When Norah walked through the doorway of Hewitt and Hewitt, her mouth fell open. The foyer was larger than her apartment building, and the floors were a shiny tan tile with white walls to complement. A long white desk spanned over half of the bottom floor, and seated behind it were three gorgeous blondes. Not what she expected for the office of mercenaries, which she had decided was basically what Harley was.

The blondes answered phone call after phone call, and each had a fake smile plastered on her beautiful face. She tried to bite back the strange jealousy she felt when their smiles turned genuine in Harley’s direction.

Norah forced herself to refocus, and turned her attention back on the room. Windows lined the walls, letting in a natural light that seemed to bathe the lobby. It was calmer than she had expected. She had expected, she admitted to herself, a dark, dreary room with one-way interrogation windows and jail cells.

“They have brochures with pictures over there,” Harley said, a smug smile on his face. He looked genuinely amused and more relaxed than she had seen him in their short time together.

“It’s just so large, so open. I hadn’t been expecting it.”

“You expected jail cells?”

“Something like that.”

Harley laughed softly and then turned to the tall man in the security uniform. “We’re here to see Tom.

The man nodded. “Head on back, he’s expecting you.”

Norah followed Harley, a sinking feeling setting in when she walked out of the large, open area and into a hallway that felt more like a tunnel. She pushed the feeling aside and continued to follow Harley, moving close enough to him that when he stopped in front of a door, she ran into him.

“You okay?” He turned and steadied her with hands on her shoulders. Heat pushed through the chill where he touched, and she didn’t want him to let go.

“Yes, sorry. I just didn’t want to get lost. This place is like a maze.”

“No problem. I’ll be with you the whole time, okay? Everything will be fine, Miss McNamara. Tom will know what to do.”

“Please just call me Norah.” She wasn’t sure why it mattered all of a sudden, but she wanted to hear him say her name. She wanted to feel as if she mattered to him, she realized.

“Norah,” he said softly. “Everything will be all right.”

She nodded and he pushed open the door. The man that stood just inside was large, intimidating, and she felt a twinge of recognition just as she had with the two men who broke into her apartment.

“Harley.” A tall, slim man with a voice deeper than she would have expected stood from behind a lavish desk and opened his arms to embrace Harley. “It’s nice to see you, and even nicer to see you, Miss McNamara. Your pictures don’t do you justice. I’m Tom Hewitt. I’m sure Harley here has told you all about me.”

“Nice to meet you.” She almost whispered it and scooted closer to Harley.

Her instincts were telling her to run, and run fast. She wasn’t sure why she was so comfortable around Harley, but she knew with every fiber in her soul he wouldn’t hurt her. She couldn’t say the same for the other two men in this room.

“I am afraid you will have to wait outside, Miss McNamara,” Tom said easily, and he angled his head at the other man.

“Tom, with all due respect, I would prefer for Miss McNamara to stay with me. I want to ensure she is safe.”

“Who will hurt her here, Harley? This is the safest possible place for her right now.” He laughed a little and gestured again to the man by the door. A man that Norah now realized she had seen before. With Clayton. She backed towards the nearest wall to place herself between it and Harley.

“Norah, what’s wrong?” Harley looked at her with confusion. When he saw the fear in her eyes, he moved to stand directly in front of her. “Tom, I think it’s best if your guard waits outside. He seems to have scared Miss McNamara, and I think we can both agree she has been through enough already.”

“You know, Harley, I always liked you.” Tom’s voice took on a chill as he walked around the edge of his desk and pulled out a cigar. “You amused me as a boy, and when you became a cop I began to notice that you had a hell of a detective’s nose on you. I should have realized early on that you were bound to stick it somewhere it didn’t belong.” He drew out a clipper and sliced off the end of his cigar. “It was only a matter of time.”

The door opened, and the man that had been guarding it grabbed Norah around the wrist and hauled her away from Harley.

“Harley!” she screamed as he pulled her back through the door.

Harley spun to grab her, but a guard that had been hiding in the shadows outside of the door charged him. His fist caught Harley in the chin and dazed him. He rebounded quickly and kicked him in the stomach.

