Chapter Thirteen
Charlie
I didn’t know what to say. It was an impossible decision. Joe represented temptation and hope, the FBI represented, what? Incompetence, safety or a new life? I didn’t want a new life. I liked my life. Yet a small part of me was tempted by the idea of starting over with a new identity, but my demons lived in my memories so no amount of distance would set me free.
“So exactly what are we doing? What’s your plan?” I fixed my gaze on Joe.
He grinned and stole my breath with a simple smile. Joe was sexy with the broody biker look, but when he smiled he melted all my resistance, and it was mighty.
“We don’t die.” He leaned back in his seat, a smug expression on his face.
“More details?” He infuriated me, but I kept a civil tone.
“I don’t have them. We go to your place, stay until they attack it, and improvise. That’s the battle plan.” He shrugged and looked at the other two guys. “You have anything to add?”
“Sounds as good as anything.” Tom grinned at me. “You’re defending, not much planning you can do.”
“Are you sure you won’t choose the FBI? They’ll have a plan.” Captain Danvers lifted his eyebrow.
“One that gets me killed.” I sighed. “Or erased. So we go with Joe’s plan, or lack of one.”
A doctor walked into the waiting room. “Family for Brie Devough.”
We stood as a group and moved forward. “I’m her captain, she’s on the police force. Her family is still traveling here.”
I didn’t even think about calling her family, who lived in Dallas and would want to be here. My brain had quit working after the ambush, and I didn’t know if it’d ever reset.
The doctor stared at us. “Since this is official business, I will tell you she is out of surgery and resting. She should be able to have visitors in an hour, once she’s in her room.”
“Did the surgery go okay?” Tom asked in a halting voice.
“Yes, she’ll make a full recovery with some physical therapy.” The doctor smiled. “I really can’t say more.”
Tom grinned wide. “A full recovery. Thank God.”
Joe gripped his shoulder. “I told you in and out, your girl will be giving you hell in no time.” He glanced over at me. “We need to go, now.”
Who did he think he was? No one told me what to do. “I’m seeing Brie. End of discussion.” I crossed my arms.
“You two together make a tempting target. You want that?” He crossed his arms, mirroring me.
I hadn’t thought about that angle. Dammit. Why was he always right? He irritated me just standing there. How would I live with him for the next few days or weeks? The better question—how to resist him. I feared I wouldn’t be able to, or want to. My sci-fi geekdom raised its head. “Resistance is futile.” My dad still loved Star Trek, and I’d always be a Trekkie.
Shit, my parents. The news would be reporting on this.
“Did you tell Dad?” I glanced over at Captain Danvers. Dad was retired but still connected to everyone in the department.
He nodded. “He called me when Dispatch reported an officer down. He knows you’re okay. I told him you’d be here until morning.”
“I need to regroup. Let’s go.” I started for the door. Joe fell in step beside me.
“Pine,” Captain Danvers called.
I turned to look at him.
“You’re on paid leave until this is sorted out. I’ll send an officer by tomorrow for a statement.”
I hated to be sidelined, but then staying alive might be challenging enough. Besides, I couldn’t put my coworkers or family in jeopardy. “Got it. Do you have patrols watching my parents’ place?”
“Yup, and your brothers’ houses too. Not that they liked it much.” Captain grinned at me. “They all want to be assigned to your protection detail, though.”
I wouldn’t forgive myself if my family were hurt; they needed to protect each other. I had Joe.
He didn’t speak as we walked through the muggy summer night. What was in it for him? Why had he been shadowing me? He’d never answered my question. I needed to figure that out, but I’d wait to confront him when the world didn’t feel like it was speeding past me while I moved in slow motion.
We buckled up in his Escalade and headed out of OU Med Center. Thankfully I lived close by. “I live at—”
“I know where you live, I’ve been tailing you.” He grinned over at me. “I know a lot about you.”
What had I done these past two weeks? And how come I hadn’t noticed this black beast hanging around me for days? Some cop I was, I couldn’t even spot a tail by a civilian.
“Stop fretting.”
“I don’t fret.” I glared over at him. “How come I didn’t spot you?”
“Used three different vehicles, and I had help for several days. Also, I put a tracker on your vehicle so I wouldn’t lose you.” Joe drove down the street in the direction of my town house, only about ten minutes away.
“Do you have a code for your garage?” He idled in my drive. “I’d like your place to look like it always does.”
I opened my door.
“Shut the damn door and stay in here,” he growled. “You don’t know if a sniper is waiting to take you out. Give me the code.”
I rolled my eyes but gave him the code. No one shot him as he opened my single car garage and wedged the SUV into the space. He’d only let me get out once the garage door closed, then he had me cover him as we checked each room. All clear.
“The bomb squad cleared the place an hour or so ago, so we are as safe as we can be in the open.” He opened my fridge. “This all needs real cooking. I’ll call for pizza. Who delivers?”
I wasn’t hungry. I just wanted a shower and to crawl in bed and sleep. “Pepe’s delivers or Pizza Hut if you like that stuff.”
“Pepe’s it is.” His gaze traveled up me and back down before those eyes turned velvet soft. “You look like hell.”
“Thanks,” I scoffed. “I’m hitting the shower. You?”
