MacGyver held his hand out for the phone, and Kellie reluctantly placed it on his palm. It wasn’t like she had anyone else she could call for help. He turned it off again and laid the device on the table, pulled the adjacent chair closer to hers and sat.
“You work for Tony?” She didn’t expect an answer. What other explanation could there be?
“Your former fiancé? No.” MacGyver shook his head as he studied her. “What did you remember just now? The bar—Wally’s Tavern?”
He could have read about her impending wedding in the newspaper—recognized her. But if he didn’t work for Tony, how had he known about Pop?
MacGyver still watched her expectantly. Her best option was probably sticking as closely to the truth as possible. She’d tell him anything he wanted to hear to get out of this room and find her stepfather—anything except where she was going. Kellie would die before she gave up Pop’s location.
“I decided marriage wasn’t for me. I ran out on the wedding. Tony—let’s just say he wasn’t pleased. He and some of his men followed me. I needed to get off the street. That’s why I stepped inside that bar.” She had no way of knowing how much information MacGyver already had, but common sense told her not to mention Jerry’s note or the real reason she’d followed his instructions. Anna.
Hold on. Wally’s Tavern was where she’d seen MacGyver before. She rubbed her temples slowly as she tried to capture the memory. An instant later, she focused on his face. “You followed me into the bathroom.” She’d been too ill to be afraid even then. Or maybe it was something in his intense blue eyes that convinced her he was trying to help. Of course, it was entirely possible she’d been too drunk to be a good judge of his character.
“Travis and I got you out of there. Those bikers you were drinking with were bad news.”
“And now you’re planning to take me back to Tony? See if he’s offering a reward?” Kellie clamped her mouth closed and squared her jaw. She wouldn’t go without one hell of a fight, and she was through confiding in him. He didn’t need to know about Anna’s disappearance or how easily Tony had thwarted her plan to find her sister. Why had she mentioned a reward? If she was worth five million to Tony, it was quite possible he’d pay handsomely to get her back. No need to give this guy any ideas.
He shrugged and crossed one leg over his knee, the picture of self-assurance. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”
It wasn’t like he’d given her any reason to believe otherwise. Trusting no one was far better than relying on someone who wasn’t trustworthy. “Am I wrong?”
“It just so happens you are. Look. I know you’re in trouble. You were supposed to marry Tony Palazzi yesterday. Instead, you ended up in a bar, drinking with some pretty undesirable company. That tells me you’d rather face just about anything than be found by him.”
She laughed, a poor attempt to unravel his theory, but he’d spoken the truth. She owed him and his friend for helping her out, even though she only remembered bits and pieces of the rescue Travis had referred to.
MacGyver’s blue eyes searched her face, and then he leaned his head against the wall again. “You need help avoiding Palazzi and, somehow, running out on him has endangered your stepdad as well. I want to help you.”
Kellie considered his words for a moment. She wanted to believe him, but she didn’t dare. “Why? What’s in it for you?”
“Is it so hard to accept that I want to help because it’s the right thing to do?”
Yes, because people like that only exist in fairy tales. She averted her eyes so he wouldn’t detect the skepticism she was sure lingered there. “Let’s pretend for a moment that I believe you. Tony is powerful and ruthless. He has unlimited resources and manpower, and he won’t stop with just threats. You don’t know what you’re getting into. If you stand in his way, he won’t hesitate to kill you, either.”
“I’ve had some experience with men who want to kill me. Palazzi is dangerous—yeah—but significantly more civilized than they were. If he wants you, he’ll have to go through me…and Travis. Even a low-life like Palazzi will think twice before picking a fight with two former Navy SEALs.”
Swabbies? A jolt of surprise raced a shiver up her spine. SEALs were the best of the best when it came to military might and training. The male order of Marines would never admit it, but there’d definitely been something different about the SEALs she’d seen…always from a distance. They took confidence to a whole new level. Calm, ready, alert. Her Marine division had been tight—always looking out for each other, but the brotherhood between SEALs set them apart from everyone else. Maybe she’d have a chance if he really meant what he’d said. Could she take that gamble?
