Dangerously Involved

by Sidney Bristol

  “Thanks for the tip. You talk to Dad?”

  “No. I’m headed over to his place tonight to check on him.”

  Nolan grimaced. Both their parents had broken the day Nathan died. Mom had been beside herself, trying to find someone to blame. She’d gone after all of them. Dad had numbed his pain the old fashioned way, with alcohol and sex. Eventually it had broken their family.

  “You still there?” Nick asked.

  “Yeah, sorry. Let me know if there’s anything I can do?”

  “Will do. He’s probably passed out and his phone is dead.”

  “Let me know?”

  They changed topics, Nick using the time to vent about a case at work that got under his skin. Unlike Nolan who’d wanted order to his life, Nick had chosen the more difficult path of going into social work with a mind to help kids. As the youngest, he’d been left in the middle of the shit storm after Nathan’s death during Nolan’s first deployment. Nick said the experience had helped him grow up, learn about himself and set goals. Nolan had never shaken the guilt over leaving Nick in that situation.

  After a while longer they hung up and Nolan stared out the windows and through the trees at the mansion.

  It was easy to get pissed off with Yvonne for caving to her mother until Nolan’s own guilt came calling. Family was such messy business. And he didn’t work with his.

  Fuck, he was an asshole. Once again he’d opened his mouth and spoken without truly thinking through what he was saying.

  Would he ever learn?

  Nolan pushed to his feet. “I’m going up to the big house.”

  “Wait—what?” Riley blinked up at him.

  “I’m going to go talk to Yvonne.”

  “You sure that’s a good idea?”

  “We’ll see.”

  Besides, he’d better do it now before he got removed from this gig.

  Nolan exited the house without leaving an update on the chalk board. He lifted his phone and tapped on the text icon.

  He hadn’t messaged Yvonne yet.

  Should he ask for permission or forgiveness for what he was about to do? And where was she?

  He changed his mind and tapped her contact, activating the call as he walked.

  The line rang once, twice, a third time.

  She could be ignoring him like he was with his mother.

  “Yes?” Yvonne’s voice was soft, maybe a little wary.

  “I’d like to see you.”

  “Why?”

  “To apologize properly.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “I was an ass. Again.”

  Silence.

  “Vee?”

  “I can see you just fine.”

  He glanced at her windows, but from what he could see at this distance the curtains were shut.

  “Not there,” she said.

  There were too many windows on the house to search.

  A bird twittered in the background through the phone.

  She was outside.

  Nolan kept walking, but now he examined the grass, the trees, until—there. Near the wall, almost under a huge tree supporting a tree house. She sat on a bench, her hair up.

  “May I join you?”

  “I suppose.”

  He hung up and picked up the pace. By the time he reached the bench he still wasn’t sure what to say.

  Nolan lowered himself to sit next to her. She hadn’t looked at him, her gaze aimed straight ahead. The pool? Or was she seeing something that wasn’t there?

  “Don’t tell me it’s a bad idea to be out here, okay?” she said, breaking the silence first.

  “I don’t think I’m in a position to tell you anything right now.”

  “Oh?”

  He turned his head, taking in her profile. She had this cute, little nose. If she spent more time outside, would her freckles become more pronounced?

  “It wasn’t my place to lay into you earlier. I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you.” Her tone was still that perfectly neutral note.

  “You know, since being on this job I’ve been putting off talking to my mom. As a rule I try to not talk to her while I’m working. Most of the time she just wants to stir the pot or talk about drama. It’s easy for someone on the outside to criticize how you deal with family. It’s far more difficult to be in it.”

  “Does anyone look in on her while you’re away?” Yvonne asked.

  “My little brother, Nick. He was the youngest of us three. Poor bastard chose to stay close to home. He has to deal with her every day. Then there’s our dad.” Nolan grimaced and clamped his lips shut.

  “Nolan and Nick,” she muttered.

  “Nathan. He’s the one that died.” He shifted a bit to face her. “I opened my mouth when I shouldn’t have, Vee. Again. I swear most of the time I do better than this. It’s just hard.”

  “Hard?” Now she turned her head and finally looked at him.

  “Yeah. You’re an asset. This is work. But it’s not. We both know you’re hiding things for your family. Then you risk yourself. This is why I don’t do the mixing business and pleasure. I can’t... I don’t have an off switch. I’m not asking you to tell me things. I just wanted to say I’m sorry for being an asshole. Again.”

  Yvonne’s gaze remained on his face. She had an unwavering stare that probably made plenty of people sweat.

  “At least you know how to apologize. That’s more than a lot of men.”

  “Will you forgive me?”

  “Why does that matter?”

  “I would have thought it was obvious.”

  She frowned at him then and he wasn’t sure if she was serious or if Yvonne had drawn up her shields.

  What the hell was he doing?

  In that moment, it was as though he tipped forward into something he didn’t yet understand. All he knew was that sex had felt different with her. They might be little more than acquaintances, but in the time they’d had together there’d been sparks. He might still fuck this up, but wasn’t it worth trying?

  “Because outside of all this,” he waved at the house, “we could be good together.”

