“I’m sorry about the impact. Are you hurt?”
She took a step back and his arms fell to the sides. She felt bereft from the loss of his touch, which was crazy. She didn’t even know this man. She cleared her throat and shook her head. “It was my fault.” The urge to throw herself back into his arms was overwhelming and she couldn’t keep eye contact. She blinked at his massive chest. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“Is everything okay? You looked a little panicked before…”
Before she barreled into him was left unsaid. She suddenly remembered what she’d been doing before their explosive meeting and she spun around, searching for the man in the crowd. She didn’t see him anywhere. Oh, God, Sean and Tiff were all alone in the car. What if he saw them and followed? What if he was there now? “I-I’m sorry, I’ve got to go.” She took off in a dead run.
“Wait—”
She waved over her shoulder. “Sorry, again.” She didn’t look back…she couldn’t. His shoulders were broad and strong and she had no doubt he could help carry her load. She shook her head to clear the foolish idea. She had one goal and that was to keep her siblings safe. She skidded into the parking garage and dashed for the SUV. Survival instincts kicked in and she stopped and glanced behind her, making sure no one followed. That she was a little disappointed the tall, dark stranger didn’t was crazy. Pushing the thoughts from her head, she hustled to the vehicle. The windows were dark so she couldn’t see Sean and Tiff. Her hand shook as she yanked the door open and stuck her head inside. The twins were safely buckled in. She sagged in relief.
“Is everything okay, Layla?” Tiff asked.
She pasted on a smile, not wanting to worry them. “Fine.” She climbed inside, locked the doors out of habit and slid the key in the ignition. Her plans to talk to the man from the security company were thwarted. She couldn’t go back now. “What do you guys say we go home, pack our bags and plan a road trip?”
“Yeah, yeah,” they chimed in unison.
#
Luke Colton watched the small brunette scurry off like the hounds of hell were on her tail. Every cell in his body urged him to follow. It wasn’t just because she was beautiful in a non-traditional way. Her hair was short and straight and he’d bet money it was a wig. Her brown eyes had been framed by thick lashes that were shades lighter than her hair and hidden behind chunky black glasses that should have looked ridiculous on her heart-shaped face. Her skin was creamy and flawless, but her clothes were boxy and unflattering. Her husky voice was a musical lilt that wrapped around him like a favorite blanket. She’d gone to great pains to disguise her looks but you couldn’t hide true beauty. It shone through like the brightest star in the sky.
No, the real reason he wanted to chase after her was because of the look of sheer unadulterated panic on her face before she crashed into him. It cut him deep to the bone. Something or someone had terrified her. Every protective instinct in his body was screaming for action and his muscles tensed in response. Should he or shouldn’t he?
“Luke.”
He glanced over to see Alex Mylonas striding towards him. Alex was the reason he was in New York City. The man had done what the entire NYPD hadn’t been able to do…unmask the Vigilante. Luke was torn with indecision. He was here for a reason and he had a job to do, but at the moment, the only thing he cared about was the damsel in distress. He spun back around to see her disappear around a corner. He’d never be able to catch up with her now. He sighed and said a prayer that she’d be able to overcome whatever demons were chasing her.
“Glad you could make it,” Alex said when he reached him.
Luke shook his hand and pulled him in for a one-armed man-hug. “Damn good job. Proud of you, Mylonas.”
Alex deflected the praise. “It was a group effort. Sawyer and the detectives, we all had a hand in it. Come on, I’ll take you to the set.”
They were scheduled for an interview on a major morning television show. Alex, Olivia, Sawyer and the NYPD detectives who worked the case were the focus, but the producers requested that the owners of COBRA Securities attend, too. Logan didn’t want to leave his pregnant wife so that left the job to Luke. The exposure would be a huge boon for their company, but they were already in such demand, they had more work than they could accept. They were constantly hiring new employees and if business kept up like this, they’d outgrow their current location. He and Logan were in discussions to purchase more land surrounding the compound to add much-needed acreage.