“I’m offering to help you and your stepfather get out of town, but we need to move now. You’ll have to fill me in on Palazzi. Anything might help. And I need to know where your stepdad is so Travis can pick him up.”
There it was. He already had her. All he needed was Pop, and he could turn them both over to Tony. She’d almost believed him.
Damn his blue eyes!
After her biological father had abandoned her mother and his two young daughters, Pop had been the man who taught her to throw a softball, bait a hook and change the oil in her car. Upon marrying her mother, Charles Webster had completed their small family and loved her and Anna as though they’d been his flesh-and-blood daughters. No. MacGyver would get nothing from her.
“Kellie?” He said her name softly, wrenching her back to the present. “If it makes a difference, I put you in my bed last night so I could keep you warm. You were wet and cold from the rain, and I was worried about hypothermia. I’m not the kind of man who’d take advantage of a lady when she’s not cognizant enough to say yes.”
She was struck by the remorse in his eyes, and the kindness in his voice evoked an unexpected tremor. She wanted to believe him, but something was off. He wasn’t telling her everything.
Keeping Pop safe was imperative. She forced her waffling emotions into submission as she stood. “Am I free to go?”
MacGyver gave a curt nod, his frustration unmistakable. “Of course. You can leave any time.”
She reached for her phone and drew it toward her as she watched him. “Then thank you for your offer and everything you’ve done, but I can handle this.”
Chapter Five
Well, hell! That didn’t work quite the way he’d anticipated. MacGyver had been making progress. Even after she’d shut him down, the uncertainty in her expression proved how close he’d come to convincing her. Close wasn’t good enough, though.
She was scared and trying hard not to let it show. Soft and feminine on one hand, yet her inner toughness intrigued him. Waking up to a stranger in bed with her, Kellie’s instinct had been to fight. If he’d been a fraction of a second slower, she might have succeeded in getting him in a thumb lock, and he’d probably be nursing a dislocated joint.
The strong, balanced stance she’d assumed once she got on her feet would have made any man think twice. Those weren’t reactions that often came naturally for women. They required poise, strength and training—more extensive than self-defense—as well as a whole hell of a lot of practice to make it second nature. Clearly she’d had a long run of bad choices to land herself in the role of soon-to-be-married to Tony Palazzi, and her unwillingness to accept MacGyver’s help was only the latest.
The one thing that might have helped him make his case was telling her about the congressman’s text, but not knowing what the connection was between her and Jeremy Dahl, his instinct was to keep that piece of information to himself for the time being. He shouldn’t give a damn whether she accepted his help or not…but he did. Every time he’d succumbed to her troubled eyes, he wanted to haul her onto his lap and hold her until her worries disappeared. That would have been a colossal mistake, but it was hard as hell to watch her walk away. Once she left his hotel, he’d
never see her again—never know if she escaped and was somewhere safe. The prospect concerned him far more than it should, and he couldn’t shake the sense of impending disaster that wrapped itself around him.
Kellie didn’t hold the record for bad choices either. That one probably belonged to him. He’d made more than a few less-than-stellar moves. Like going halfway around the world in search of terrorists, instead of staying in San Diego and making a life with his high school sweetheart. Not that he regretted his decision to join the Navy or train to be a SEAL. That’d been a no-brainer. Besides, chances were pretty good Shelby would have eventually left him for someone else, even if they had been married.
MacGyver shook off the unwanted memory and picked up Kellie’s driver’s license again. He’d always been a sucker for abandoned puppies and birds with broken wings, so her apparent acceptance of the idea she was safer on her own was a blow to everything he believed. Kellie Greyson needed his help, whether she’d admit it or not. His protective instincts had been triggered by her fighting spirit, in direct contrast to her innocence, and those eyes, searching his with the barest hint of curiosity mixed with wariness.