  “Could be?” Her brows lifted a tiny bit.

  “You don’t think so?”

  “We barely know each other.

  “We could change that.”

  She stared at him and this time he saw the reservations written in her eyes.

  Nolan’s phone began buzzing. He didn’t have the luxury of ignoring it. He pulled the phone out and winced at Grant’s name.

  “Yeah, boss?” Nolan glanced back at Yvonne, watching him.

  “Get your ass back here, now. And tell her to go inside.”

  “Copy that.”

  He hung up before Grant could say anything else.

  “You’re in trouble for coming to talk to me?” she asked.

  “Maybe. Not like I’m breaking a rule or anything.” Nolan shrugged.

  “Do you work tonight? Do you ever sleep?”

  “I’ll start later tonight.”

  “What do you do?”

  “If you want to find out, you could always come check in on me.” Hell, she might even get out from under that cloud of stress if she did.

  One corner of her mouth quirked up. “That would mean leaving the house, and I’m already in trouble for that.”

  “You seem to enjoy being in trouble.” Nolan leaned closer. “Think you can forgive me?”

  “I already did.”

  “Can you forgive yourself?”

  Yvonne glanced away, but it wasn’t her little off to the side. It was a troubled look. “I accept that today served a purpose. It’s done. I’m moving on.”

  “Hey?” He reached over and placed his hand on hers.

  Her fingers twisted until she held onto him. She was carrying a huge weight, and he couldn’t do anything to help her. But he could make it better.

  “We’ll get through this.”

  She turned her head toward him. “Promise.�
��

  “Yeah. I promise.”

  Nolan closed the distance, kissing her sweet mouth for a brief moment. They had an audience and he didn’t mean to put on a show.

  THURSDAY. SURVEILLANCE Van, Chevy Chase, MD.

  Lee kept his eyes shut, his client’s verbal tirade washing over him. This whole job wasn’t going according to plan. He couldn’t be held responsible for that. They weren’t the only ones after the Kriegers. But his clients didn’t want to hear excuses. They wanted results, and Lee hadn’t delivered yet.

  At the end of the day that was what mattered.

  “I understand. I’ll have something for you tomorrow.” He hung up the phone, cutting off his client.

  His thugs for hire had thrown him under the bus. Clearly they weren’t all what they appeared, and he didn’t want to waste time figuring out which one sold him out. His energy was best put toward assessing how to get his hands on Theodore or Yvonne Krieger.

  Yvonne had gone to the police today.

  Why?

  Rich people only told one person their secrets.

  Their lawyer.

  Which was why Lee sat in wait outside the law firm for the Krieger family lawyer. Someone in that building knew the true story about what was going on, and Lee was going to find out And then he’d have his payday.

  15.

  Friday. Grimaldi Place, Chevy Chase, MD.

  Yvonne woke with a start to the sound of something thudding against the hardwood next to her bed. She sat up, clutching the comforter to her chest, and blinked across the dim room at the hulking shadow hunched over at the side of her bed.

  “Shit, sorry,” the shadow muttered.

  Heart racing, it took a moment for the voice to register.

  She knew that voice.

  “Nolan?” She reached over and clicked on the bedside lamp.

  “Sh.” He glanced back at the door.

  The floor creaked out in the hall.

  Someone was there.

  Nolan braced his hand on the mattress and leaned toward her, mouthing more than whispering, “Doug might have seen me.”

  Yvonne glanced at the clock.

  She’d gone through so many time zones her body didn’t know what time it was.

  Eight.

  Nine hours ago she’d left the guest house after nearly laughing herself sick at Vaughn and Nolan carrying on. It had been one of the most relaxing, easiest evenings she’d spent out in...she couldn’t remember when.

  Another long creak from the hall, then soft footsteps faded ending in the thud of a door.

  Nolan blew out a breath and his shoulders dropped.

  “What the hell?” She shook her head and chuckled.

  “The guys wanted donuts, so I brought you some.” Nolan slid under the covers, still fully dressed, and sat up against the headboard next to her.

  “Is this what we’re doing?” She adjusted her pillows then sat back.

  Nolan passed her a small bakery box.

  “What were you planning on doing? Sneaking in here and get into bed with me?” She narrowed her eyes. Maybe she should be offended by the idea, but compared to the pleasure of waking up with him wrapped around her, she couldn’t find it in her to be upset. What did that say about her?

  “Sneaking in was about as far as my plan went.” He opened the top of the box. “Hungry?”

  “I’m not sure I’m really awake enough to know.”

  Two of the donuts were pink. Strawberry. The other two were blueberry cake.

  She blinked a few times, caught off guard by the thoughtfulness of the gesture.

  “I know you said you liked strawberry donuts last night, but I hadn’t forgotten how much you liked that blueberry thing at the hotel. Figured I’d gamble.”

  Yvonne stared at the pastries more than a little stunned. Not only had he correctly guessed what she’d like, he’d carried through with the idea. “You got these from Mama’s Donuts down the street. Thank you. These really are my favorite.”

  “The strawberry?”

  She blinked a few times, her errant emotions getting away from her. “Both of them.”

  They were just donuts.