They skirted around the crowd that had gathered outside and he followed Alex into the building. After signing in, he checked his weapon with the security agent, feeling decidedly naked without it, and passed through the metal detector. It was habit that he never left home without a firearm. Alex caught him up on the case on the ride up the elevator. When the doors opened, Alex led him to the Green Room. Sawyer stood and shook his hand. “Good job, Oldham,” he praised.
“It was all Alex,” Sawyer insisted. “He’s the one who figured it all out.”
“But you took out Ms. Larrson’s stalker.”
“Detectives Benson and Kramer tagged him, too.” He indicated the man and woman standing next to him. “We still don’t know whose bullet actually did him in.” Sawyer introduced him to the two detectives and they shook hands.
He noticed the petite blonde tucked close to Alex’s side and he walked over. “Ms. Larrson?” She smiled and my God, she was stunning. He’d seen her on television, but that didn’t prepare him for the impact of her beauty in person.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” she said, shaking his hand.
He couldn’t help but smile back. “It’s nice to meet you, too.” He didn’t miss the way Alex moved closer and wrapped a protective arm around her. He knew they’d met before when Alex had been investigating the case that brought Dorian Demarchis and Kendall Buckley, now Kendall Demarchis, together. She’d been Kendall’s roommate and had flown to Chicago to provide support to her friend. He wasn’t exactly sure what had happened but he knew Alex carried a torch for the woman. When the call came in for someone to protect her, he hadn’t hesitated to send Mylonas, even though she knew Jake Kincaid personally. He knew Alex would give his life to keep her safe.
“I’m sorry for all you’ve had to endure the last couple of weeks.”
“Thank you.” She snuggled up to Alex. “I couldn’t have made it through without Alex.” Luke sighed. Another one bites the dust. He wondered how they would work out the relationship. He hoped like hell he wasn’t about to lose Mylonas. He was an excellent detective and an excellent agent. That it was Alex who unmasked the Vigilante was a source of personal pride for Luke. Many of the COBRA Securities employees were former military men trained in combat, including his partner, Logan Bradley. Several were former federal agents like his brother Ben and Sawyer Oldham. Only a handful were former policemen like himself and Alex.
A production assistant entered the room looking harried but focused. She shook everyone’s hand and explained how the taping would work. Soon they were led to the set to meet the host and hostess of the program. Once everyone was seated and the cameras began to roll, he was swept up in the production and extoling the virtues of the company he and Logan built together.
They were the last interview of the morning so they hung around to chat with the host and hostess, who were fascinated with the Vigilante case. He checked his watch. Since he’d be in the City anyway, he’d scheduled a couple of meetings. He needed to hustle to make his appointment with the company that supplied their Kevlar vests. They had a new prototype he wanted to check out, although the old ones did their job pretty damn well since one saved Alex’s life when he’d been shot at point-blank range a few days ago.
He made his excuses, which prompted the group to break up. He shook hands with the crew and the two detectives, and told Sawyer and Alex he’d see them back home. He hugged Olivia and whispered, “Welcome to the family.”
She didn’t refute the s
entiment. She blushed prettily, snuck a peek at Alex and thanked him. That pretty much answered that question. They were definitely a couple and he needed to prepare himself for losing one hell of an agent. As soon as he was outside, he slipped on his sunglasses and headed for his meeting. He couldn’t help but scan the streets as he walked, looking for a brunette with ill-fitting clothes and an expression of panic on her face. That look wasn’t something he’d forget anytime soon.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Sawyer glanced out the taxi window as New York City passed by in a blur. He’d left the SUV with Alex to use, while he beat feet out of town at the earliest possible time. He couldn’t get away fast enough. Alex had volunteered to drive him and he should’ve taken him up on the offer. Instead, he was headed to an Upper East Side address he had no desire to visit.
