On Tuesday morning, he drove to town and parked in Turtle Bay Park. The Sundial Bridge was infamous around those parts as it was made of glass and ran across Sacramento River. He figured on a sunny morning such as this, it would be a beautiful run.
What he hadn’t expected was that he would run into Shyla. It was six a.m. and he was twenty minutes in, getting up to a good pace, past the burn, and into the euphoria that followed, when he spotted her. Wearing baggy, gray shorts and a tight, pink t-shirt, she was bent at the waist and looked like she was about to get sick.
Should he keep going? Should he stop? He wouldn’t be able to pass by without checking on her and he knew it.
“Hey. Are you okay?”
She glanced up. Her face was bright pink and she was panting heavily.
“No. Yeah. I mean, yeah, I’m fine.”
He stared down at her.
“You don’t look fine.”
With hands on her knees she frowned.
“Gee, thanks,” she said.
He stretched out a hand and offered her his bottle of water.
“Here. Take a swig. But not too much, too fast, or you really will puke.”
Shyla hesitated but finally reached out and snagged the bottle. Ignoring his warning she took down half the bottle before handing it back. She was still breathing heavily and looked uncomfortable under his watchful gaze.
“What? I’m fine already. Thanks for the water. I appreciate it. You can go now.”
“Why are you always rude to me?” Brennan asked.
“Why do you always look at me like I’m a freak or I’m gonna steal something?”
Brennan was taken back. Wasn’t he the freak?
When he didn’t answer, she waved her hand in the air.
“Never mind. I woke up early this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep so I had the brilliant idea to go for a run. Well guess what? I work out regularly, but only with weights. No cardio. I haven’t run since…well, a damn long time ago. I think I about had a coronary just now.”
“I was starting to wonder the same thing myself,” he smiled, amused.
They stood in awkward silence.
“So, uh, do you run here every morning?” she asked.
“No. This is my first time down here. But I do run most mornings. I started a few months back. I felt about like you looked when I first started because I took it too hard too fast. It just felt so good to really run, you know?”
Her eyes narrowed. He knew he probably sounded ridiculous.
“Anyway, I like to run.”
“Yeah, well,” Shyla nodded, “I guess I’ll head back home. I’ve got to get ready for work.”
“My car is on the other side of the bridge. If you want, I can give you a ride.”
“Aren’t you going to finish your run?”
“Naw, I’m cooled down now. I would have to warm up all over again. I’m good for today.”
“Well then I’ll take you up on it. I’m still not feeling quite myself.” Shyla laughed.
On the walk back, Brennan saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. When he turned, he saw a doe and her fawn walking down toward the river. Forgetting everything, he stopped and stared, amazed at the beautiful creatures. Their movements were gentle without disturbing their surroundings. Their ears and tails twitched signaling to each other. He had never seen a real deer. At least, not that he remembered.
Something stirred in the bushes and startled the mother. She bolted into the brush, her baby following close behind.
When he remembered that Shyla was next to him he turned and looked at her. She had an amused look on her face as she stared up at him.
“Did you see them?” he asked, “weren’t they fabulous?”
“Yeah, I saw them. But what was more interesting was watching you. You act like you’ve never seen deer before?”
Brennan realized his mistake. He was acting like a fool.
“Oh. Well…” he said, “I have, but not for a long time. I lived in the city for a very long time. There were no deer around.”
He walked away and hoped she’d drop the subject.
“Yeah, okay,” she said, catching up with him, “but…you look like that a lot of the time. I haven’t known you for very long. I don’t know jack-shit about you. You’re fairly quiet and keep to yourself, but sometimes, something will catch your eye and it’s like you’re seeing the world for the first time, like a kid.”
He didn’t know how to respond. She was so much more observant than he was comfortable with.
“Where did you say you were from?” Shyla asked.
“I didn’t.”
Her head was tipped up and she squinted into the morning sun as she walked with him.
“Yeah, that’s right. You avoid the question every time. I wonder why that is?” She took a step forward and suddenly she was uncomfortably close. He could breathe her in. The scent of female and sweat was intoxicating. Two opposing urges fought one another; one, the urge to take a step back, the other, an urge to step in and close the distance. He resisted both and stood firm.
He looked into her face. Her head was tilted up and she was searching his eyes. It took him off guard when she reached up and touched his cheek.
“You haven’t shaved. It’s nice. I like it.”
Even through his stubble he could feel the softness of her palm. The instinct to take her right there on the running path loomed large in the forefront of his mind. She was toying with him. Why, he wasn’t sure. But she was doing a damn fine job of it.
Gently he put his hand over hers. They stood and locked gazes. Then he wrapped his grip around her wrist and gave it a firm squeeze. The warning was strong in his tone.
“I’m not someone to play your little games with, Shyla.”
Her expression was wide eyed and innocent as she took a step back.
“Well it’s a good thing that I’m not playing games then, now isn’t it? Now are you going to give me a ride or not?”
She flashed a smile but he could sense her serious undertones. He clenched his jaw and kept quiet as he turned down the path.
