“Stay with me. Please.”
Always.
I didn't say it out loud, but I meant it all the same. I'd stay with her until she told me to leave. As long as I could.
I tossed her towel into her dirty clothes and came back to bed. She rolled over against me, pressing her face against my chest. She was asleep by the time I pulled the covers up over us. I kissed the top of her head and wrapped my arms around her as I closed my eyes.
Just like it had been when we were children, it was us now, us against the rest of the world. She’d defended me when I was little, chubby, and clumsy, and now it was my turn to protect her. She was Karis. My Karis. The only woman I’d ever loved and the only woman I’d ever needed. She was the reason nothing else in my life had ever been permanent, because, without her, I'd never wanted anything permanent. Coming back to her was like coming home.
And that was the truth of it, I knew.
She was my home.
And I'd do anything to protect her.
Chapter Eight
Karis
My alarm cut into the dreamless sleep I'd been enjoying, and I groaned in annoyance. I didn’t want to wake up. I knew if I opened my eyes, I’d have to face the complications that came from last night. I didn't regret what we'd done, not now that I knew I wasn't just some physical distraction for him. His confession had changed everything. All of the excuses I'd given as to why this wouldn't work, why I couldn't ever pursue anything real with him, they'd all melted away the moment he said that he was in love with me.
A fling, a childhood crush, closure on a relationship that had never happened – none of those were worth my career, but love? Having love and a home – they were what I'd always wanted. My career was important to me, but what I felt with Bron wasn't something I could walk away from now that I knew it was real.
This wouldn't be easy or simple, and I knew I risked losing a lot, but I was finally done arguing with myself and second-guessing what I wanted. I'd made my decision, and it was him.
I rolled toward my alarm and slapped it, opening my eyes as I realized I was alone in bed. I frowned. Had he moved to the couch after I fell asleep? I'd asked him to stay, but maybe he'd felt awkward after I hadn't told him my feelings in return. I could understand that. I hadn't been able to find the right words last night, but I'd try this morning. He deserved to know how I felt.
Maybe he’d gotten up early to make us breakfast so we didn't have to grab it on our way in to the office. He did like to cook. I sat up in the bed and rubbed my eyes. I slid out of the bed and walked to the bathroom, still naked and vaguely sore from last night’s activities. At least my knee was feeling better.
I took a quick shower, wanting the time to linger over breakfast a bit, but knowing that I needed to wash. I couldn't go in to work smelling like sex. After drying off, I pulled on my robe and headed out into the main area of my apartment, ready to talk to Bron about where we were going from here.
Except he wasn't there. He wasn’t on the couch, and it hadn't been made up into a bed, so I doubted he'd slept there. He wasn’t in the kitchen, and I didn't see any food prepared. The place wasn't that big, so a quick glance in my bedroom told me that I hadn't simply missed him when I'd moved from one room to the other.
My stomach clenched, but I told myself there was no need to panic. There was a very good possibility he'd decided to go out to pick up something to eat rather than making it, I told myself. He probably just hadn't thought to leave me a note to tell me where he was going. He'd most likely assumed that he'd get back before I woke up, then got stuck behind someone with an order for a dozen people.
I brewed enough coffee for two while I waited. I sipped my first cup, but no one came up. No one buzzed my apartment to get the door. There was no knock on the door, no one asking to come in.
By the time I finished my first cup and poured my second, I allowed myself to start worrying. What if Uaine had found Bron? Uaine had apparently known how to find us the other night, so it wasn't too far of a stretch to think that he'd figured out where I lived and that Bron was with me.
I took my coffee with me when I moved to the couch, but I wasn't planning on drinking it. My stomach was in knots, imagining all of the horrible things Uaine could've done to Bron, things that he might still be doing. I didn't hear any sirens outside, so I doubted there'd been a violent incident between here and the diner, but that didn't mean Uaine couldn't have grabbed Bron and taken him somewhere.
As I sat down, my foot hit something, and I automatically looked down. It took my brain a moment to accept what it was seeing. Small, black, rectangular...shit.
“Son of a bitch!”
The bastard had disarmed his tracker and run. How he managed to get it off was beyond me.
So much for everything he'd said to me last night. It'd all been a lie, and I'd believed him.
My stomach heaved, but I managed to keep myself together as I hurried into my bedroom and grabbed my phone. Before I could call the office, however, I noticed a missed call and voicemail from an unknown number that had been left while I was in the shower. He knew my routine well enough to know when he could call and get sent to voicemail.
My hands were shaking as I hit play and Bron's familiar voice came through.
“Karis, if you’re listening to this message, you’ve found the tracker and know I'm gone. I'm so sorry, but things can't continue as they are. I’m putting you in danger, and I could never forgive myself if something happened to you. I’m going to protect you, and right now, that means I have to leave. Everything I said last night was true, it was real. I want you to remember that, no matter what happens. You do what you need to do. I understand, and it won't change how I feel about you. I hope, one day, you'll forgive me.”