That wasn’t completely true. He did want to see Celia, his mother’s personal assistant. Celia Hargrove had worked for his mother for over thirty years. Why a woman who’d never held a job in her life and her days were filled with shopping and volunteering for any committee that would have her needed an assistant was beyond him. When he was growing up, it was so that she didn’t have to sully her hands raising a rambunctious little boy. Celia had been more of a mother to him than Colleen Louise Sawyer Oldham.
He wondered what the odds were that his parents had flown out of town after the gala last weekend. Maybe they were staying at the beach house in the Hamptons, or the chateau in Aspen, maybe their flat in London. One way to find out. He dialed a number on his cell. When the ringing stopped and a voice answered, he knew lady luck had once again turned her back on him.
“Hello?”
“Celia, it’s Sawyer.”
“Sawyer! Oh, I’m so glad you called. Your mother said you were in town.”
He felt bad for not having notified her of his trip, but it’d been last minute. Plus, he knew she’d want him to visit and that meant seeing his parents. Not something he planned on doing.
“I’ve been watching the news and worried for you,” she said. “I’m glad it’s over.” He rubbed a hand across his forehead, wishing he’d resisted calling. He knew what was coming next. “You are stopping by to visit, aren’t you?”
Sawyer sighed and checked his watch. He could head there now and then his commitment would be over. “I have a few minutes before my flight.”
“Oh, Sawyer, I know your mother will be happy to see you again. Me, too. I’ll go let her know you’re on your way.”
Sawyer highly doubted that. It wasn’t only his father who’d been pissed when he decided to join the FBI, his mother had been, too, although she eventually accepted his decision.
He disconnected and brooded all the way to Fifth Avenue. He grabbed his bags, paid the cabbie and stood on the sidewalk in front of the high rise. He’d faced down serial killers, he could handle one middle-aged debutante. The only reason he talked himself into stopping by was to see Celia. Plus, he knew his workaholic father would be at his luxury offices on Wall Street so he didn’t have to worry about any uncomfortable confrontations.
He left his bags with the concierge and headed for the private elevator to the penthouse. The doors opened and Celia was waiting inside for him. “Sawyer!”
His heart squeezed. Though they spoke weekly, he hadn’t seen her in person in a few months. She came to visit him in the hospital when he’d been shot. His parents hadn’t. “Hi, Celia.” She wrapped him in a hug and her scent enveloped him. It reminded him of his childhood…before everything went to hell. She’d held him when he had nightmares and she’d tended to his many boo-boos.
She sighed and didn’t seem to want to let him go anytime in the near future. He maneuvered them inside and hit the button for the top floor. He wanted to get this reunion with his mother over with and get home as soon as possible.
“How are you? Are you recovered?”
“One hundred percent. How are you doing?” He was a little worried about the shadows under her eyes. When he hugged her, she felt so delicate.
“I’m just fine. Don’t worry about me.”
“You know I will anyway. Have you given any more thought to my proposal?” When she’d been holding vigil beside his hospital bed, he’d confided in her about his plans to resign from the Bureau and apply for a job with COBRA Securities. He’d asked her to retire and move to Indiana with him. She was getting older and she didn’t need to be attending to the whims of a spoiled socialite anymore. He had money and he wanted to take care of her.
“I can’t leave your mother. Especially now.”
Before he could ask her what “especially now” meant, the doors opened into the foyer of his parents’ luxury apartment and his mother stood waiting for him. Celia released him and he moved forward like a prisoner headed to the gallows. She airbrushed kisses to both of his cheeks, the scent of her 24 Faubourg Hermes perfume gagging him. She placed her hands against his cheeks in a typical motherly gesture that was atypical for her.
“Sawyer, darling. It’s good to see you again. I hoped to spend more time with you at the gala but every time I looked, I couldn’t find you.”
That’s because he actively avoided her. “I’m sorry, Mother. I was on the job.”
“I’ve seen the news where you caught the Vigilante. I’m proud of you, dear.”
Huh. He’d never heard those words from her. “Thanks.”
“When Celia told me you were on your way over, I called your father. He has meetings all morning and couldn’t get away.” Meetings. Sure. “Can you stay for dinner or maybe longer? Your room is just as you left it.”
