by Terri Reed
She backpedaled and blinked up at him. “Do you always sneak around like that?”
He raised an imperious brow. “Don’t you ever look where you’re going?”
Without commenting, she slipped the disk into the opening of her purse and made to move around him toward the stairs.
“The dining room is this way,” he said, making a sweeping gesture with his arm.
Behind her Brody hung up the phone, effectively cutting off her chance to slip upstairs to view the disk. With a tight smile at Patrick, she marched ahead of the two brothers into the dining room.
“Sit here, dear.” Colleen patted a high-backed, dark cherrywood chair.
Brody edged around Kate and pulled out the chair. She took her seat, shaking with guilt for not sharing her find with him. She almost stopped him as he moved to help his mother bring out the food.
Instead, she folded her hands in her lap over her purse in a protective gesture. For now, the disk lying inside her purse would be her little secret.
She glanced up and caught Brody’s gaze. She tried to smile but nausea churned in her stomach.
She hated breaking her promise to Brody.
FIFTEEN
Concern arched through Brody. Kate’s complexion had gone pasty and she ate very little as she moved his mother’s beef stew around in her bowl. After dodging bullets, running for her life and finding out about her dead husband, he wasn’t surprised her scare with Patrick had rattled her.
Just as Gabe’s call had rattled Brody. Gabe had said the Feds were checking into Olga and Mrs. Klein. But they’d warned Gabe that they were still seeking Kate. Gabe had rather forcefully suggested Brody bring Kate in so that Brody wouldn’t come under any scrutiny for aiding and abetting.
Brody’s jaw tightened. He’d told Gabe he’d bring Kate in. But first he had to know who was trying to kill her and make sure they were stopped.
He couldn’t live with himself if anything happened to her. He’d promised to help her and he would live up to his promises.
As soon as an opportunity arose to make a polite exit, Kate left the confines of the dining room with the wonderful chatter of Brody’s family echoing in her ears. Her heart throbbed with yearning—to belong, to be a part of the McClains. But that possibility didn’t exist.
Brody was committed to his job above all else. She wanted a safe and risk-free life. And she was hiding an important piece of evidence from him.
Three outs. Game over. Loser goes to jail.
She didn’t want to go to jail. She shuddered at the thought of living day in and day out inside a small concrete cell.
Better jail than death at the hands of the Russian Mafia.
Kate went into the den and sat down in the plush leather office chair. The masculine accents on the desk and gracing the walls led her to believe the room must be used primarily by Patrick.
Colleen had explained that both Ryan and Patrick had apartments but that Patrick spent a great deal of time still at the house. She’d never met a man so controlled and cold. So unlike either of his brothers. Though there was a calculated gleam to Ryan, he oozed of charm, while Brody brimmed with energy and compassion.
A pang of longing plucked at her heart. She’d grown used to relying on Brody’s strength. She turned her attention to the computer. When Gordon arrived, he’d know what to do.
The computer took precious moments to boot up. “Come on, come on,” she muttered.
As soon as the desktop screen appeared, she deftly slid the disk into the CD-ROM holder.
With a few clicks, the disk downloaded. A security screen box requiring a password popped up. Her mind raced with possible access codes. She typed in the obvious. Paul’s name. She tried all three names. Nothing.
She tried the name of the import business Olga talked about. Access denied. She typed in Olga’s name. Again denied. Frustrated, she clenched her fist.
“I could use a little help here, Lord,” she prayed.
Her hands hovered over the keys. Her mind replayed Gabe’s words. The FBI believed she had the information to blow apart a money-laundering scam. Okay, so she did have the disk, but what if she had more? What if…
Her fingers tapped at the keys. She tried her name. Didn’t work. She tried variations of her name and Paul’s name. She tried the name of her bank. Again access denied.
An idea formed in her mind. She sat straighter, her blood pounded in her ears. Her hands began to shake as she typed in the word Lillian, her grandmother’s middle name. The word that she used as a password at the bank.