When they were both seated in Victor’s Acura he tried to make small talk.
“Why couldn’t you get back to sleep?” he asked.
“Huh?”
“You said you woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep.”
“Oh” she said, brows furrowed, “dreams, I had a bad dream. That’s all.”
He could see she didn’t want to elaborate.
“I have a lot of those, too,” he said, “I don’t sleep very well either.”
They drove the rest of the way in silence until Shyla pointed toward a cluster of apartment buildings. “
“That’s it.”
She turned in her seat.
“Thanks for the water and for the ride home, Brennan.”
“You’re welcome. You should keep running though.”
“I’m not so sure about that, but we’ll see,” she chuckled, stepping out of the car, “I’ll see you this weekend.”
“That’s right,” Brennan said, “you’re going down to San Francisco with us. I’ll see you then.”
Shyla shut the door and he pulled away. Of course he had remembered she was going with them. It had been on his mind ever since he’d found out.
EIGHTEEN
Brennan slid the needle into a plump vein in the crook of his left arm just as he heard footsteps ascend the stairs to his apartment. He recognized Victor’s heavy-footed approach. He was the only person who ever came to his quarters, and even that was rare.
The infusion would take half an hour, which is why he chose the early morning, just before his run. It lessened the chances of interruption. He wondered what had brought Victor to his door so early.
“Come in,” he shouted, before Victor had a chance to knock.
Sunshine spilled in through the front door and Victor walked in with a burst of energy. Brennan was self-conscious but continued to run the
supplement.
“I’d get up, but…”
Victor waved him off.
“No problem,” he said, “stay where you are. I’ve got a bit of news for you.”
Brennan leaned back.
“Oh, yeah. What kind of news?”
“A friend of mine, the one who was a mutual friend of Shinto’s who told me about you, gave me a call just a bit ago. It seems that the government has been able to keep your escape from the media thus far. They apparently want to keep everything that happened there under wraps. They’ve relocated the other subjects and will most likely continue their research under a new leader.”
Everything inside of Brennan hardened. The thought of ‘the other subjects’ made his blood run cold. What other abominations had Shinto created?
“The only problem is that the main financial contributor, who my contact happens to know quite well as they were both avid investors, well he is a bit put out that one of his investments has fled the scene and killed his doctor and a few guards in the process.”
Brennan sensed what was already coming. He’d been waiting for this news.
“He’s hired a hit man to find the both of us,” Victor said.
“You don’t look surprised or concerned,” Brennan said.
“Why would I be? We knew something like this would happen. The chances of us walking away Scott-free were unlikely. Besides, it’s kind of fun, don’t you think?”
There was a new glisten in Victor’s eye. He looked amused. This was a game to him. Brennan found his disregard for the gravity of the situation a bit unsettling.
“I wouldn’t go so far as to call it fun,” he said, “but we’ll be ready for him when he comes.”
He adjusted his arm to allow the infusion flow to quicken. He felt restless and wanted to be out of the chair.
“Damn right we’ll be ready,” Victor said, “this hit man has no idea who he’s messing with.”
“Was there any feedback as to whether or not he knows who you are or where to find us?”
Victor shook his head.
“No, but I’m not exactly inconspicuous. I’m sure it won’t be more than a week before he’s at our doorstep, so to speak.”
“That fast, huh? Okay, let him come. But you and I are inseparable until then,” Brennan warned, “we can’t take the chance of him finding either one of us alone and off guard.”
“Okay. I see your point, but I can’t have you hanging around when I’m with Shyla. It will freak her out.”
“We should be fine while we’re away this weekend. It’s not likely we’ll get trailed to San Francisco.”
Victor casually opened up the refrigerator, peeked inside, then closed it again and turned to face Brennan.
“Can I get you something?” Brennan asked.
“No. I’m fine, I have to get back to the house and make some phone calls.”
Victor opened the front door but turned to Brennan before he left.
“I’ve been meaning to ask; what do you think of Shyla?”
Brennan kept his eyes averted.
“She’s alright,” he said, “seems like you two have hit it off pretty well.”
Still standing in the doorway with the rising sun at his back, Victor’s silhouette gave an eerie quality. Brennan sensed that he was fishing for more of a response.
“We have,” Victor said, “ and I like her a lot. I don’t want her hurt.”
“She won’t get hurt. We’ll keep an eye on her safety as well.”
“Good. That’s good. I’ll see you in the house.”
NINETEEN
“I don’t like it one bit,” Shawn said, shaking his head, “how in the heck are we supposed to help you if things go sideways when you’re an hour’s flight away?”
Shyla wasn’t as frustrated with Shawn’s behavior, this time. His concern was real and warranted. It was better than dealing with his persistent anger and irritation towards her. Maybe Jason had been right and he really wasn’t such a bad guy after all.
“Listen, I appreciate your concern,” she said, “but this is what we’ve been hoping for. I can’t believe we’ve managed to get to this point so fast, and we aren’t going to waste the opportunity.”