Was that a hopeful tone he heard? Surely not. And never in a million years would he stay here. He was a little surprised she offered. He looked at her face, shocked to see her eyes shiny with unshed tears. It threw him for a loop. “I uh, I’m sorry, Mother, I have to catch a flight soon. I need to take off.”
“I’ve missed you, Sawyer.” This time, she pulled him in for a hug. He was struck numb, unable to move. He forced his arms up to pat her back awkwardly. This was uncharted territory for him. He could count on one hand the number of times his mother hugged him.
She loosened her hold and he took advantage, stepping back. “You look well, Mother.” For as long as he could remember, he’d called her mother instead of mom.
“I’m good. Your father has me worried. His blood pressure is up and he refuses to slow down. He’s already had one…incident.”
So this must have been what Celia meant when she said she couldn’t leave right now. “What kind of incident?” To her it could mean getting shot, having a stroke or getting run over by a rogue cab in Times Square.
“He was lightheaded and started having chest pains. The doctors said he had a mild heart attack. He was supposed to change his diet and not work so hard, but he doesn’t listen. He forbade me or Celia from telling you, but maybe you could talk to him?”
He gaped at the hopeful look on his mother’s face. What did she think he could do? His father didn’t even speak to him. Pretty damn doubtful he’d take any advice he had to offer. “Mother, you know he wouldn’t listen to anything I have to say. He doesn’t even speak to me.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “You know how stubborn your father can be, but you’re his only child. Can’t you try to mend the rift?”
Sawyer rubbed at the headache that was brewing behind his eyes. He couldn’t deal with this. He’d accepted his father’s indifference years ago. He was not putting himself on the line for the old man again. “I’m sorry, Mother. I have to go.” He airbrushed another kiss against her cheek and turned to leave.
“Sawyer?”
He stopped and turned to her. “Yes, Mother?”
“I love you.” Now he was feeling light headed and his chest was aching. Was he having a mild heart attack, too? He could not recall one time in his life when either of his parents told him they loved him. Even after he’d been kidnapped and rescued.
“Love you, too, Mother.” H
e spun around and marched out of the penthouse before he did something truly embarrassing like rolling into a ball on the floor and bawling like a baby.
Celia hugged him. “It was so good to see you.” When he pulled back, she had tears in her eyes, too. He suddenly couldn’t breathe. He had to get out of here.
“It was good to see you, too. I’ll call you when I get home.” He jumped on the elevator and restrained himself from repeatedly pounding on the down button to force it to descend faster. When the doors opened, he retrieved his luggage from the concierge, pushed outside and hailed a cab. He’d already spent more time than he wanted in New York. It was time to head home to Indiana.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“I wish you didn’t have to go.” Olivia’s voice was watery and she held on so tight, Alex had trouble filling his lungs, but he didn’t care.
“Me, too, babe.” Luke and Sawyer had both left soon after the morning show appearance, but he’d stayed an extra week. They made the rounds of interviews on numerous shows and Olivia had finished her special report on the Vigilante case. Jonah was certain it would win awards. Alex was so proud of her and she was amazing at her job. There was no way he could ask her to give it up to move to Indiana with him.
They’d spent much of the week in her bed in the small apartment above Faye’s gym. It was a tight fit with a rambunctious golden retriever, but cozy. Pets weren’t allowed in the building, so they had to sneak Roci—they dropped the Two from his name—in and out for walks. They stopped by to visit with Carl, happy to see that he was recovering nicely. He didn’t want to give up his doorman duties, though Mary was urging him to retire.
It caused him to break into a cold sweat stepping into a hospital, yet he accompanied Olivia to visit her co-workers who’d been injured in the blast. Kip, Queenie and Chuck, the other three members of her team, had all avoided serious injury. Darla’s cousin, who’d been shot in the cemetery, was going to recover, too. They strolled around different neighborhoods and sampled quaint cafes. And at night, they made mad, passionate love.
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