying to avoid running into Mace. She decided to skip breakfast, instead grabbing her car keys and her briefcase. She snuck out the door undetected.

  Unfortunately, her smooth escape was hindered when her convertible wouldn’t start.

  After pumping the gas pedal over and over, she finally gave up. Fighting back stinging tears, she rested her forehead on the steering wheel. She’d just had the water pump fixed, now what was wrong? She couldn’t keep putting money into this car; she needed the funds for her house.

  A slight tap on her window made her look up. Mace. She groaned. The last thing she wanted to do was face him this morning.

  “Car problems?”

  “It won’t start.”

  “Pop the hood.” After Colby did so, Mace lifted the hood and peered into the engine compartment. After a few seconds he said, “Why don’t you call in sick and I’ll check it out for you today.”

  Colby’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t call in sick.”

  He peered around the hood. “Today you will. In fact, I’ll do it for you.”

  “No. I’m in the midst of a special project. I’ll get a ride.”

  “Who? Marty?”

  Mace had told her he knew about cars. He could have done something so her car wouldn’t start. Would he do something so sneaky just to keep her away from Martin?

  “Yes,” she said, glancing at her watch. “I can probably catch him before he leaves.”

  She climbed out of the little sports car.

  If he wanted to play games, so would she. She knew Martin had most likely left for work by now. His drive to work took a lot longer than hers. But she wasn’t telling Mace that.

  Mace cursed. “Don’t bother. Here.” He tossed his truck keys to her. “Don’t wreck it.”

  Colby caught the keys. She quickly turned away from him to hide her smile.

  “Thanks.” She jumped in his truck and left before he had the chance to stop her.

  ———

  Mace knew how to become almost anyone. He could blend in anywhere and he could sweet talk a woman into doing just about anything. Colby was being a little difficult. But he was working on it.

  Unfortunately, his plan this morning had backfired. He had desperately wanted her to stay home with him
, especially after getting gypped out of his time with her last night.

  However, he hadn’t expected her to try to hitch a ride with Martin. When she had driven away in his truck, he had retightened the battery cable on her convertible. It had been a stupid, meatheaded thing to do. He was not that desperate. His idiotic jealousy was getting in the way and could possibly ruin things with Colby, if it hadn’t already. And that jealousy had driven him to where he was standing.

  Mace leaned over the intern’s desk, flashing his bright white teeth as he gave her a big smile. She was a young college student who looked like she had put on the “freshman fifteen” and then some.

  Mace wouldn’t take no for an answer. “C’mon. I just need to go talk to my friend.”

  She gave him an uneasy look. “Sir…”

  “Mace,” he corrected her.

  “Sir,” she insisted, flushing. “I can’t let you into the lab. Even if you are Martin’s friend.”

  Mace never countered her idea he was Martin’s “friend” but he wondered why she was putting the emphasis on “friend” every time she said it.

  “C’mon … I need to surprise my buddy. It’s his birthday!”

  The girl’s eyebrows rose. “I didn’t know it was Martin’s birthday. And I didn’t even get him a card.” She stuck a thumbnail between her teeth and gnawed.

  “I’m sure he won’t mind. If you let me go in, I’ll let him know you wish him a happy birthday.”

  “I’m sure you will…” She pursed her lips. “Okay, but if I get in trouble…” She nervously smoothed down her skirt as she left her desk and went over to the forbidden door. The locked door to the “secret inner sanctum.”

  “I promise you won’t.” He hoped he could keep his promise.

  She held her keycard against the card scanner mounted on the wall, and the lock clicked. Mace leaned over and gave her chubby cheek a quick kiss. He turned away before he could finish watching the flush crawl up her neck.

  He went down the narrow hallway, reading doorplates as he went. He hoped he didn’t stumble across anyone, since he didn’t want any questions on why he was skulking around the lab. Finally he came across an open doorway. He smiled. The nameplate said “Martin McConnell.”

  He slipped into the office before being detected and softly closed the door behind him. Martin looked up from his desk in surprise.

  Just who Mace was looking for…

  “Can I help you?”

  Martin looked up startled. He was nothing like Mace expected.

  The man’s dirty-blond hair was tousled as if he had been running his hand through it over and over. In fact, on one side a part of it stuck straight out. And it looked liked it had a purple tint to it.

  On his desk was what looked like a half-eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a paper towel. Some of the grape jelly had squirted out of it, partially missing the paper towel. Mace didn’t have to be an investigator to realize this was one messy dude. A large plop of jelly teetered on the formerly white lab coat which Martin wore. It looked as though he would end up wearing more of his lunch than eating it.

  Martin’s glasses were perilously perched on his face, the bridge riding down toward the end of his nose. Under the lab coat, he had a robin’s egg blue button down shirt with a deeper blue tie, but the tie showed old stains. Being a messy eater wasn’t something new for this guy.

  Pushing his glasses back up his nose, Martin rose to his feet. “Can I help you?” he asked again, sounding annoyed this time—as if he wasn’t happy about the interruption.

  “I’m Mace Walker.”

  After a slight hesitation, a look of knowing replaced the puzzlement in the other man’s face. He cleared his throat and extended his right hand. “Martin. Martin McConnell.”

  Mace stared at Martin’s extended hand. There was peanut butter stuck between his fingers. Martin followed his gaze.

  “Oh. Sorry.” He wiped his hand down the side of his lab coat, leaving a smear of the peanut spread. He extended it again, a bit cleaner this time.