There had to be a way to earn her trust.
He heard the shower start in the other room, bringing with it images from last night. Him removing her diamond necklace and matching earrings and dropping them on the table with the rest of her belongings. Slipping the soiled wedding dress over her head. Sitting on the edge of the sunken tub with her on his lap as the hot shower filled the bathroom with steam and warmed her. The intimate way she’d conformed to his body while he soaped his hands and washed her smooth skin. The ache of his arousal had been tough to ignore.
He scrubbed a hand down his roughened face, guilt nipping hard at his conscience. But he wasn’t sorry, and he wouldn’t soon forget the feel of her as he’d bathed her, or later when he’d placed her carefully on the sheets of his bed and curled his warmth around her.
Yeah. She’s probably right not to trust me.
MacGyver picked up Kellie’s jewelry, money and the picture, stuffing everything, including her license, back into her clutch. Then he retrieved the small suitcase Travis had left behind and checked inside before rolling it across the floor. Though his friend hadn’t mentioned it, MacGyver wasn’t surprised he’d thought to pack some clothes from Kellie’s house. Had he found anything else while he was there?
The bathroom door was locked so he knocked and raised his voice. “Kellie? Travis brought some of your things. I’ll leave them right outside the door.” He waited a moment, but she didn’t reply.
Grabbing his gear, he gave the bed one more glance. No sense waiting around to watch her leave again. He’d use the shower and dress in Travis’s room. Then they could get some breakfast downstairs and decide how to proceed on the Jeremy Dahl case. His partner would no doubt be mad as hell that MacGyver hadn’t convinced Kellie to accept his offer. Travis was all about the case. Although, why he was so sure Kellie had any information that would help them find Dahl was still open for argument.
Nonetheless, it was time MacGyver focused on the job at hand and stopped worrying about the woman he’d just met and who didn’t want his help.
* * * *
The waiter seated them at a table by the window. The aroma of frying bacon curled around MacGyver’s senses, and his stomach growled in response.
The restaurant near the hotel lobby was packed, but it didn’t stop Travis from gloating. “I told you she wouldn’t stick around unless there was a damn good reason.”
He could think whatever he wanted, but Kellie would have been out of there a lot quicker if MacGyver had tried to tell her she was his wife. He was sure of that much. Forking another bite of eggs and hash browns into his mouth, he let Travis have his moment.
After glancing around at the nearby tables, Travis leaned toward him. “Someone tore her place apart. Fuckin’ demolished it. I figure they were looking for the same thing I was—some idea where her stepdad went.”
“Do you think they found anything?”
“I doubt it, but they meant business. Unless she fades into the shadows like a damn ghost, she’ll be lucky to make it past the city limits.”
Damn it! Travis’s warning wasn’t helping MacGyver’s focus. Dread floated to the top of his stomach like scum on a swamp until he couldn’t breathe. It took everything he had to keep it all inside. “She made her choice. What do we do next to locate the Dahl kid?”
Travis studied him for a few beats too long, a frown redefining the lines on his forehead. Then he shrugged and slurped from his coffee cup. “I scheduled a meeting with Burnett this morning to go over everything he’s got. After that we’ll do a little old-fashioned sleuthing.”
Halfway through his last sentence, Travis’s attention shifted to something outside the window and over MacGyver’s left shoulder. Travis’s tension, the nod of his chin in the direction he was looking and the squeal of tires on pavement all hit MacGyver at the same time, and he swung around. The windows gave him an unobstructed view of the covered main entrance of the hotel, where a black limo braked hard, bouncing one wheel onto the curb. A pair of dark sedans raced up behind the limo and screeched to a halt. Two men jumped from each vehicle and fanned out. One of them flung the limo’s rear door open, and a dark-haired man stepped out. He was impeccably dressed in a fancy suit and overcoat. His face was all too familiar to MacGyver, having seen his picture in the paper only last night.