I played the message again as I wiped the tears from my cheeks. He'd been playing me this whole time. His words didn't mean anything after what he'd done. This time, I had to listen to see if I could hear any clues that would tell me where he was. I had to get to him before anyone else if I had any chance of keeping my job.
Except when I listened to it a second time, carefully analyzing every word, I realized that he was telling the truth. He was in love with me, and he felt like being near me was putting me in danger.
Realization hit me hard enough to make me gasp.
Bron was going to find Uaine on his own.
And he was probably going to do something stupid to try to stop his former mentor, which meant he was most likely going to be dead by day's end.
I tapped the screen again. I couldn't do this alone, no matter what it meant for my job. I needed back-up, someone I could trust.
Benita picked up on the second ring. “Karis? What's wrong?”
Relief went through me at the sound of her voice. Of course she'd know that the only reason I'd call her on her personal line this early was because something was wrong.
“It’s Bron,” I said, fighting to keep my voice even.
“What happened?” She was all business.
“He cut his tracker and went after Uaine.” I didn't have the strength to give her all of it over the phone. I'd tell her everything when she was here. For right now, she only needed the important parts.
“What do you mean he went after Uaine?”
I heard the scrape of her chair and imagined her getting up from her desk, collecting her things to leave the office. I said a silent prayer that she'd be able to get here without running into Colman.
“He left a message on my voicemail saying that he was going to protect me.” I closed my eyes as I pulled myself together. “It was from a burner phone.”
“Excellent. Do you still have the number?”
“Yeah.” My befuddled brain put the pieces together. “I didn't try to call him back, so I don't know if it's still on, but it's better than nothing.”
“Text me the number. I'll call in a couple favors to geo-locate where that call came from. It'll give us some place to start.”
“Th
ank you,” I said.
“I'm coming to you,” she said. “We don't need Colman getting nosy.” Her voice softened. “We'll find him, Karis.”
I nodded even though she couldn't see me. Once the call ended, I quickly dressed in my usual slacks and white blouse, clipped my badge at my waist and put my gun into my holster. Less than ten minutes later, Benita and a couple techs were at my door. I directed them to the kitchen table as Benita came to my side.
“This isn’t going to be easy,” she warned me. “The company he’s using registers all of their phones in New Hampshire. Even the GPS on the phone routes itself through their New Hampshire servers.”
“You’re kidding,” I said.
“It’s nothing,” one of the techs chimed in, clearly oblivious to the true nature of the situation. “It just takes a little more digging than usual, but don't worry. We can do it.”
I nodded but didn't really feel reassured. Benita put her hand on my arm, and I looked down at her.
“We’ll find him, Karis. But you might want to have a seat and grab some coffee. It's going to be a long day.”
Chapter Nine
Bron
Karis was still sleeping when I woke up, but that wasn't surprising. I'd only been asleep for a couple hours. The sun wasn't even up yet. I knew Karis's alarm wouldn't go off for another two hours, and as much as I wanted to lay here, looking down at the beautiful woman lying next to me, I knew I couldn't stay. I slid my arm out from underneath her, and carefully climbed out of bed. I gathered my clothes and moved to the bathroom to dress, not wanting to risk waking her.
I wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed with her, wrap my arms around her and hold her until she woke. Make love to her again and then go into the office, help her find Uaine. I wanted to move on to a new life with her.
Except I knew none of that would happen if Uaine was still out there.
Karis and Benita would never be able to catch him working within the law. He'd always be able to outsmart them because he wasn’t confined to their rules and procedures. He didn’t have to do things by the book. People like Uaine wrote their own book. He made up his rules as he went along, and didn't care who he hurt in the process.
I went straight from the bathroom to the living room because I knew if went back into the bedroom, I didn't think I'd have enough strength to do what needed to be done.
I shoved a couple things into my bag and checked my burner phone to make sure it had a full charge. I didn't know how long I'd be away, but I had to travel light either way. I waited until the very last moment to disable my tracker, overriding the system so that it appeared I was still sleeping in this apartment. I waited last minute because if I goofed the override, I’d need to be out the door as soon as possible. Maybe when I’d done what I need to do, I could help the FBI create tamper proof ones.
I felt like a creep as I quietly closed the door behind me and headed down the hall to the stairs. I was doing this to protect Karis, to keep her safe, but I knew how much it would hurt her when she woke up, and I wasn't there. When she saw the tracker and realized that I'd run, she'd be devastated. Betrayed.
The thought of it broke my heart, but I knew it had to be done. I would rather have her walk away from me for this than try to stay with her and risk her getting hurt or killed.
I walked two blocks over before ducking into one of those internet / coffee cafes. It was the end of October, and the air was cold enough to make me sigh in relief by the time I entered the cafe. I got a coffee – paying cash from the stash of bills I had in the lining of my bag, of course – then headed for one of the back booths.
Most people would've thought it'd be smart to get as far away as possible, but I knew that staying close by was actually a better idea. The FBI would believe that I ran – even if Karis told them differently – which meant they'd be looking at airports, train stations, places where I would've gone to flee the country. I doubted they'd think I'd stop in for a coffee.