It barely fazed the guard, and he had Harley on the ground in a matter of seconds. He could hear Norah screaming and he knew he had to get to her fast. He pushed the rage and confusion at the betrayal to the corners of his mind, knowing it would only cause him to make stupid mistakes. One of them had already cost him Norah, and he had to get her back.

“I had really been hoping it wouldn’t come to this, Harley, but unfortunately you have been causing me more trouble than you are worth.” Tom lit the end of his cigar and blew out a large puff of smoke into Harley’s eyes as he knelt on the ground in front of him.

“Why are you doing this?” Part of the betrayal forced its way to the surface. He couldn’t believe that this man, one whom he had known ever since he could remember, had betrayed him.

“You see, Harley, being a good businessman means that you have to be able to adapt to changes. I am simply adapting to a change in power. It sure is a shame you won’t understand that. You would have made a very valuable asset to my team.”

Tom stood and looked down at the guard who had his knee pressed into Harley’s back.

“Kill him, have your brother bring me the girl. I’ll be waiting in the car. Don’t make me wait long,” he warned.

The guard smiled down at Harley as if pleased with the order. He lifted Harley by the throat so his feet were inches from the ground. What was this guard on? He wondered. He fought for air as Norah fought her own battle down the hall.

---

“LET ME GO!” she screamed as she tried to claw at the guard’s hands that were still secured around her wrist. “Harley! Help!” she screamed again.

“Your boy toy can’t hear you now.” He grinned at her. “He probably can’t hear much of anything anymore.”

“No.”

“Oh yes.” He nodded and continued pulling her down the hall.

Was he telling the truth? Was Harley dead? He couldn’t be. He was going to come in and save her, wasn’t he?

“Please let me go,” she cried again. “I don’t know anything, I swear!” Tears began streaming down her face.

“Shut up, bitch.” The guard growled at her and pulled the door open to a small room. He threw her into it and she came into contact with the wall. She crumpled to the ground, stunned.

“Please just let me go,” she pleaded again, knowing it wouldn’t go anywhere, but she wanted to keep the door open long enough for Harley to find her. He has to find me.

Her already torn gown was now barely clinging to her skin, and she had to hold the top to keep her bra from being exposed.

The guard laughed and gripped her up by the throat, slamming her into an old mattress in the corner. “Shall we have some fun?” He followed her and started to remove his shirt. Fear filled her mind—she knew what he planned to do. As her eyes frantically searched for anything that could be used as a weapon, she prayed for a miracle.

---

HARLEY WAS QUICKLY losing the fight. The guard was easily twice his size, and he was damn near out of breath. His eyes caught the glint of light off the guard’s eyebrows and he noticed the rings piercing his skin. Using the last of his strength, he pushed past the guard’s defenses and ripped one out. The guard screamed and released Harley, and he tumbled to the floor.

He recovered quickly, thinking of Norah, and ran to Tom’s desk. There had to be a gun somewhere. The guard stood, and the look of pleasure he once wore when he was dangling Harley by the throat was gone, replaced with something that sent shivers up Harley’s spine. He had better find that damn gun.

The guard lunged for him, and Harley’s hand closed around the butt of the revolver Tom had always kept in his drawer. Tom had always been paranoid. He brought it eye level and pulled the trigger.

---

NORAH SAW A pipe sticking out from behind the corner of the mattress and she started to crawl towards it. It was the only thing in the room except for her and the large guard, and she damn well intended on using it. She had never physically hurt anyone, but she knew where it hurt to be hit.

A gunshot sounded, and she hesitated just long enough for the guard’s hand to close around her ankle. She screamed, trying to kick herself free, but the guard had a grip and was trying to drag her under his now naked body.

“Help!” she screamed, tears clogging her vision. She fought with everything she had left and screamed again when she heard another, much closer gunshot. The guard fell next to her onto the mattress, and she stared at him with a mixture of relief and horror as blood poured from a wound in his head.

She felt Harley’s hands on her arms as he lifted her off the mattress and cradled her against his chest. She sobbed into his shoulder and he wrapped his free arm around her.

---

“Oh, dear God, Norah. I'm so sorry, I had no idea he was a traitor. You are safe now. Shhh, it’s okay, I’m here.” He stroked her hair and back. He had nearly lost his damn mind when he had seen the guard’s large body over her. Harley had almost been too late, and wished he had possessed the time needed to rip apart the guard with his bare hands. Maybe castrate the asshole.