Palazzi said something to his men before he strutted across the sidewalk toward the lobby. A yellow cab joined the line of vehicles. The driver got out, opened the trunk and leaned against the rear panel, obviously awaiting his fare.
“Oh hell. Looks like our girl is about to regret her decision.” Travis’s apprehensive voice formed a knot in MacGyver’s chest.
It had to be a coincidence that Palazzi was here. How the hell would he know where to find her?
A moment later, the lobby door swung outward. Dressed in form-fitting jeans, rolled at the ankles, practical sandals and a sleeveless, blue cotton shirt, unbuttoned enough to show the top edge of a lacey camisole and a bit of cleavage, Kellie brushed past the doorman, wheeling her small suitcase. Her blonde hair was loosed from the braid that had held it yesterday and fell in soft curls to the middle of her back. The gracious smile she’d bestowed on the doorman quickly faded as she came face-to-face with her former fiancé.
She said something as she took a step back. Palazzi moved closer and grabbed her wrist, jerking her off balance.
MacGyver was on his feet before he was fully aware he’d made the decision. “Call the cops!” He threw the command over his shoulder as he sprinted through the restaurant and out the lobby doors.
Palazzi’s dark gaze raked over Kellie as a mocking sneer curled his lip. She resisted and planted her feet, making it harder for him to drag her toward the waiting limo. Steadily losing ground, she drew back her fist and clobbered him below the belt.
That’s my girl.
Palazzi bent slightly at the waist as all the blood drained from his face. With a roar, he fisted his free hand and swung at her jaw. Kellie easily blocked the punch, but Palazzi was furious, swearing and yanking her toward the open door of his vehicle. She was no match for his strength or his size.
MacGyver didn’t slow down, shouldering into the man mid-chest. As Palazzi stumbled backward, Kellie jerked her arm free. MacGyver stepped into him again and shoved with both hands, sending him back another two feet.
His henchmen started forward but hesitated as sirens wailed a couple blocks away. MacGyver sensed Travis’s presence at his side.
Palazzi bellowed and tried to push him away, but MacGyver gripped his arm, holding him immobile while they faced off.
Growling as he lost the battle to contain his anger, MacGyver said the first thing that flashed through his mind. “Hands. Off. My. Wife.”
* * * *
Wait. What did he say? Didn’t MacGyver know Tony would kill for less than that?
The sneer slid from Tony’s face. His eyes darkened even more as his scathing disbelief fixed on MacGyver with a scowl. Kellie should say something—set the record straight—but words failed her as she stared in shock.
“Your wife? Who the hell are you? This woman is engaged to me.” Tony yanked on his arm, and MacGyver released his hold at the same time. Tony lost his balance and swayed but caught himself and stayed on his feet.
Forcing her shoulders back, Kellie stood tall, determined not to show how much he intimidated her. She’d never seen Tony so furious, but it was MacGyver’s anger and the possessiveness he’d exuded as he announced her as his wife that had stopped the words on her tongue.
Tony halted well within MacGyver’s personal space before flicking his hate-filled glare toward her again. MacGyver towered over him, so what she assumed was Tony’s attempt at bullying was almost laughable. She didn’t feel much like laughing, however.
“Don’t even think about it.” MacGyver stepped in front of Tony, blocking his path so he couldn’t reach her.
Suddenly, she was overcome with gratitude that MacGyver was there.
Two police cars pulled to the curb, cutting their sirens.
Tony ignored them, continuing to glower at her. “I’ve been worried, sweetheart. I didn’t know where you went. Are you all right?” If his clipped speech pattern and rage-filled expression were any indication, he didn’t give a damn.
The flashing lights from the police cars cast their reflections in windows on every side. An officer appeared from each vehicle and approached.
Tony didn’t spare them a glance. “I’m sure you’ve had quite a scare. I’ll take you home so you can rest.”
Honor Among SEALs Page 7