  And right now she wanted to eat a dozen of each.

  Was that the baby talking or her emotions?

  Yvonne took a bite out of the blueberry cake one before she said something without thinking it through. Last night had been good for both her and Nolan. They’d hung out, proving to her that they weren’t just good at sex. She liked his company, being able to laugh and with him, the easy way she could hang out with him. It still didn’t give her insight for how he’d take her news.

  News...

  Had she left the prenatal vitamins sitting on the vanity last night?

  She finished the donut, her hunger quelled by her knotted up stomach.

  “Quiet night?” she asked.

  He settled in next to her, pulling the blankets up to his chest. “Not a peep.”

  “Is that a good thing?”

  “I hope it is.”

  “We don’t know anything else, do we?”

  “Our offices are keeping tabs on Sato Ito’s company. His brother has taken over and we’ve got people watching their movements, plus keeping tabs on the Yakuza and Lyme. So far they’ve reported nothing. I’m not willing to trust your family’s safety to that report. These aren’t our people. I don’t know how good of a job they’re doing, if they’re thorough or just selling us a story for a few billable hours.”

  “How long is this going to go on?”

  “Not sure,” Nolan said slowly, staring at the bedspread.

  “What happens when Theo and I have to go back to California?” She set the pastry box aside and turned to face him.

  “I don’t honestly know. This isn’t our typical kind of job.”

  “What do you think will happen?”

  He glanced at her then, his eyes a darker green, brows drawn down. “Our team’s too expensive to keep on the job for a long period of time. The US government isn’t going to continue footing the bill. I imagine if the threat remains there will be some kind of stipend made to employ regular personal security. Or they could tell you it’s your problem.”

  “My understanding was that your team was retained because of our trip and the fear that something would happen while we were traveling.” And it had, just not the way they’d anticipated. “I guess we’ll wait and see what happens.”

  “Eager to be rid of me?”

  “No.” Yvonne slid her hand through the crook of Nolan’s arm then leaned her cheek against his shoulder.

  Despite how pleasant and enjoyable last night had been, she couldn’t shake the gnawing fear that once she told Nolan the truth, everything between them would change. She barely knew him. It shouldn’t be that great of a loss. And yet in the short time they’d been reacquainted she’d begun to value his insight. She wasn’t as alone in the family with him around.

  Nolan extracted his arm from her grasp then wrapped it around her waist, pulling her closer still.

  “About yesterday?” he said.

  Which part of yesterday?

  “You’re a brilliant woman. I need to trust that you’re smart enough to know what you’re doing. You said yesterday served your purposes. Still believe that?”

  She tipped her chin up to lock eyes with him. “Yes.”

  “When all of this is over, will you tell me what the hell that means?”

  When all of this was over.

  That was a vague enough future date.

  Yvonne could work with that. Ideally she’d tell him sooner.

  She nodded. “Yeah.”

  Yvonne would never be able to control how Nolan reacted. Just because she was growing to like the idea of them together didn’t mean he’d want the same thing when he knew it all. Which meant that until she told him, she wanted to enjoy this spark they had for as long as possible.

  Was that selfish?

  Probably.

  Could she be makin
g a mistake?

  Yes.

  Was that going to change her mind about waiting another day?

  No.

  She wanted another day or two so she could come to terms with the reality of it. Then she’d tell him and beg forgiveness. It was selfish and maybe that made her a terrible person. There wasn’t exactly a guide for her to follow.

  Nolan’s fingers caressed her arm, drawing circles and meandering patterns. “I was thinking, I owe you a pair of shoes, don’t I?”

  “You owe Tabby shoes. I borrowed hers.”

  “Think you might help me make amends? Preferably in a way that doesn’t break the bank?”

  Yvonne resisted the urge to laugh. Her best friend’s taste in shoes ran to the extremely expensive or dirt cheap. “I think I can help.”

  “Do you own a pair of strappy, black shoes?” He was far too intent on her for the answer to not matter.

  “No. Should I?”

  “I think you should.” He slid his fingers between hers. “I don’t suppose you’d want to go out on a proper date when all of this is over? You could wear strappy heels and I could help you take them off.”

  “You know what proper is?” Her lips curved into a grin. Hadn’t his friend said that exact same thing to him last night?

  “Fucking Vaughn,” he muttered.

  She laughed. “No, I haven’t done that.”

  “You better not have.” His hand covered hers and squeezed. It was a possessive hold that made warmth unfurl within her.

  Whatever this was, they were sharing it. She wanted to hold on to these moments, cherish them, for as long as she could. When everyone else saw the picture perfect family, he’d seen the truth and didn’t let her hide from it. He might protect her body, but he didn’t coddle her. That was why she forgave his harsh words because at least he cared enough to say them.

  Yvonne shifted, sitting up enough so she could slide her knee over his thighs and sit facing him. Nolan’s heavy lids and tired smile tugged at her heart. He hadn’t slept much yesterday because of her and instead of going to bed now he’d snuck in here to bring her breakfast.

  Under the rough exterior he presented to the world, he had a good heart. One that had been beaten up a few too many times.

  She bent her head and kissed him, tasting coffee and sugar.