by Janie Crouch
And while he couldn’t deny his attraction to Bree, he definitely didn’t trust her.
Mrs. Andrews’s lips tightened. “I’ll be sure to let you know if she, or her two obviously trained miniature assassins, show any sign of evildoings.”
Mrs. A was about to revert to the silent treatment. Tanner touched her arm. “Bree looks more tired, don’t you think?”
She let out a sigh. “Like the weight of the world is on her shoulders.”
“Is that normal for a new mother, do you think? Maybe it’s postpartum depression or something. Or maybe the babies don’t let her get sleep at night.”
“Well, she’s going to get sleep tonight. I already told her Dan and I are going to keep those babies so she could get a full night’s rest.”
“She agreed to that?”
Mrs. Andrews nodded. “Shows you how desperate she is, doesn’t it? But I told her how the whole world would look different if she just got some good sleep.” She shrugged. “Then I threatened to fire her if she didn’t take us up on the offer, although I don’t think she believed me.”
Mrs. A left, and Tanner continued to observe Bree from his stool. She studiously ignored him, sweeping up the restaurant, pausing every once in a while to kiss or coo at the babies, who sat with Mr. Andrews and some of the couple’s friends who were stopping by more often.
Having adorable twin babies that needed to be cuddled was good for diner business.
And Bree was a hard worker. Nobody minded helping her, since she was working so hard.
And just like that, he was back to that battle within himself again. On one hand, she was exactly what she seemed to be: a down-on-her-luck single mother.
On the other hand...
What the hell was up with that piece-of-junk flip phone of hers? He had one because that was the choice the department had made concerning official phones. No smartphones.
But why would Bree have one so basic? Hers looked like it would barely even call or text. He’d never seen her use it even once, but she always wanted it in her possession. He’d seen panic fall over her features a couple of days ago when she realized she’d left it in the back. She’d rushed to the kitchen and came back out clutching it to her.
It was like she was waiting for a call that never came.
But from whom? And about what? Was that what was causing her to look more weary and fragile with each passing day?
Or was that all in Tanner’s head?
All his colleagues at the sheriff’s office teased him about how much time he spent studying Bree. He took the good-natured ribbing with a smile. They thought he had a crush on her and joked about him being obsessed.
They weren’t wrong.
But he couldn’t let it go.
Tanner took his last sip of coffee, put some money on the counter and left. He wasn’t surprised when Bree didn’t acknowledge him.
What was he expecting? That she would run over to him and spill all the secrets she was keeping?
Tanner needed to pull his head out of his ass. The sheriff had entrusted him and made him the captain of the entire southeastern section of Grand County three years ago. There was a whole office full of people who looked up to and expected leadership from him.
So he damn well better start acting like the seasoned law enforcement agent he was, rather than a high schooler with a crush.
He headed to the office and found the rest of his day taken up with the mundane tasks of keeping his section of the county running smoothly.
But Bree was never far from his mind.
Later that night when Ronnie Kitchens, one of Tanner’s deputies, called in sick, Tanner agreed to take his shift even though it meant working a double. Anything was better than sitting at home with his own thoughts, knowing Bree was alone in her little apartment tonight.
His thoughts about her were inappropriate enough without the temptation of potentially acting on them. Focusing on work was much better.
He was out doing a normal town drive-through, proud of himself for keeping well away from Bree’s apartment, when he glanced over at the library parking lot as he drove past.
Then did an immediate double take, letting out a string of curses inside his Bronco.
What the hell was Bree’s car doing in the small, secluded parking lot of the Risk Peak’s library?
His immediate inclination was to swerve in there and confront her, but he forced himself to keep driving so she wouldn’t notice him. His Bronco was an official vehicle, but unmarked. Anybody around town would know it was him immediately, but maybe not her.
Was she meeting someone?
He circled around the back of the library, turning off his lights and killing the engine in the grocery store parking lot across the street. She wouldn’t spot him unless she turned around and really looked.
He grabbed the binoculars in the back seat and looked through them to get a better view. It was definitely Bree in the car, and no one was with her.
Yet.
She was working on a laptop. Why the hell would she be sitting in her car outside the damn library at one o’clock in the morning working on a computer?
He stayed in his car, watching and waiting, for hours. She never got out, and nobody ever came to her. Just stared at the computer.
Finally, around 4:00 a.m., she turned her car back on and drove off. Tanner followed from behind, lights still off in his own vehicle, thankful he knew the roads well enough to drive this way.
But all she did was go back to her apartment.
Tanner stayed in his vehicle, lights still off, as she went inside. He was tempted to confront her right at this second, but he knew she wouldn’t tell him anything.
She hadn’t broken any laws, so he had no grounds to officially question her anyway. The best he would have was loitering.
He wanted to pull on his hair. Why, on the one night in particular when she was supposed to get as much sleep as possible, would she spend half the night sitting in her car outside the library working on a computer?
Not meeting anyone. Not talking on that phone of hers.