With growing horror she watched the screen shift. Continuing to use the personal numeric codes and passwords that she’d used on her job, she was soon navigating her way through financial spreadsheets, complete with names of businesses, contacts and account numbers. And all of this was being passed through her bank.
She’d never revealed the security codes to Paul, so how had he gotten them? She covered her face with her hands. Had he drugged her? Hypnotized her? Brainwashed her? The depth of the violation sent a shudder racking her body. A panicked flutter hit her stomach, making her ill. Brody would never believe she didn’t know about this.
She dropped her fingers back to the keyboard, closing the information and then ejecting the disk. No one knew she had it. Only the bad guys knew what information it contained. She could easily destroy the evidence that implicated her and no one would be the wiser.
She tapped the nails of her right hand on the desk while in her left palm the disk lay ready. All she’d have to do was run her nails over the CD, rendering it useless.
Anyone would believe the scratches happened while bouncing around inside her purse. No one would think she’d done it. Then the Feds wouldn’t have anything on her and the bad guys would no longer have a reason to try to kill her. Her pulse picked up speed.
She could walk away scot-free.
She frowned, struggling against what her grandmother had raised her to believe. There was no gray area when it came to right or wrong. God’s word was clear. If she truly believed in God and His word, she wouldn’t give in to fear and self-protection.
A line of scripture came to her, from Proverbs, she was pretty sure. The fear of man brings a snare, But he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.
If she truly believed, she’d trust Jesus to protect her. He’d sent Brody to protect her, after all.
God had proven Himself worthy of her trust.
She took in a deep calming breath. She wouldn’t let her fear of jail lure her into doing something she knew was wrong. She wouldn’t deface the disk. She wouldn’t destroy Brody’s trust.
“Destroying that would solve all your problems, wouldn’t it?”
She jerked around to find herself face to face with Brody, who stood in the doorway. The hurt in his dark eyes knocked the breath from her lungs. Slowly, she laid the disk on the desk and backed away. Her soul screamed in despair.
She’d never be able to convince him she wasn’t one of the bad guys.
Betrayal pressed in on Brody’s chest with crushing intensity. She’d sucked him in, with her pretty face and talk of faith. She’d made him believe in himself, in her. Had made him want to believe in God again. He’d been such a fool. Bile churned in his gut. He clenched his back teeth.
“I know this looks bad, but it’s not what you think,” Kate said with measured softness.
He arched a brow. “Really. What is it, then?” he ground out. He stalked forward to stand directly in front of her. He swallowed against the tightness in his throat. “You lied to me, Kate. You had the disk all along.”
“No. Yes.” She shook her head. “I mean…I did have the disk, but I didn’t lie to you. I swear.” The distress in her eyes seemed so real. “When I dropped my purse in the hall a secret compartment in the bottom opened and the disk came out. Honestly, I didn’t know it was there.”
“You expect me to believe that?” He curled his lip in a sneer.
But he had. Over and over
again.
Every time she’d claimed to be innocent, he’d lapped it up just like a lovesick puppy. He hadn’t kept his focus on the job. He hadn’t used good judgment. “You used me.”
Her blue eyes beseeched him to believe her. “Brody, please. I’ve never lied to you.”
“Save it. I’m not going to believe anything you say.” He moved to the desk and picked up the silver disk. Amazing something so little, so ordinary could cause so much chaos.
“What do we do now?”
Kate’s voice, so vulnerable and full of anguish, sliced through his chest.
He momentarily closed his eyes against the pain and hardened his heart. He opened his eyes and met her unflinching gaze. “I do my job.”
Her mouth twisted ruefully. “That’s what I admire most about you, Brody. Your honor and your integrity.”
A single tear crested her long lashes and fell to her cheek, doing more damage to him than a bullet ever could.
Because he loved her.
Even more than his job.
Kate’s heart was breaking.
Brody believed she was guilty.