Son of a bitch, he thought to himself, what the hell had he been a part of by working with Hewitt and Hewitt?

“Come on, Norah, we have to go.”

She nodded absentmindedly and he pulled her down a hallway towards a stairwell. He knew it led down to the parking garage, but he also knew Tom would have had the car pulled around to the alley behind the office.

They snuck across the lot, and, leaving his car there, hot-wired another and then sped out into the daylight. They drove in silence for hours, putting as much distance between them and Seattle as they possibly could. He knew Tom had eyes everywhere in the city, and he needed to make sure they were safe while he figured out what the hell to do.

What in the hell are we going to do? Tom had been who he had counted on directing them to the next step, and the bastard had turned on them. He could only imagine he had been working for Matthews all along. He thought back to when the case first crossed his desk.

Tom had done everything he could to try and convince Harley it was a dead end. “Focus on something else, son,” he had told him. Harley’s hands clenched the wheel. He had trusted him, had believed that he was a good, honest man. He shook his head and pulled into a bus stop in some small town in the middle of nowhere. He hadn’t even been paying attention to where they were going; his only thought was to get Norah as far away from danger as possible.

He put the car in park and then turned to look at her. Her face was pale, her eyes wide and red from crying.

“Norah, are you hurt?” He looked around through the windows, wanting to make sure they were not followed into the parking lot. He had checked while they had been driving, but you could never be too careful. He wanted to ask her now, when he could see her eyes.

“No. I-I think I’m okay. My dress, I saved for this dress,” she said, her eyes filling again. “I took on a part-time job at a clothing store but didn’t tell Clayton. He never would have let me do it, and I wanted to buy it for myself so I would own something that Clayton hadn’t paid for.” She smoothed out the tattered gown and then let it fall, exposing a strapless bra. “And now I just want to get the fucking thing off!” she yelled, and buried her head in her hands.

Harley hit the steering wheel. Why had he taken her there? He should have dropped her off at the safe house like he had planned. Or seen the damn signs that he now saw clearly, and realized Tom was a fucking asshole.

“I should never have taken you there. I’m so sorry, Norah.” He hit the steering wheel again. “How could he do this? Dammit!”

Norah put her hand gently on his arm, a bold move that surprised both of them.

“You didn’t know. I don’t blame you for trusting someone, and you saved my life, Harley. Three times now.”

He looked into her eyes and saw what he had wanted to see since the moment he laid eyes on her. Trust. She finally trusted him. He only hoped that once he told her what he had to say, she would still have that same look in her eyes. He would be as gentle as possible, but it was well past time she knew.

“Norah, there are some things I need to tell you.”

She stilled and stared at him. “What?”

“There’s a reason I was at that banquet, and it had nothing to do with the charity. I have been tracking a man over the last two years who is the head of one of the larges crime organizations in the state and quite possibly the nation. I tracked him to that dinner.”

Her eyes widened. “Who?”

“Clayton Matthews.”

“That’s not possible. Clayton was a good man.”

“He hurt you.”

“That was different. Clayton helped hundreds of people start better lives. What could you possibly think he had been guilty of?”

He ignored her question. “Did you ever see him interact with anyone who didn’t quite fit in with his normal crowd? Any increase in funds while you were together?”

“No.” She thought for a minute and her brows drew together. “He inherited his money and spent most of it throwing charity banquets and supporting local shelters. He would assist struggling families with foreclosure or medical bills. I helped him locate those who needed help through my contacts at the shelters I worked with.”

Harley doubted she realized she just implicated herself with his scheme. He even doubted she had been privy to any of the information about what Matthews really did.

“There were a few men he spent time with that looked like they belonged to the mob or something,” she continued, “but I always figured they were part of his security team.”

He looked at her confused, so she added, “We had a lot of threats due to the women’s shelter we had recently opened. Jealous exes and abusive fathers, people insisting we tell them the shelter’s location. Just what was he involved in?”