There were too many things about her that didn’t make sense.
Was this what his father had felt before the teenager he’d been trying to help fifteen years ago had ultimately turned on him and killed him? Dad had gone to pick up the kid in Denver, trying to get him out of a dire situation. Tanner’s parents had sat Tanner and his siblings down the day before and told them the kid might be staying with them for a while. That sometimes helping a stranger was the right thing to do.
Then the kid had shot his dad, point-blank, when Dad showed up to help him. Trying to gain a foothold into the local gang.
The kid himself had been killed two days later in a shootout with the police when they’d come to arrest him.
Had Dad had any inclination that the kid was going to turn on him? Had he felt the storm brewing but decided to ignore it? Up until the second a Glock 17 was pressed against his forehead, had Dad thought everything was going to work out?
Tanner wasn’t going to need a Glock against his own skin before he recognized the danger in front of him. He already saw it.
Bree Daniels might be spotless on paper, but she was damn well trouble in flesh and blood. Deadly, wrapped in big green eyes and a fragile appearance.
One Dempsey man had died because he’d refused to see the truth.
Tanner wouldn’t be the second.
Chapter Seven
Bree knew Cheryl and Dan were disappointed in her the next morning when she arrived for work, eyes gritty with exhaustion like they’d been every day before.
She’d hoped to be able to get so much more accomplished last night while the twins had been with Cheryl and Dan. But she’d just been so tired.
She should’ve known better. The Organization discovered many years ago t
hat sleep deprivation didn’t work on her. It affected her mental facilities too much for her to be able to do delicate hacking work.
Ten years later it was still the same, even if she was the one depriving herself.
“Oh, honey,” Cheryl crooned. Bree stood stiffly as the older woman hugged her. “What happened? You still look so tired. Maybe you should take the day off.”
Dan patted her back, not nearly as outwardly affectionate as his wife, although Bree knew he also cared. “Could you still not sleep?” he asked.
Bree pulled back from Cheryl, unable to bear her touch. Not with the way she was feeling right now. “I guess it was just hard for me, being without the kids. I was worried.”
That was true, but it wasn’t the whole truth. She’d been glad Christian and Beth were with the Andrewses so she didn’t have to drag them out in the middle of the night. But she’d desperately wanted to make more forward progress than she had.
The Wi-Fi at her apartment wasn’t safe to use because her activities would lead the Organization directly to her. So she’d chosen the library, since the internet was hooked up through a government-issued router that she’d been able to hack in under two minutes, and the signal reached out to the parking lot. Using their system would keep her digital fingerprint from being traced back to any single computer—it would all just get hidden within the state of Colorado’s virtual information flow.
But she hadn’t been able to make any forward progress. She was too tired, or maybe she’d just lost her edge after being out of the hacking game for so long. Every day her skin itched and her mind burned with the knowledge of her failure.
It was just like being back inside the Organization all those years ago. When nothing she’d done had been good enough. When failure had meant pain and that people she’d cared about would suffer.
Was Melissa suffering?
Compounding all Bree’s desperation was the knowledge that she was running out of time here. She felt eyes on her all the time.
Sometimes it was Tanner. She’d gotten used to his deep brown eyes watching her every time he was in here. Trying to figure out exactly what sort of threat she was to the people he was responsible for.
If he knew what sort of hell she could rain down on Risk Peak, he would’ve already escorted her to the county line.
But he didn’t, so he watched and bided his time, piecing together what he could from what he observed. Determined to figure out her secrets.
She sensed other eyes on her, too. She could feel them day by day. And they didn’t bring her a sense of comfort like Tanner’s eyes did. They made her feel like she was being smothered.
But that didn’t make sense. Why would anyone else be watching her? If it was the Organization, they would’ve made their move already. Killed her in her sleep if she was lucky. Dragged her back into hell if she wasn’t.
So it wasn’t the Organization. Bree drew in a shaky breath. That only left one option.
That she was following the same path of paranoia her mother had taken. That her mind was beginning to crumble in on itself the way Mom’s had. She rubbed her shoulder again, at the wound her mother had given her the day her mind had snapped.
Maybe Bree’s mind was snapping in the same way. Maybe somewhere down the road she was going to hurt the Andrewses or, worse, the twins, because her mind was convinced they were a threat.
She blinked rapidly and realized the older couple were both studying her now with abject concern. “I’m sorry, what?”
Cheryl gave Dan a worried look. “We’re just wondering if you should take the day off, too. I’m sure we can manage.”
She took a deep breath. “No, I’m fine.” She was going to need the money if she had to leave suddenly. “I hope Christian and Beth were okay for you.”
Cheryl smiled. “They were angels, as I knew they would be. Got up once during the night, but heck, Dan gets up more than that.”