And he didn’t even know the worst of it yet. But he would soon and then there’d never be a way to bridge the abyss between them. Though they couldn’t have a future together, she couldn’t stand the idea he’d go through life believing the worst of her.
She tried to be strong, tried to hold back the tears, but they wouldn’t cooperate. With jerky movements, she wiped at the wetness on her cheeks. Taking a deep breath, she silently prayed, God, what do I do now?
However futile the effort, she had to try to convince Brody that she hadn’t used him. But she didn’t know what to say. Every word that popped into her mind seemed contrite and useless.
Suddenly, Ryan appeared in the doorway, his face flushed.
Brody glared at him. “Ryan, we’re in the middle of something here.”
Ryan stepped inside and pulled the door closed. “There are two Federal Agents downstairs and they want Kate.”
The urgency in his voice sent panic ricocheting around her chest. If Brody didn’t believe in her, how would she ever convince the FBI she wasn’t a party to her husband’s dealings?
Brody’s silent, grim expression didn’t bode well. His eyes drilled her to the floor. She forced herself not to squirm under his scrutiny. She had to trust that God would protect her.
In a swift movement, Brody pulled Kate toward Ryan. Her heart withered in agony in her chest at the cavalier way he was dismissing her.
“Here.” Brody shoved the disk at Kate.
Surprised, she reflexively closed her hand around the edge. “What…?”
Brody’s voice dropped to a low whisper as he spoke to Ryan. “Do you remember how Meggie used to sneak out of the house?”
Ryan’s brows lowered. “Yes.”
“Take her out that way,” he instructed his brother. Then he turned to Kate.
Her breath hitched at the hurt in his ebony eyes.
“I’ll keep the Feds distracted as long as I can.” He dug in his pocket for his wallet, pulled out the bills and handed her the cash.
She recoiled in bewilderment. “No.”
He opened the door, pushed the money into her hand and then firmly steered her out into the hall. “Go. Just go.”
He pivoted and stiffly disappeared down the stairs.
“Come on,” Ryan urged.
Why wasn’t Brody arresting her?
Too shocked to react, she allowed Ryan to nudge her into Meghan’s bedroom and over to the window. He lifted the window sash. “The trellis is sturdy. There’s a small drop at the end but you’ll do fine. Go through the garden to the back gate. From there head west to the end of the block. You can catch a cab to the train station or the airport.” He dug in his pocket and produced a wad of green bills, which he handed to her. “Here, better safe than sorry.”
Confused, she shook her head. “Why are you doing this?”
His grim expression matched his brother’s. “I trust Brody’s judgment. You’d better hurry.” He reached for her hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “God go with you, Kate.”
Unnerved, she climbed through the window and clung to the trellis. Slowly, she made her way downward, her feet testing each rung as she descended. The drop to the ground jarred her knees and she stumbled forward before regaining her balance.
With a furtive glance at the house, she hurried toward the back gate and stepped out into the alley that stretched behind the row of houses. She stared down the alleyway to where it ended at a busy street. Cars whizzed past in a blur of color.
Still reeling, Kate tried to make sense of Brody’s actions. He’d accused her of lying to him. He clearly believed she was guilty of something, yet he’d let her go. She knew him well enough to know that not turning her in went against everything he was made of.
He was jeopardizing his career for her. Her heart thundered in her chest. Could he care for her, even believing she was guilty? Her mind grappled with that thread of thought. He cared. But did he love her?
And what if he did? Could she allow herself to love a man whose life was constantly in danger?
She tightened her jaw and started forward with purpose. She knew what she had to do.
As Brody came down the stairs, he found Patrick and his mother barring the doorway to the house. Brody hung back for a moment to give Kate a few more seconds and to watch.
Though his older brother was an academic, Patrick cut an intimidating figure when he chose to. His six-two, two-hundred-and-twenty-pound body was an effective blockade and combined with his mother’s Irish fire, the Feds didn’t stand a chance. His family stood together. He was going to stand by Kate no matter what.