“It may be hard to believe at first.” He sat across from her and took a drink from his own mug. “Your fiancé was involved in a large under-the-table organization that loaned money to those that needed it, focusing on those with medical bills and failing businesses.” He paused cautiously, wanting to gauge her reaction at the next part. “When they couldn’t repay him, either by giving him back the money plus interest, or they weren’t able to or willing to complete the tasks he gave them, he sent men in to clean up the mess.” He watched her face for any sign of recognition, but found none.

“What do you mean, clean up the mess?”

Like ripping off a Band-Aid, he thought to himself, and decided to abandon his original plan of being gentle. It might have been a dick-headed move on his part, but he needed to get to the bottom of what was going on, and there wasn’t time for feelings. She was going to find out anyways.

“He sent men in to kill the families of those who borrowed from him. Or had them held for ransom until they paid the debt in full.” He watched her eyes widen in disbelief and horror.

“T-That’s just not p-possible,” she stammered. “Clayton had a temper, but he wouldn’t hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it.”

“You didn’t deserve it,” he growled. It was time she started seeing the truth for what it was. The man had been a piece of shit, a murdering son of a bitch.

“That was different.” She rubbed a finger over the bruise. “I argued with him over something stupid, trivial.”

“Doesn’t give him the right, Norah. It’s important that you tell me everything you know. You may not even realize it, but he may have told you something. Or perhaps you saw something without registering its importance. Anything at all, Norah.”

“I don’t know anything.”

“You were with him for two years. You had to have seen something. Do you seriously expect me to believe that you two spent that much time together and you know nothing? Even pillow talk would come in handy here.” He knew his voice had an edge, but he couldn’t hold in the frustration.

Her face flushed. “Clayton and I, we didn’t have that great of a relationship.” She paused, and he saw the tears in her eyes. “I was more of a prize for him. A way for him to show how much he cared about people. He was going to marry a girl who grew up on the streets and in the same shelters he supported.” She looked down at her feet. “We never even,” she paused again and wiped a tear that had begun to fall, “we didn’t have a physical relationship.”

Harley leaned back in his chair and folded his arms as the weight of what she had just told him sunk in. They had never had sex? In two years? Was she serious? One look at the embarrassment on her face and he knew she had been telling the truth. He had definitely not seen that coming.

He hated to admit it, but the man in him was glad that she hadn’t been with Matthews. He knew he didn’t have a right to feel that way, but there it was. The bastard hadn’t deserved her anyways, but he knew enough to know that when a woman was with a man for as long as they had been together and he never touched her, she would start to feel unworthy, self-conscious, and that in itself could cause all sorts of other emotional issues.

“I didn’t even stay with him.” She said it so quietly that he almost missed it. “I was always at my apartment. Not once did he ever come to my place.” She laughed angrily, and when she looked up, Harley saw the fire behind the tears in her eyes. “We were supposed to get married and he hadn’t ever even seen the inside of my apartment! Bastard!”

She yelled this time, and Harley was relieved to see that she seemed to be moving on past the shock of the recent events.

“I only saw the men because they stopped us outside of a children’s benefit last month. Clayton made me leave before they spoke about anything.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Am I a bad person for not being more upset, seeing as how the man I was going to spend the rest of my life with is dead?” She took a deep breath in and the fire smoldered.

“Not at all. He was a bastard.” The simplicity of his statement made her smile, and the sight was so beautiful Harley had to look away to keep from staring.

“So what are we doing here?” she asked as she looked around.

“Going to take a trip to see an old friend of mine.”

“Old friend?”

“He’s a good man, Norah, I promise. I wouldn’t risk you again. Stay here, I’ll be right back.”

Once Harley climbed out of the car, Norah locked the doors. The level of anxiety she felt without him by her side both worried and intrigued her. How had she become so dependent on him in a matter of hours? Easy answer, she supposed. He had saved her life three times now.

She watched as he walked to the kiosk of the bus station, and then unlocked the doors when he turned to come back to the car.

“Next bus isn’t until eight tonight, but there’s a diner down the street. You hungry?”

“Starving, but not sure I’m appropriate for public.” She gestured to her gown.

“Let’s see what I can do about that.” He walked to the back of the car and she heard the trunk open. “Will this work?” He handed her a black jacket. Norah put it on and smiled. It must have belonged to one of those flirty blondes, because it was both tiny and expensive.