“Eat pizza, sleep on the couch, protect you, not necessarily in that order.” He lifted a shoulder. “Go on, before you fall over.”
With a single nod, I trudged upstairs to my room and the shower. “There are pillows and covers in the upstairs hallway closet,” I called down the steps.
“Thanks. See you in the morning.”
I didn’t turn around. I was too damn tired. And if I hoped to get any sleep I’d have to forget about the entirely too sexy and too available man on my sofa.
I undressed, jumped into the shower and let the hot water scald my skin, but it didn’t wash away the night. The scene on Hudson replayed in my mind. Pinned down, nowhere to go, the replay slowed as each bullet came closer and closer to me. Brie bled out beside me, the pool of blood grew bigger and bigger—nothing I could do. If I stopped shooting, we’d both be dead.
The sun broke through and Joe fired, and the SUV careened away. The sun reflected off his tan skin and to me he’d looked like some Wild West gunslinger saving the day. No carefree smile graced his face, but the serious lines of his face only made him more attractive.
Then his gaze flicked from me to Brie and the world sped up to fast-forward. Fear and adrenaline had flooded me, I’d had to fight past it to act, but Joe had beat me to it, already on the phone to 911. Despite my years of training, I’d not been prepared for the reality of the firefight. Unlike him. He’d been everything I hoped to be. I’d failed, but I was alive to fight another day.
I let the water beat down on me and shut down my mind. Easier said than done, but every time the memory reel started, I blanked it and tried to just float in the moment. The moments became longer, and a semblance of peace surrounded me.
When I’d exhausted my hot water supply, I stepped out and went through my nighttime routine. Hair brushed, moisturizer on, then I threw on a comfy college T-shirt. Go Aggies. And crawled into my bed, exhausted. I stared up into the dark, sure I wouldn’t sleep. I closed my eyes and willed my memories to stay quiet.
The blood began as a trickle. I pressed the jacket into Brie’s wound. The harder I pressed the more blood oozed from the wound. Dark crimson liquid ran from my best friend.
“No, stop!” I shouted. No matter what I did, Brie’s blood ran from her, now like water from the tap, it surrounded us, covering me.
Brie convulsed, her eyes flew open, staring straight ahead, but seeing nothing. Dead. The blood finally stopped. Too late. It surrounded me, smothering me. I struggled to stay atop the metallic smelling liquid, but it thickened, sucking me under, taking me down, just like it had Brie.
“No.” I struggled to hold my nose above the surface, taking my last free breath.
I woke with hands on me. My fist connected with a thunk.
“Fuck.” A male voice groaned. “Charlie, it’s me.”
Marcone. Joe. I’d clocked him. I opened my eyes to see him rubbing his cheek.
“That’ll leave a mark.” He examined me. “You were shouting. Bad dream?”
“Yeah.” I sat up and ran a hand over my still damp hair. “Too real.” I picked up the water bottle I kept beside my bed and drained it. The crackle of the flimsy plastic and the thud of my heart in my ears were the only sounds in my bedroom.
But Joe was there. Big, real, stealing my oxygen and replacing it with his unique scent—clean with a splash of spice. Whatever cologne he wore smelled wonderful. I wanted to lick his neck, curl up in his arms and let him chase away the memories stalking me.
I considered how I’d spend the rest of the night. Joe tempted me, but I’d regret it in the morning.
Or maybe not. I couldn’t get the kiss out of my mind. No one had made me feel so much with one touch of lips to lips. Not even Jensen.
If I wanted to respect myself tomorrow, I had to make it through on my own. I didn’t lean on random men, especially Joe. A man so different from me, and one I barely knew.
His dark eyes took everything in but never judged. Everyone judged in my business, but I’d never seen even the slightest opinion behind his coffee-colored gaze.
“Lay down.” He patted the bed.
The low rumble of his voice sent my nerves dancing low in my stomach. I forced myself to be strong. “That’s not happening.” My voice wasn’t full of conviction, like I’d hoped, but at least I hadn’t begged him to make me forget.
His lips quirked up in a lopsided grin. “I swear I won’t try anything, Boy Scout’s promise.”
I held his gaze. “You don’t seem like Boy Scout material.”
He chuckled and my body responded.
“I swear on my sister, I’ll just lay here. Be here, for you.” The mirth left his face. This meant something to him. Immediately a half dozen questions jumped to mind. Why did he look so sad? Where was his sister? Did he have other siblings?
“Okay.” The word barely made a noise as I pushed it past the lump of emotion clogging my throat. The day’s events had robbed me of so much—my peace of mind, my safety and now my voice. Tomorrow I’d be strong enough to fight back.
I lay in bed, my back to the man in my bed. There hadn’t been a man in my bed in almost three years. Jensen. What would he think of my actions? He’d been brave, foolhardy in his bravery, and he’d lost his life when he’d rushed into the situation without backup. Was I being foolish now? Should I leave town? Let someone else take the risks?
Joe’s hand on my back startled me out of my heavy thoughts. The light circling touch calmed me. I inhaled his scent, and let the worry slide away when I breathed out. I blanked my mind and repeated my deep, slow breaths. Each one calming me a bit more. Jensen faded. The day faded. Only Joe remained.