by Tiffany Snow
It was pointless to fight it anymore. He’d tried and all it had done was turn him into a confused wreck who couldn’t think straight. It seemed somehow fitting, that he’d be destined to fall in love with a woman who didn’t want him. How could he have expected her to love him back? It was like asking the sun to stop shining so it could be one with the night.
He was gone before daybreak, replacing the ornament on her tree before he walked out the door, and calling Donovan to put a couple uniforms on the place while he was gone.
Mike had said Bowers had taken a cab. Time to find the cabbie who’d picked him up that night, and it was going to be like finding a fucking needle inside a haystack.
It was mid-morning when his cell rang. Kade glanced at the caller ID and his heart skipped a beat.
Kathleen.
“Morning, princess,” he answered. The endearment was so much how he thought of her, it wasn’t even a conscious decision anymore when he said it. Luckily, she’d never said a word, not that he’d know what to say if she did or how he’d explain.
“Good morning,” she said, oh-so-polite. “I need to run an errand. Stacey Willows called. I think she’s being threatened as well. She wants to see me.”
And Kathleen had no car, which explains why she’d called him. “I’ll come get you,” he said.
“I can get a ride. I think I need to get there ASAP. She sounded really freaked out.”
So she’d called to get his permission, which was gratifying. “Not cool with that,” he said. She’d had one too many close calls for Kade to be comfortable with her going off on her own. It made him nervous and edgy. He didn’t even like having to leave her alone inside her apartment.
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Isn’t this what you’re paying me to do?”
She had a point, but still. “I’m paying you to investigate, not throw yourself into obviously dangerous situations.”
“What do you think she’s going to do to me? Her fiancé is Kyle’s commanding officer. Nothing’s going to happen. I’ll call you as soon as I’m done.”
That phrase, I’ll call you as soon as I’m done, burrowed inside his gut like a warm, sweet promise. It was an acknowledgment of a connection between them. She was admitting that she knew he cared, and that it was okay. She accepted it without any questions and wasn’t trying to use it against him.
Blane would say no. Blane would tell her there was no fucking way she was going anywhere today, then he’d lock her in her room to make sure of it.
But Kade wasn’t Blane, and Kathleen was a grown woman who could make her own decisions. He trusted her not to do something stupid.
“Fine,” he said. “But don’t take chances. Get out if it looks bad.”
“Got it.” Her tone was pleased and he was glad he’d said yes, not that she probably would have obeyed him if he’d said no, but it was nice to be in agreement for a change.
There were several cab companies in Indy, plus a few owner-operator ones with only a handful of cars in their fleet. It took the better part of the day to visit them all and flash Bowers’ photo. Kade left copies of the picture and his number in case any of the drivers out on their shift came back and recognized him.
He thought he’d gotten a hit at one place, the owner calling out for one of the drivers. “Hey, Frankie!”
A kid, Kade guessed him to be no more than twenty, shuffled into the office.
“Frankie, weren’t you on Washington Tuesday night?” his boss asked.
Frankie shrugged. “Th-that w-w-was a few d-days ago,” he replied with a pronounced stutter. He glanced at Kade, then looked quickly away.
Kade held up the photo of Bowers. “Did you see this man? Did he get in your cab?”
Frankie looked at the picture, then shook his head. “Nah. I ain’t n-never seen him b-before.” He pushed his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
“All right. Thanks, Frankie,” his boss dismissed him.
Frankie left the office and Kade stared after him. Something about the kid bothered him, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Just a feeling, a twitch inside his gut.
Frankie looked back and his eyes met Kade’s. For an instant, something calculating flashed across his face, then it was gone. He disappeared around the corner.
“Kinda young to be driving a cab, don’t you think?” Kade mused, still staring at the spot he’d last seen Frankie.
“He’s properly licensed, if that’s what you’re implying,” the man said, defensive. “Nice enough, good manners. The stutter’s a bit unusual, but there’s nothing wrong with him.”
