by Barb Han
She sat there tight-lipped, looking as though she’d bolt if given the chance.
“This is real. You’re in danger. I’m here to help.”
Her angry glare trained on him. “Prove he’s dead.”
“Can’t. Not tonight, anyway.”
“Why? Shouldn’t there be a news report? A U.S. Marshal dying should make the headlines.”
“It’s complicated.”
“Then explain it to me slowly.” She clenched her jaw muscles. Impatience and fear radiated from her narrow-eyed glare.
With her wavy brown hair pulled off her face in a ponytail, she could pass for a coed. Her lips were full, sexy. Not that they were his business. “He was found in his bed. A bullet through his brain. The agency is keeping his death under wraps.”
“Oh, God. He was a nice man.”
Nick bit out a derisive snort. “Good guys don’t get in bed with the enemy.”
“Are you saying what I think you are?” she asked incredulously.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I don’t believe you. He brought me here. Set me up with this job. He would not help them.”
He arched his brow. “Because he did a few nice things for you, he can’t possibly turn into one of them?”
She stared at the road in front of them. If she bit down any harder on her bottom lip, she might chew right through it. “Don’t twist my words. I know he was a family man. He cared about his work. I knew him better than you did. He wouldn’t turn on me. Not now. Not after two years. Besides, what would he have to gain in hurting me?”
“Malcolm Grimes has been broken out of jail and someone on the inside helped. Your handler showed up at the prison two days before he escaped.”
Her tight grip on her nerves shattered. Just like when a rubber band broke, Nick could almost see the pieces of rubber splintering in all directions. Her eyes closed. Her fingers pressed to her temples. Her body visibly shook. “He’s out? Just like that?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Her eyes snapped open and her gaze locked on to him. “How can you let that happen? Now he’s free to come after me?” Her voice shook with terror.
“That’s why I’m here.”
“Let me get this straight. Grimes is out, and you automatically suspect Charlie? Wouldn’t he be alive right now if he’d helped?”
“Not if he crossed Grimes. He was executed in his own bed. Someone was making a statement.”
Weariness crept over her face as she gripped the phone, closed her eyes again and rocked back in her seat. “The first thing Grimes does after killing Charlie is come after me? Why? Wouldn’t he figure you’d be waiting for him?”
“Your file’s missing from Charlie’s place.”
She drummed her index finger on the cell.
“I’m supposed to tell you ‘Pandora.’”
The tension in her face eased slightly even though she didn’t speak. Her movement smoothed, timed with her calmer breaths. She stopped tapping on the cell. The safe word resonated. “Any idea why my boss chose Pandora as your safe word?”
“Yeah.”
“Care to fill me in?” It wasn’t as if he was asking for her Social Security number.
“Not really.” A solemn expression settled on her almond-shaped face. “The bakery. Did they blow it up because of me?”
“Most likely.”
“That was all Claire had to support her baby and now it’s gone. Why didn’t they just shoot me straight out?”
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Good question. My guess is they were trying to ensure there’d be no mistakes. Easier to just blow up a building with you in it. Also has the added benefit of looking like it was an accident. It’s tidier. Leaves less of a trail.”
“So, it’s over. Just like that. I walk away from everything I know one more time because of these jerks. I’m on the move again?”
He nodded.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said fiercely.
“I know.”
“Is this what I can expect the rest of my life? Because some guys want to murder and maim me?” She drummed her hands on the dash. Her tension was on the rise again.
“It shouldn’t happen to good people.”
“Save the speech. I’ve heard it before. ‘Nice folks deserve better than this, but we have to do what we can to protect you. It’s not your fault. Sometimes the system doesn’t work.’”
“It’s true.”
She pressed her lips together. “Yeah? Well, your system sucks.”
He could appreciate her anger. When his youngest sister was kidnapped and beaten by a crazed ex-boyfriend, Nick had hunted the teen down and nearly ended up in prison himself. His mom intervened while his grandmother called 911 to stop him from meting out his own justice. Sadie’s haunted expression reminded him of his kid sister.
Under the circumstances, Sadie was doing well. Damn that his own anger rose thinking about the past. He already felt a connection to Sadie. His protective instincts flew into high gear the moment someone breached the bakery. He shouldn’t care this much about a witness. “It’ll keep you alive if you let it.”
A beat of silence sat between them.
He risked a glance in her direction. A ball of fury formed in his throat at the tears streaming down her pink cheeks. From what he’d observed in the few weeks he’d been in Creek Bend, she worked hard. She was always on time. By all accounts she did a great job. He already knew about her resilience and courage. She seemed decent and kind. She deserved so much more.
He might have to take away her home again, but he would keep her safe.
Rather than debate the quality of the WitSec program at the U.S. Marshals Service, he dropped his defenses. The experience of growing up with four women under the same roof had taught him a thing or two about the point at which he’d lost a battle. He didn’t need any of his experience to see this one was long gone. He raised his hands in the universal sign of surrender then dropped them right back on the steering wheel. “I didn’t say any of that to upset you.”