“Looks good as new.” He zipped the jacket up and then wrapped his arm around her. “Blending in,” he said, and Norah noticed his jaw had tightened.

She couldn’t help the disappointment she felt at the look on his face. She could tell he was not happy that he was touching her. What was so wrong with her that he was uncomfortable to be seen with his arm wrapped around her? Could it have been the same reason Clayton hadn’t ever been attracted to her?

Norah shrugged out from under his arm and walked into the diner. The scents of food wafted over her and made her stomach growl. She followed Harley over to a corner booth and slid in on the side facing the door. Harley slid in next to her and she eyed him, irritated.

“I don’t want my back to the door.”

“So let me out and I’ll sit over there.”

“Don’t want to sit by me?” he taunted.

“Just about as much as you wanted to have your arm around my shoulders.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Hi, how are you two doing tonight?” A woman who Norah guessed was in her mid-fifties brought over two menus. “Can I start you two with some coffee?”

“Yes, please.” Norah smiled softly.

“Sounds good, thanks.”

The woman walked away and Harley opened a menu.

“What are you going to have?”

Norah stared at him. Was this the same man who only minutes before had looked disgusted because he had been touching her?

“Harley I can sit over there.” She pointed, and he shook his head.

“Not necessary.”

When he didn’t budge, Norah picked up a menu. She was starving, and refused to let his attitude interfere with getting some food.

---

Harley focused on the menu. He knew what he was having, but he continued to read because it was easier than looking at the woman sitting next to him. He had no doubt she had mistaken the look on his face for irritation towards her. What she failed to realize was that it was himself he was irritated with. He had no business being attracted to her, and yet here he was, sitting next to her in the booth, too damn stubborn to let her get up and move. Why? Because he liked being next to her.

After what had almost happened at her apartment and then immediately after with Tom, Harley had no intention of letting her out of his sight until this whole mess was all over. If he was lucky, he would manage to get away from her before things got too messy. That is, if they weren’t already.

“Here you go.” The woman set the coffees down in front of them and Norah practically wept and kissed her hand. “Know what you’re having?”

“Norah?”

She was surprised he had let her go first. Not only had Clayton never let her go first, but he very rarely ever let her even order for herself.

“Sorry.” She smiled. “I’ll have the short stack, extra crispy bacon and eggs over medium. Double bacon please, and can I have some hash browns on the side?”

“Got it.” The woman smiled and then looked to Harley, who was still staring at Norah.

“I’ll have the same.”

“You got it, handsome.” She winked at him and walked away.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“I’m just impressed.”

“Impressed with what.”

“You’re appetite. Anytime I’ve ever eaten with a woman, she orders like a bird and then barely even touches that.”

“Sounds like you’ve been eating with the wrong kind of woman,” she said, and took a sip from her coffee.

“Seems that way.” He did the same and then turned back to her. “I’m sorry if I offended you earlier. I didn’t mean anything by it. Everything just has me on edge, and I’m trying to keep anything else from happening to you.”

“Well, treating me as if you can’t stand the touch of me is definitely not the way to go about it.” Harley nearly choked on his coffee.

“That’s what you’re bent out of shape about? You think I didn’t want my arm around you?”

When she nodded, he let out a short laugh. “Oh, Norah, that’s not it at all. I knew you were annoyed, but I thought it was because you thought I was irritated at you.”

“For what? What could I have possibly done to cause you to be irritated at me?”

“How about nearly getting me killed?”

Norah started to blow up at him until she saw the humor in his eyes. Her anger deflated, and she smiled at him.

“You’re kind of an ass, aren’t you?”

“I’ve been called worse.”

“Well, I’m glad you aren’t disgusted by me, at least.”

“Why is that?”

“Because it would make working together difficult.”

“Together?”

“Yes. I’m going to help you bring down Clayton’s organization.”

“Well, all right, then.” He clinked his mug to hers. “To working together.”

Norah clinked and took a drink from her coffee. She was surprised he didn’t argue with her. She had been prepared to point out that seeing as they didn’t know who they could trust, he was stuck with her. But it appeared he was okay with it without the argument.

“Your forehead looks like it hurts.” She winced when he touched it.

“Yeah, it doesn’t feel great. But the bleeding seems to have stopped.”