Kade turned around, pushing thoughts of the strange kid aside. “Okay, thanks for your help. Let me know if anyone recognizes him.”
“Will do.”
He checked the GPS on Kathleen as he left. She was still at Stacey Willows’ house. She’d been there all day. He wondered if she needed a ride. Maybe he should swing by and pick her up…
No. Not him. Blane.
She’d made it pretty clear last night that she still wanted Blane, despite his cheating on her with Kandi. Kade wouldn’t have pegged her for that kind of woman, but apparently you never knew. But she was attracted to Kade, so maybe he’d just wait it out. Blane was bound to fuck it up again, or grow tired of her, whichever came first.
He called Blane on his cell.
“No hit on Bowers,” Kade said, forgoing the preliminaries. “He’s in the wind. We’re never going to find him.”
Blane sighed. “Yeah, all right. Thanks for trying. How’s Kat?”
“She’s been visiting Stacey Willows all day,” Kade said. “She called Kathleen this morning, said she wanted to talk to her. She’s been at her house ever since. I’m thinking you should swing by and pick her up, maybe see what Stacey had to say that’s taken all day.”
“Good idea. I was just leaving work so I’ll get her and take her home.”
Jealousy struck and Kade struggled to push it aside. A part of him didn’t want Blane anywhere near Kathleen, even as the logical side of him said it had to be this way.
“Yeah, sure,” he said easily. “Let me know when my shift starts.” The joke was lame, but the best he could come up with at the moment.
“Will do.” Blane ended the call.
It wasn’t until Kade was driving past a car dealership that it occurred to him, if Kathleen had a car, she wouldn’t have needed Blane to come pick her up tonight.
He swung into the dealership without thinking twice.
It was fifteen minutes until closing and the salesman wasn’t that into working late, but when Kade said the magic word, “Cash,” suddenly he was all kinds of helpful. An hour later, Kade had wired the money to the dealership and walked off with the keys to a shiny, new, fully loaded black Lexus SUV. He was just giving them Kathleen’s address for delivery when his cell rang.
Blane.
“Gimme a minute,” he told the sales guy, then stepped outside.
“That was quick,” he answered, though he was secretly pleased. If Blane had only spent an hour with Kathleen, she must not be feeling overly forgiving at the moment.
“Why the fuck did you let her go see Stacey by herself?”
Blane’s furious yelling caught Kade off-guard, and pissed him off.
“Because she wanted to,” he retorted.
“Well, she was nearly killed,” Blane shot back. “Stacey’s dead. Kathleen spent the better part of the day knocked out cold and locked in a closet.”
Kade’s eyes slipped shut as a wave of cold washed over him, stopping him in his tracks. Fuck. Someone had gotten to her. And where had Kade been, her bodyguard, the man who was supposed to protect her? Trolling cab companies looking for a ghost.
“Did you take her to the hospital?” Kade asked.
“She hates hospitals,” Blane said, still angry. “She went in to work at that fucking bar.”
“Then I’ll go there,” Kade said.
“Ya think?” Bl
ane shot back, his sarcasm grating. “You know, she’s saying all this shit now about how she’s an investigator, for chrissakes, and that’s why she went to talk to Stacey. So if she’d been killed, it would’ve been your fault.”
Kade gritted his teeth. “She’s not some kid,” he argued. “Yeah, she was trying to do her job. Give her some fucking credit, will you? After everything that’s happened the past week, she’s holding her shit together pretty fucking well. She’s been shot at, her car blown up, somebody sent her a fucking eye, and on top of all that, her boyfriend’s been a total fucking dick.”
He was breathing hard, his blood pressure and temper hitting new highs.
They were both quiet for a moment, and Kade could sense Blane regaining his control. He took a deep breath as well. Nothing would be solved by them fighting.
“Shit,” Blane finally said. “This fucking blows. It’s killing me, the danger she’s in, and I can’t do a damn thing about it.”