Finally, Brody stepped forward to face the consequences of his folly. “I can take it from here, Patrick. Mom.”
“What is going on, Brody? What kind of trouble is Kate in?” demanded Colleen McClain.
“I’ll explain later.” Brody met Patrick’s gaze over his mother’s head. “Could you?”
Though Patrick’s firm mouth was set in a disapproving line, he nodded. “Of course. Mother, this way.” He propelled Colleen away from the door toward the kitchen.
Brody settled himself against the door frame as if he didn’t have a care in the world, when inside, his heart ached in a way he’d never experienced before.
He’d known that letting Kate go would cost him his job and his self-respect, he just wasn’t prepared for the pain of knowing he’d never see her again. He loathed the thought that she was out there running for her life alone.
But he’d done what he could by giving her time to get away.
Brody hated the way the two Federal Agents looked down their condescending noses at him as if he was some scumbag perp they’d like nothing better than to bust upside the head. Each agent flashed a badge.
“Where is Mrs. Wheeler?” the short agent, Tumbolt, asked.
Brody shrugged off the question. “I don’t know. She left.”
“She was last seen with you,” the tall one, Heinsfled, said.
“Hey, if you want to search the house, feel free. She’s not here.”
“Where is she?” Heinsfled asked.
He hoped she was safely on her way to the airport. “I don’t know. She didn’t say.”
“You do understand you are obstructing our investigation. As a fellow officer of the law, one would think you’d be more cooperative,” Tumbolt said.
Brody thought he might be sick all over the Feds’ shiny black shoes.
“Are you looking for me?”
Brody’s blood froze at the sound of Kate’s voice.
The two agents turned as one and then stepped down the stairs, moving quickly toward Kate. Brody blinked, hoping his mind was playing tricks and that Kate wasn’t standing there on his mother’s front lawn handing the silver disk to the FBI. He rushed down the stairs and gripped her arm. “What are you doing?”
Her big springtime eyes
bored into him with clarity and honesty. “I would rather live wrongly accused than let the man I love sacrifice all that he is for me.”
Brody’s jaw dropped as her words reverberated through his brain. She was turning herself in because she loved him. His heart squeezed then seemed to expand, filling him with a deep abiding warmth.
Tumbolt stepped forward. “Sheriff McClain, step away from Ms. Wheeler. We are taking her into custody.”
Shaken by her admission, he stared at the man, trying to understand what he’d just said. Then Kate’s hand covered his on her arm, drawing his attention. Her beautiful face was composed and serene. “It’ll be okay,” she said as she pried his fingers loose. “God will protect me.”
He snapped out of his momentary stupor and scowled. “I’m coming with you.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Heinsfled said as he took Kate’s arm and began to lead her away.
Tumbolt stepped in front of Brody as Brody moved to follow. “Sheriff, this is no longer your concern.”
Brody fought the urge to plant his fist in the agent’s face. The last thing he needed was to be detained for assaulting a fellow officer. He wouldn’t be able to help Kate that way. “I’ll call your lawyer,” he assured Kate.
Her smile was grateful. The agent cuffed her and then helped her into the dark blue sedan parked next to the sidewalk behind Ryan’s black car.
Within moments, Kate was gone and Brody felt as if his heart had been ripped from his chest.
She loved him.
Unbelievable.
Kindhearted Kate, with her giving and compassionate nature, loved him.
Moved to the depths of his soul by her selflessness, Brody couldn’t deny his feelings for her any longer.
He loved her.
Innocent or guilty.
And he wasn’t about to let her throw her life away without a fight.
Lord, You know Kate’s heart. I’m asking You for Your help here. If not for me, then for her.
He rushed back inside the house and placed a long-distance call to Gordon Thomas’s law office.
On the third ring Gordon’s secretary answered. Brody identified himself and asked to speak to the lawyer. He was informed that Mr. Thomas was away from the office but could be reached on his cellular phone.