“Okay, well you’re taking your gun right?”
“Shawn, as much as I’d like to, I can’t be found with a gun, Victor would be suspicious for sure. Besides, if I really were just a secretary going on a weekend getaway with my boyfriend, I wouldn’t be thinking twice about protection. You guys have to remember that, to you, I’m a cop and going in to a sketchy situation, but to Victor, I’m just his love interest for the time being. He wouldn’t take me if there was anything to worry about. We’ll be on a romantic sailing trip for most of the weekend. His meeting’s not until Sunday. It’ll be smooth as pie.”
“Pie’s not smooth,” Jason said, jumping into the conversation, “it’s chunky and delicious, but not smooth.”
Everyone laughed.
“Okay, well it’ll be as smooth as something that’s smooth, then.”
“How about ice cream? Ice cream is smooth, and creamy.”
“Why are we talking about food? Now I’m hungry,” Shyla teased, secretly glad of the light banter. It eased the tension. Despite her speech about this weekend retreat being simple, she was anything but relaxed about it. She wasn’t really sure what to expect or what she was getting herself into, but she was excited to get closer to Victor’s secret life and criminal activities.
“I want you to take this,” Hal said, stepping forward. In his hand he held a small recording device, “use this if at all possible. You never know what kind of information will come up this weekend.”
If she wasn’t mistaken, Hal looked a bit worried himself. It touched her to think these guys she had only known for a short time were so thoughtful about her well-being. In all her time on the force, she had always managed to irritate most and flat out avert the rest. Building a bond or relationship was new. She didn’t know how to feel about it.
“Thanks, Hal. Eli had said you guys were the right ones for this case. I guess he was right. We’re gonna surprise everyone and bust this guy’s balls faster than they would have ever imagined.”
Another round of laughter bubbled up.
“Seriously, though,” Shawn said, his expression flattening, “don’t try to be a hero down there.”
*
During the flight to San Francisco, Shyla curled up in the seat of Victor’s small private plane and feigned sleep. It was a short flight, but she wanted to avoid Brennan’s watchful gaze. Plus, she was hoping if they thought her asleep, they might be inclined to speak freely.
Unfortunately, they were fairly quiet, engaging in only casual conversation. There was only one brief moment which caught her attention when Brennan spoke up.
“What is your plan for her while you have your meeting?” he asked.
Victor cleared his throat.
“The meeting will be conducted on Sunday, after we return from our sail. I want you to make the rounds while we’re away, check up on everyone. We will meet you back at port at eleven. The meeting will take place on board at noon while we are docked. It will be brief and to the point. It will not be made into a big deal. You haven’t met Cougar yet, but he’s the nervous type. He doesn’t like strangers or outsiders. You’ll have to take Shyla for a walk while I meet with him.”
“Cougar? Is that the guy’s real name?”
“Do I give a shit, Brennan? No. I don’t. The guy wants to be called Cougar, I call him cougar. He’s one of our best. You think you can handle taking Shyla out for a half-hour at best?”
It was interesting how Victor seemed to drop his charm when he thought she wasn’t listening.
“Of course,” Brennan said, “It’s just that I’m supposed to keep you safe. I would feel better if I was able to stick around.”
“I appreciate your concern. But I trust this guy. I’ve known him a long time. It’s not that he wouldn’t try to get one ov
er on me if he thought he could get away with it, but he knows better than to fuck with me. Also, like I said before, he gets antsy when there are fresh faces around. A girl like Shyla would give him a heart attack. I mean, just look at her. Doesn’t she make your heart race just looking at her, sleeping, vulnerable?”
Shyla’s own heart quickened as she listened to the odd conversation and waited to hear Brennan’s response. There was only a heavy silence.
“You don’t think she’s breathtaking, Brennan?” Victor prodded.
“I don’t really look at her like that, I guess.”
Shyla detected the lie in Brennan’s voice. She knew he was attracted to her. She could feel it, just as she was oddly attracted to him. It was palpable and nearly as strong as their distrust for one another. Victor must have recognized it as well, hence the questions.
She had better rein that in. She needed Victor’s full trust and engagement if she wanted to carry out this investigation.
Victor changed the subject to the shooting club. They chatted another few minutes then he took his seat next to her. She squirmed and yawned. She prepared for landing. It was sure to be bumpy.
*
The Shannon was exquisite; a luxurious home built with excellent craftsmanship, furnished with lush furniture, rich in deep reds and gold. It was small but so comfortable and cozy that one would forget they were floating at sea.
Shyla knew the weekend would pass painfully slowly as she anxiously awaited Sunday. She was desperate to get a look at this Cougar fellow. And now that she knew she would be unable to stick around for the actual meeting, she was glad that she had brought the small recording device. At least that way, she would be able to hear the exchange later on. Who knew, maybe it would lead to the hard evidence they’d been waiting for.
Later that evening, Shyla stood on deck and watched the sunset cast primrose pinks and scarlet reds across the horizon. Victor sneaked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, whispering into her ear.