Kade could relate to that. Blane was a protector, a man who took action. Inherent in his nature, being a SEAL had only sharpened and honed that side of him. To be forced not to do anything—not to protect Kathleen himself—had to be driving him nuts.
“No worries,” Kade said. “I got it. I’m on my way now.”
“Thanks.”
A lot was unsaid there, but it didn’t have to be stated outright. Sometimes you just needed an outlet for your frustration. If Blane’s current outlet was Kade, so be it.
Kade pocketed his cell and went back inside, telling the guy to follow him with the SUV. He drove to The Drop and watched the salesman get in a cab for a ride back to the dealership before going into the bar.
It was a relief to see her, whole and unharmed, even if she was wearing that scrap of a Santa costume. The knot that had formed in the pit of his stomach when Blane called finally eased and he could take breathe again. It was new…and disconcerting…to worry about someone, and a woman at that.
“I see you didn’t listen to me,” he said to her, cocking an eyebrow. “You’re going to catch pneumonia wearing hardly any clothes in the middle of winter.” If she dressed like this in subzero weather, Kade wondered what the hell she wore in July. And if he’d ever be lucky enough to see it.
“If only I could be so lucky,” she retorted.
That was funny and Kade hid a smile. Damn, he liked her. He really wished he didn’t.
“Brought you an early Christmas present,” he said, and tossed the keys to the SUV at her. She caught them neatly, then looked up at him in confusion.
Kade slid onto a bar stool. “Well, I’m certainly not going to chauffeur you all over town,” he said by way of explanation. Reaching across the bar, he grabbed a bottle of beer from where he’d seen Kathleen pull them. Twisting off the cap, he took a long swallow.
It should be interesting to see her reaction to this. Kade hadn’t really considered the how of giving the car to her, he’d just wanted to get it for her. Now though, she was looking at him like he was nuts.
“You…got me a car?”
Kade scrambled for what to say, how to do this. He took another drink to buy time before replying. “Thought you could use a little Christmas cheer.”
She looked skeptical.
“Consider it an advance on your salary and a tax deduction for the firm.” Maybe she’d buy that and just let it go.
Her jaw hung open as she stared at him. “Kade, I don’t know what to say—”
He relaxed slightly. Okay, easier than he thought. “Thank you is customary,” he said, unable to stop a small smile. It had been a long time since he’d been able to give someone a gift like this. Blane and he rarely exchanged gifts anymore. If they wanted something, they just went and bought it. It felt good, really good, to do this for someone else. For Kathleen.
“Thank you,” she said. “But I can’t accept this. It’s too much.” She tried to hand the keys back to him and Kade’s smile faded. She was really sucking the fun out of this.
Of course. The answer came to him in a flash. She wouldn’t accept a car from him, but she’d take it if she didn’t know it was a gift. And what did it matter, really? Hadn’t he bought it for her to use? Buying a car was expensive, and she didn’t have the money to buy even another piece of shit like the Honda had been.
“Please,” he scoffed. “It’s not like I bought it for you.” He took another swig of beer, forcing himself to be casual.
She looked at him, a question in her eyes as well as a little bit of hope, which sealed it.
“The firm bought it,” he lied. “An investigator has to have wheels. It’s a company car.” That only she was licensed to drive.
He could see the indecision on her face. “Are you sure?” she asked.
“You really think I’d just go buy you a car?” he asked. It was both expected and yet depressing when that sentence seemed to be what convinced her.
Then…she did something amazing.
Stepping out from behind the bar, Kathleen put her arms around him and squeezed.
For a moment, Kade did nothing. He was too surprised. Kade didn’t get hugged. He just…didn’t. He wasn’t huggable. Mona persisted now and again, but a hug from a woman in a gesture of friendship and warmth…it never happened to him. Ever.
Shaking himself free of his frozen shock, Kade raised his arms and gave Kathleen a tentative squeeze back. It felt awkward and good at the same time, though she didn’t seem to notice, or if she did, she didn’t mention it.