She folded her arms. “It’s fine. I guess you’re right. The program probably helps a lot of people. Just not me. I get to be the exception. I might be the unluckiest person on the planet. Even a program meant to help people makes my life miserable.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m truly sorry.”
She looked at him long and hard. Her green-eyed stare pierced him. “Your boss, Mr. Smith, said whatever I stepped into opened a Pandora’s box because they started fighting to take over Grimes’s territory.”
“Sounds like something my boss would say.” He clenched his back teeth. “It did. Violent crime shot through the roof after we put Grimes away.”
“Doesn’t seem like I helped by having him locked away.”
“Testifying was still the right thing to do. You saved a lot of innocent lives.”
“Did I? Not mine. And what about Claire? Now I’ve ruined the business of the one person who I could count on as a friend.”
“She’ll receive money. I guarantee it. Citizens are safer with these guys off the streets.”
“But they aren’t, are they?” she snapped. “I wasn’t even the one Grimes wanted. They kidnapped me by mistake. The woman they were after moved away and disappeared. She was smart. Not me. I believed your boss. I testified. Look at me now. Shouldn’t you check in with him or something?” She palmed the cell, scrolling through the names in the contact list with her thumb.
It didn’t take long.
There were only two. Nick Campbell. William Smith.
They were the only two people in her world for now. Nick couldn’t imagine being that alone.
“Nah. There’s only one reason I want you to call that number. Anything happens to me,
don’t hesitate. Make contact. Smith will tell you where to go and what to do.”
Her grip tightened on the cell phone. “But you’re with me. Anything happens to you and we’ll both be dead.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to either of us. I promise. I only gave you the number to ease your concerns.”
“If one U.S. Marshal’s already dead, our odds don’t seem all that great.” Her words came out raspy and small.
The back windshield shattered. The truck swerved as he slammed the brakes.
A truck rammed his left bumper, sending his vehicle into a dangerous spin. He grasped the steering wheel, turning into the skid.
Chapter Two
Cold blasted Sadie. “Boomer!”
He’d never been good at car rides. She glanced in the backseat. He was practically plastered to the floor mat. His fear might’ve just saved his life.
“Get down.” Nick’s tone changed to a dark rumbling presence of its own.
Rocks and dirt spewed from under the tires as he navigated the vehicle back onto the roadway.
Sadie curled into a ball on the floorboard. “That the same person who was trying to get through the door at the bakery?”
“No.”
She flashed her gaze toward him. “How do you know?”
Oh. Right. He’d killed him. The soot on his face outlined the scratches he’d collected. Looking at this guy—this new Nick—she believed him capable of doing whatever was necessary to get the job done. The transformation from the old one still shocked her. The once almost nerdy-looking facade a stark contrast to the battle-weary expression of this warrior. If he drove as well as he hid his identity, she had no doubt he’d get them out of this.
The truck swerved and jolted her thoughts to the very real threat screaming toward the back bumper.
The image of Nick calm and collected despite the danger brought her panic levels down.
He aimed a revolver out the back and fired a round.
The squeal of tires, the crunch of metal against a tree, and she knew another bad guy was dead.
Nick floored the gas pedal. He had the wheel in one hand and his weapon in the other.
An invisible band tightened around her rib cage.
Nick looked at her, his expression serious and reassuring. “We’re okay.”
“I know.”
With one hand on the wheel and his eyes on the road, he placed the gun on the seat between them and offered a hand up. She pulled herself up onto the bench seat.
He turned the heater on high and then shrugged out of his leather jacket. “This should help.”
She realizing for the first time her teeth were chattering. Wrapping the coat around her shoulders, she was flooded with the masculine scent of leather.
“I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.” He was sweet to make the promise even if they both knew he didn’t have control over what happened to her.
Even so, her heart rate slowed a notch. “Th-thank you.”
With the gun next to her, prickly heat flushed her neck and face. An overwhelming fear pressed down on her body, making her limbs heavy.
Concern wrinkled his charred forehead. “What’s wrong?” His gaze shifted from the firearm to her face then back to the road. “This? Does seeing my gun bother you?”
“It’s okay. I have to get used to it, right? This is my life now.” She heard how small her voice had become, hating that she’d lost her power by looking at the piece of cold metal.
“Not today.” He slipped the weapon into an ankle holster and tugged his jeans over it.
She’d barely noticed his legs until that moment. Her gaze moved up to the line of his muscular thighs pressing against the denim material of his jeans. A black V-neck T-shirt highlighted a broad chest and arms as thick as tree trunks.