Bree was surprised how much she’d missed the kids, even though it had only been ten hours since she’d seen them last. Beth smiled sweetly like she always did, and even Christian was content in his carrier. Bree began rolling silverware in napkins while sitting at the corner “baby booth,” but was soon scooted out of the way when some of Cheryl and Dan’s friends came in and wanted to hold the babies.
The people in this town were so good. Bree didn’t want to bring the Organization down on them. She had to be careful with her hacking. She was up against some of the most brilliant people on the planet, whose consciences were nonfunctional. They wouldn’t hesitate to slaughter the people here if it would stop Bree.
She wasn’t surprised when Tanner showed up a few minutes after she started her shift, looking just as haggard as she did. He didn’t try to talk to her, like he usually did, just ordered breakfast and sat at his normal bar perch.
When she did catch sight of his brown eyes, they were hard. Cold, almost. No sign of the subtle invitation to reach out to him that she’d seen for the past week.
Or was that just her paranoia talking?
He ate his breakfast but then surprised her by not leaving afterward. He stayed put, pulling out a computer and starting to do some sort of work.
Bree ignored him, as always—a little easier today because of the frigid air that seemed to surround him. She did her duties in the back kitchen and helped out at lunch when a group of half a dozen construction workers came in.
Her paranoia ramped up once again with their arrival. She felt eyes on her all the time. But the only one she ever saw looking in her direction was Tanner.
She forced herself to shake off the feeling through the lunch rush and was clearing off the tables once the diner had nearly emptied when a buzzing noise caught her attention. She looked around, trying to figure out where it was coming from.
Then she realized it was coming from the phone in her apron.
She slammed the tray full of dishes down on the nearest table, wincing at the noise, thankful when nobody else seemed to notice. She started to hide the fact that she was looking at a message on her phone but realized that was absurd. People used phones all the time. No one would think twice about her getting a text. She flipped it open.
Come to Denver. Downtown Orthodox Church. 3:00. Crisscross, applesauce.
Bree stared at the message before snapping the phone closed. She couldn’t even be sure it was from Melissa. Someone could’ve gotten hold of the phone and was trying to draw Bree out. Or maybe someone in the Organization was forcing Melissa to send the message.
No, Mellie wouldn’t do that. She would die rather than risk the twins.
Right?
Bree stared at the phone again. She had to try. If this was Melissa’s chance to get out, Bree couldn’t let her down.
She couldn’t take the twins with her into an unknown situation; if she had to run, it would be too hard with them in tow. Hopefully Dan and Cheryl would watch them again. She’d say she wasn’t feeling well and needed to rest. She hated that they would so readily believe her just because they were honest people.
But Bree had to. She wouldn’t let her paranoia suffocate her. And she at least knew the older couple would do whatever it took to keep Christian and Beth safe if Bree didn’t come back.
She put the phone back in her apron and turned toward the kitchen, stopping in her tracks when she found Tanner studying her with hooded eyes.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
A bolt of panic jolted down her spine. Had he seen her get the message on her phone?
She forced air into her lungs and tried to relax her features. There was nothing suspicious about getting a text message. The only thing that would make it seem suspicious was her actions.
“Yes.” She forced more air into her lungs so her voice didn’t sound so weak. “Everything’s fine.”
“Get some news on your phone?” Tanner leaned b
ack casually against the bar as he said it, but there was nothing casual about the way he studied her, reading every move she made.
She shrugged. “No. Just a junk sales message.”
“Yeah, I hate those.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You look a little tired. I thought Mr. and Mrs. A were watching the babies for you last night so you could get some rest.”
She fought the urge to shift back and forth on her feet. “I guess I just couldn’t sleep anyway. You know how it is.”
He cocked his head to the side. “I don’t, actually. Why don’t you tell me how it is? Did you go out?”
“Oh, no. I’m not big on nightlife stuff.” She wasn’t even sure if Risk Peak had any. “I just stayed home.”
“But couldn’t sleep, huh?”
Why was he so interested in her sleep habits? She didn’t have time to talk to him about this. She needed to get to Denver, scope out as much as she could to make sure it was really Melissa who had contacted her.
“Yeah, just couldn’t sleep. That’s all. Do you need anything else, Officer?”
“Tanner.” He reached over and touched her arm, just below her elbow. “Do you need anything, Bree? Tell me what’s going on. I can help.”
She looked into his eyes and almost believed him. Was tempted, maybe, because of the exhaustion, to tell him at least something. Not everything, of course, but enough to get his help.
He looked so strong. So capable. Like he could handle anything. While she woke every day not sure how she was going to make it, each day worse than the one before.
He waited silently, not pushing, not demanding. Which just made her want to lean on him more.
But she couldn’t. Melissa might be getting out today, and they would have to run. She couldn’t depend on anyone but herself.
“I’m fine,” she finally said. “But thank you for asking.”
Tanner didn’t say anything, but his finger stroked lightly across the bend of her elbow. Once again her resolve almost faltered.
“Who was that message from, Bree?”
She didn’t look him in the eye while shaking her head. “It was nobody.”