“Thank you, Kade,” she said. “This is a huge load off my mind.”
Pulling back slightly, Kade looked down at her. With him on the stool, they were closer to the same height. Her blue eyes stared trustingly into his. The relief in her gaze made him ache to do more for her. Buy her a half a dozen cars, a house, a fucking yacht—pretty much anything she could possibly want, just to have her keep looking at him like he was her knight in shiny fucking armor.
“No problem,” he said, swallowing down words he shouldn’t say. He wanted to pull her close again, and not just for a hug, but knew he shouldn’t. Yet he was incapable of pushing her away. “And if you’d like to thank me further, I could give you a few ideas, several of which prominently feature those shoes you wore last night.”
That did the trick. She stepped away, slapping him lightly on the arm as her face flushed rose. “Drink your beer,” she said.
Moving back behind the bar, she took something out of her purse and handed it to him. “I took this cell phone from Adriana’s hotel room,” she said, “but it has a code on it. I thought you might be able to break it.”
“No problem,” Kade said, slipping the phone into his pocket. “I was able to trace the phone calls made to Freeman.”
“Who called him?”
“Someone with a lot of resources. Government resources.” That even he as of yet had been unable to trace to their origin.
“Blane said he thought that might be the case, that the Defense Department budget is supposed to be cut by billions next year.”
“Yep,” he said, pleased she’d made the connection. “Always follow the money, princess. Nine times out of ten, it’s all about the cash.”
“And the tenth time?” A smile played about her lips, entrancing him. She was playing with him. It made him smile a little, too.
“The tenth time is personal,” he said. “Everyone knows that.”
Kathleen grinned outright, and was quiet for a moment. Kade sipped his beer. It was nice, just being with her. He didn’t feel a pressing need to be something he wasn’t. He could just…be. He recognized the feeling as something unique to her, and was grateful for it.
She was wiping down glasses and Kade watched her work, admiring the smooth efficiency of her movements. That outfit showed a helluva lot of skin, and he committed all of it to memory, right next to the image of her wearing those peacock stilettos.
“Ryan Sheffield came by tonight,” she said, pulling him out of his thoughts. “I’m going on a
date with him tomorrow night.”
Kade tensed. The words I’m going on a date were some of the last ones he wanted to hear come out of her mouth, much less if they involved someone on this case.
“You realize he works for the government,” he said. “He could be our mysterious caller. Or our shooter. Why the date?”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t believe that. He doesn’t strike me as the type. And why not a date? Maybe he knows more than he’s telling, though. If he does, I’ll get it out of him.”
There were so many things wrong with that statement, Kade didn’t know where to begin. First, Kathleen was a woefully bad judge of character, as evidenced foremost by her trust in him.
Second, she couldn’t date him because Kade would have to beat the shit out of him. That was a given.
Last, she’d get it out of him? Please. Kathleen was about as threatening as a Chihuahua.
“And how do you plan on doing that?” he asked, electing not to piss her off by saying any of this to her. This should be good for a laugh.
“Men the world over have the same weakness,” she said with a shrug of one perfect, naked shoulder.
“Really? Do enlighten me, princess.”
Leaning over the bar as though to tell him a secret, she crossed her arms under her breasts, pushing them up and together. The Santa outfit already barely contained her breasts and now it seemed they were nearly overflowing the fabric’s ability to cover them. It made for an impressive display and Kade couldn’t stop his eyes from dropping to enjoy the view.
Glancing serenely up at him, she laughed, then said, “Breasts, of course.”
Kade swallowed, forcing his gaze back up to meet hers. Yeah, he’d tell her just about anything she wanted to know if she dangled the chance to get his hands and mouth on her.
“Point taken.”
She laughed again as she stood and Kade mourned the loss of the amazing view.
“What about Stacey Willows?” she asked. “You know she was murdered today.”
It didn’t escape Kade’s notice that she didn’t mention her close call. “So Blane said. What happened?”