An electric current swirled inside her body. This strong man looked more than capable of protecting her. He seemed able to handle anything that came along. She realized why she’d never noticed how adept and strong he’d been before. There had been no reason to. He’d played the work-at-home radiologist to perfection. Most of the women in Creek Bend had noticed his seriously good looks and lucrative career, while she’d spent the past year trying to avoid everyone—especially men. She’d closed her eyes to anyone she’d dismissed as a nonthreat.
Odd as it sounded, she would miss seeing Nick come into the bakery right before her shift ended. Different didn’t begin to describe the change in him. She’d already been introduced to his powerful chest and lean, muscled thighs when her body had been pressed against his earlier. Forget about his strong hands around her and the sensual current they had sent through her body.
This close, she could see his almost overwhelmingly attractive facial features. His brown eyes had cinnamon copperlike flecks in them. His jawline with two days’ worth of stubble a sharp contrast to full, thick lips—lips she had to force her gaze away from. His dense, wavy hair was as black as his shirt. The combination made for one seriously hot package.
She thought about how fast the bakery had gone up in flames. Her boss and only friend who had become like family would have to start over. Claire had worked hard to build her business. The building would be burned to the ground by now. A little piece of her broke at the thought of never seeing Claire’s baby. Her only real friend was out of her life forever.
Friend? Sadie almost laughed out loud. What kind of friend didn’t even know her real name?
A sign that read Now Leaving Creek Bend filled the right corner of the window.
She thought about the town Christmas party she wouldn’t attend. About the baby she would never meet. About the family of her own that was so out of reach. About all the things she would never have.
Burning tears rolled down her cheeks.
A feeling of loss anchored in her stomach.
Straightening her back, she clicked on her seat belt. Let those bastards get inside her head, and they won. “There are a few knickknacks back home I wish I had.” She glanced at her taupe boots with teal outlay and sighed. “At least I get to keep these.”
Nick’s gaze intensified on the road. “I already sent someone for your things.”
“Seriously? Isn’t that against the rules or something?”
He shrugged. “We’ll keep ’em somewhere locked away until it’s safe to retrieve them.”
“I don’t know what to say. That was very kind of you. I was told everything had to be left behind when this happens.”
“It’s not the way I work.” His gaze intensified on the stretch of road in front of him. “You deserve to have your clothes at least.”
Appreciation washed over her. She knew not to trust it. “This is the second time I’ve thanked you since we’ve been in the truck.”
Sadie forced herself to remember other positive things as she reached in the backseat to pet Boomer. Not losing everything was a huge blessing.
Besides, the alternative—giving up—was never an option. All she could gain there was depression. Feeling sorry for herself wouldn’t change her circumstances. Alcohol? A drinking problem didn’t sound like the worst demon to battle at the moment. But, no, she’d never really taken to the taste other than an occasional glass of wine.
She turned toward the stranger beside her as he pulled the truck off the main road. “Is Nick Campbell your real name?”
“Yes,” he said with the voice that was like a caress on a cold winter’s night. He arched his dark brow.
“Are you telling me the truth?”
“You deserve that much from me.”
A traitorous shiver skittered across her nerves. It was chilly outside. Now that the window had shattered, there was nothing keeping out the frost. The shiver came from being cold, she told herself, and not the sexual appeal of the man next
to her. “This can’t be the work of Grimes alone, can it? Is he big enough to take out a U.S. Marshal?”
“It’s stupid to come after you. The agency has been keeping a close eye on everything since his escape. Smith and I were hoping he’d leave you out of this. And, yes, there’s more to this than we know as of now. But we’ll figure the rest out.”
“Doesn’t sound good for me. Maybe he wants revenge badly enough to risk everything?”
“He didn’t get where he is by being stupid.”
“He’s been out for a month? Timed with when you showed up?”
“We received intel something was brewing. My boss wanted to make sure our bases were covered. I came out a few days before he broke out.”
The Christmas party invitation she’d received flashed in her mind. A small town holiday scene complete with four-foot-high snowdrifts piled on either side of the road. There were glowing street lamps. The scene reminded her very much of Creek Bend sans the snow. Sadie’s boss had all but made her promise she’d show. “What would make him risk his safety to find me? He can’t possibly want to go back to prison. I mean, why me? Why now?”
His jaw muscle ticked. “Revenge.”
That one word packed more power than if she’d been struck with a fist. “I was upset before. I didn’t mean to insult the agency. I honestly appreciate everything you guys have done to keep me alive so far.”
“Our failures are putting your life at risk.”
And keeping her on the run. Creek Bend would start its day perfectly timed to the sunrise in another forty-five minutes. Life would go on without her.
Claire would have her baby. Sadie would never hold the little girl she’d anticipated for so long. Claire had become more than a friend, she’d become like family. And now everything was gone.
At least she still had Boomer. He was tucked safely in the backseat. “None of this has ever made sense to me. I didn’t do anything wrong and yet I’m the one slinking out of town in the middle of the night.”
* * *
SADIE’S SADNESS WAS PALPABLE. Worse yet, she put up a brave front.