  Mace grasped his hand and gave it a firm shake. Martin’s hand was limper than a man’s should have been and reminded him of shaking hands with a woman.

  “You’re Colby’s … uh…” A flush rose up Martin’s neck.

  “Yes, I am.” Mace perched a hip on the cluttered desk. “Sit. Sit.”

  Martin sat. “What are you doing here? Visiting Colby?”

  Mace gave him a crooked smile. “Actually, I came to see you.”

  “Oh.” Martin’s eyebrows drew together. “Why?”

  Mace spotted a corner of a photo frame buried under a pile of papers. He dug it out.

  A kneeling man who was not Martin was in the photo, hugging a Golden Retriever. The dog was handsome. The man? Not so much. Not that he was any judge of how goodlooking men were. Mace barked out a loud cough—one deep enough to remind himself of his masculinity. “Brother?” he asked a second later, turning the frame toward Martin.

  Martin shook his head. “No. I’m sorry, why are you here?”

  Mace tossed the frame on top of a mountain of files at the corner of the desk. “I just wanted to meet the man Colby … hangs out with all the time.”

  “Well, I don’t know if I’d call it hanging out. We work together.”

  “And hang out together.”

  “Occasionally.”

  “Yes, you like to go to flea markets.”

  “Auctions,” Martin clarified. “We both appreciate antiques and good deals.”

  “Marty—”

  “Martin,” he corrected, his glasses slipping precariously close to the end of his nose.

  “Martin. Do I have anything to be concerned about?”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Apparently so. The guy’s eyebrows were pinned together so hard they looked like a unibrow.

  “Why did you send the roses?”

  “Roses? I don’t know anything about roses.”

  “You didn’t send a dozen roses to Colby?”

  “No. Why would I?”

  He wanted to say “to get a piece of ass” but instead he said, “She’s a beautiful woman.”

  “Yes, she is. But…”

  Mace waited. And waited. He watched the color in Martin’s cheeks turn darker. The other man cleared his throat and fidgeted in his seat. If Mace kept silent long enough, Martin would spill the beans. Silence was a more effective investigation tool than drilling someone with questions.

  Martin closed his eyes and blew out a breath. He grabbed the photo Mace had earlier and held it up. “If I was going to send anyone flowers, it would be him.”

  Shit. The guy was certainly quirky. But that was not what he had expected to hear.

  “Oh. Well…” Mace stood up and paced in front of the desk. He had misjudged the relationship between Martin and Colby big time. Crap, he was getting rusty. Sloppy. He had thought maybe Colby had a thing for nerds. Though Mace was relieved he was wrong since he certainly didn’t fit in that category.

  Mace stopped directly in front of the desk. Martin gave him a disapproving frown.

  “You thought Colby and I … That—”

  “No. No.” Mace dragged a hand through his hair. “Okay, maybe. I wasn’t sure.”

  “We’re just friends and co-workers.”

  Mace grimaced. Okay, now he had to do damage control. Martin was sure to go running to Colby with this. And she was not going to be happy.

  Fuck!

  He was going to have to tell her first.

  Damn. So Martin wasn’t the one. Now Mace didn’t have a freaking clue who sent those flowers. That message. The subtle threat. He hoped it wasn’t anyone in his past. No one should know he was back in town. Unless someone was looking for him. Or someone was looking for Colby.

  Either way, he was going to keep an eye on her, make sure she stayed safe. He’d just have to suffer through it if it meant spending more time with her. Mace smiled.

  ———

  A hot
, steaming bag appeared beside Colby. It smelled wonderful. Lunch. Her stomach had been growling all morning since she’d skipped breakfast. “Thanks, Martin,” she said, without even pulling her eyes away from the microscope. She slipped a pencil out of her lab coat pocket and jotted down some notes on a pad.

  Martin didn’t answer. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. She sat back and looked straight up at Mace. “What are you doing here?”

  “What, no hello?”

  “No!” Colby stood. He caught her chair before it could fall backward.

  “I came to bring you lunch and deliver your car. I fixed it. Now I want my truck back.”

  “Fine.” She dug into her lab coat pocket and held out his keys. “Here. Take them.”

  Mace reached for them and seized her hand instead. She tried to move away, but he held on tighter. “Who let you in here? This area is off-limits to visitors.”

  “Martin let me in. We had a long talk.”

  “Why? What about?” She had a sinking feeling what it was about.

  “You. You didn’t tell me about his sexual preference.”

  She raised an eyebrow at him. “And he told you?”

  Mace looked a bit guilty as he said, “I don’t think I left him a choice.”

  Colby finally tugged her hand away from his. “Oh, Mace. What’s wrong with you? He’s a good friend and co-worker. That’s all.”

  “I realize that now.” He pinned her with an accusing stare. “Why didn’t you tell me he didn’t like women? I mean—well, you know what I mean.”

  “What does it matter?”

  “I thought—”

  “You shouldn’t have thought! You were thinking with the wrong part of your body.

  Men!”

  “Ouch, that’s not fair.”

  “Fair? Is it fair you terrorize my co-worker?”

  “No. I’m sorry.” He took a step closer, making her take one back.

  “Sorry!” She took another half step back until her butt was pressed against the counter. She had nowhere else to go, no way to escape.

  “Yes, and believe it or not, I apologized to Martin. Hell, I even bought him lunch. He’ll be gone for a while. I told him to take a nice, long lunch break.” He moved closer, making her widen her stance to accommodate his larger body.