I drank half of my coffee, needing caffeine to do what needed to be done.
While I drank, I pulled numbers from my memory and sent out a few feelers to some contacts who might be willing to sell Uaine out. While I waited for a response, I ordered some breakfast, ignoring the flirtatious smile that the barista sent my way.
While I ate, I tried to think about something other than what I had to do. I tried to think about the future, how Karis would be able to move on once Uaine was taken care of. I wouldn't be in her future, I knew, but it was nice to think about her doing well.
Living a life without me.
But alive.
My heart twisted, but I knew I was doing what was right. What else would I do? Go straight? Try to find a job that would take a high school drop out without a GED?
That was laughable. As laughable as the idea of Karis settling down with someone like me. She would though, I knew, settle down. She was that sort of person. She was the sort of woman who wanted to have a family, wanted a man she could depend on, someone who would be a good father to her children.
I couldn't be that man.
Maybe, if things had been different for me growing up, I could've been that man, maybe even for her, but not now. No matter how much I tried to clean myself up, how much better I tried to be, I'd never be good enough for her.
But I’d sure as hell make sure she was safe and protected for as long as I drew breath.
Starting with Uaine Leconte.
I wasn’t a fan of violence, and I didn’t like to resort to it, but some people didn’t know how to respond to anything else. With her boss, he'd just needed to be knocked on his ass. Uaine wouldn't go down so easily.
Before I could follow that line of thought too much further, my phone rang.
“Hello.”
“Bron!” It was an old small-timer I’d used for a few jobs until he'd gotten caught on one. He wasn't the brightest bulb in the box, but he was a good guy. Well, as far as small-time criminals went, he was a good guy.
“Hey, man! You got anything for me?” I cut straight to the point. I wasn’t too happy he'd called instead of texting, but it was what it was. I had to work with what I had.
“Yeah, I’ve got a phone number for you.” He sounded entirely too cheerful.
“Great. Can you text it to me? I’m on the move and can’t stop to write it down just now.”
“Yeah, sure. No problem. Hey, when are we going to get together for another job? Uaine won't take my calls.”
“Look, I don’t know.” I glanced around the cafe, wondering if Karis had gotten up before her alarm, if she now realized I was gone. “But I'll put in a good word for you with Uaine.”
“Thanks. You're a good friend.”
Sure I was.
Once I had the number, I ended the call. I took a deep breath, reminded myself that I needed to do this, and then wrote out a text. I read it twice to make sure it worked.
Uaine, it’s Bron. I’m out. We need to talk.
I pocketed my phone and gathered my things. Time to move. I'd set the hook. Just needed to wait for Uaine to take the bait.
I headed for the subway even though I knew the reception might not be the best. I had to move around but didn't want to risk being out in the open. I picked a train at random and settled in for a ride. I had no way of knowing where I needed to be, or how long it would take. I suddenly wished I would've brought some books. I'd been telling Karis the truth when I'd talked about getting stir-crazy. I didn't do inaction very well.
There was one thing, however, that I needed to do before anything else. My phone said it'd been ten minutes since Karis's alarm had gone off, which meant she was in the shower. I dialed her number and hoped that my leaving hadn't changed her schedule. There were things she needed to know, but I knew I couldn't tell her. I didn't have that much strength.
Once I finished my message, I ended the call and put my phone back in my pocket. Now all I could do was wait. Fortunately, I was adept at sleeping in strange places, and
since I hadn't gotten much sleep last night, a nap wasn't as difficult as it could have been.
My phone woke me what could've been minutes or hours later. I glanced at the time as I pulled up the text. It was almost noon.
The text was short and simple. Six o'clock. I'll text the address.
It was time.
I sent back an acknowledgement, picked up my bag, and waited for the next stop. Since I wouldn't need the extra change of clothes in my bag, I got a locker and stashed my bag after pulling out the last of my emergency cash. There was one more thing I needed, no matter how much I hated the idea.
Time to make contact with my less-than-intelligent buddy who'd given me Uaine's number. He had contacts for the last piece to my puzzle.
I need a gun.
Half an hour later, I spotted Dusty's greasy hair and bulky overcoat as he made his way across the subway platform. People gave him a wide berth as his lanky body lurched from side to side. I was sure most people thought he was drunk, but I knew it was all part of the act, the person he pretended to be when he was on a job.
When he drew close enough, the scent of brandy wafted off of him, and I wasn't sure if it was legitimate, or just part of his act.
I shook my head. “Why all of this just to meet with me? I already know you.”
“Just trying to keep myself off Big Brother's radar.” He snorted when he laughed, which I was pretty sure was also an act.
“I gotcha.” It was time to cut the small talk and get to work. “Do you have what I asked for?”
He pulled a loaded revolver out of one of the pockets of his coat, and I understood finally why he wore it. I hadn’t even noticed that he was packing when he walked up.
“Ever used one of these?” he asked.
“No.” I didn't look at him as I checked out the gun, careful to use my body to shield what I was doing. “But I'm hoping it won't come to that. I'll get it back to you when I'm done.”