He looked away from her and she turned her attention back to her coffee.

When their steaming dinners showed up, Norah nearly let out a groan. She certainly was not a bird, and she was going to absolutely eat every last bite.

---

AN HOUR LATER, Harley gripped her hand and led her to two seats towards the back of the bus. He took the aisle and she sat by the window. Every move he made he was guarding her, shielding her with his body from any threats that might show up. Norah appreciated the gesture and leaned against him once they were settled.

His arm came around her shoulders, and had she not been so exhausted, she might have smiled. Anyone looking at them would see a normal couple. Seeing as how she was wearing a jacket that didn’t match the gold gown that fell to her ankles, maybe people would think they had spent the night together after some fancy cocktail party. It was strange how quickly life could turn itself upside down.

“Are you warm enough?” The engine of the bus started, and Norah nodded against Harley’s shoulders. “Are you sure?”

“I’m fine now, Harley, thank you.”

The lights in the bus dimmed slightly and Norah yawned. That coffee had done nothing to help her energy, and she felt her eyelids growing heavy. She leaned back against Harley and closed her eyes in surrender.

Once she had fallen asleep, Harley tucked her closer into him. Tom’s betrayal began to sink in, and Harley had to fight the urge to leave Norah on the bus and go wring the asshole’s neck. How had he not seen it coming? Had his father known the kind of man Tom was? Surely his dad hadn’t known, or he would have turned him in. Jackson Andrews had been the most honest man Harley had ever known, and he had modeled his own life after that of the one his father had led.

One betrayal at a time. He refused to believe anything bad about his father; he knew the man who had raised him couldn’t have possibly known anything about Tom. It just wasn’t possible.

Harley looked down at Norah and brushed a light strand of hair out of her face.

“What happened to your forehead?” Harley looked across the aisle at an elderly woman who looked to be about in her eighties. She handed him a Kleenex and pointed to one of the injuries Tom’s man had given him. “You’re bleeding.”

“Thanks.” He took it and dabbed at his head. He hadn’t realized it had started bleeding again. “We were headed back from out of town and got into an accident.” He kissed Norah on the top of her head in a gesture he told himself was more for the old woman rather than himself.

“You both all right?” Genuine concern crossed her face, and Harley nodded.

“We are, and that’s all that matters.”

“Didn’t go to the hospital?”

“We just let the police handle the car. We wanted to get home,” he lied. “It’s been a long night. I didn’t even realize I was still bleeding.”

“She’s beautiful.” The woman smiled. Harley smiled gently back.

“She absolutely is.”

“You two have an exciting night?” She winked and gestured to Norah’s cocktail dress. “Other than the accident, of course.”

“You could definitely say that. We went to a party last night and stayed out of town. An impromptu date night.”

“You didn’t drink and drive, did you?” the woman lightly scolded him, and Harley laughed softly.

“Absolutely not, ma’am. That is one of those things I am one hundred percent against.”

“Good boy.” She reached over and touched his hand.

“You are a lucky man, and she is a lucky woman. To have a man look at you the way you look at her is such a gift. I should know; I was married nearly eighty years before my husband passed.”

Harley nodded sympathetically but changed the subject. He wasn’t ready to address his quickly growing feelings for Norah just yet. “Where are you headed?”

“Going to see my grandkids in Leavenworth.”

“That’s great, how many do you have?”

“Ten.” She laughed softly. “They all live locally, so it’s going to prove to be a fun week for me.”

“That’s wonderful. I hope you have a fantastic time.”

“Thank you.” She smiled. “I hope you two do as well. Maybe take her on another nice date. One that doesn’t end with you two on a bus and you talking to an old woman.”

Harley laughed. “I sure will.”

“Good.” The woman leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. Harley wondered what she was thinking of, perhaps one of her past dates with her late husband. She smiled silently and Harley turned his attention back to Norah.

---

“WHERE ARE WE?” Norah asked after they got off the crowded bus.

“Leavenworth.”

“Is this where we are staying?”

“No.” He wasn’t talking much, something Norah understood. He had been betrayed by someone he had believed could be trusted. Not just betrayed, she reminded herself, looking at the bruises and cut on his forehead. He had almost been killed.

“Come on.” He held her hand and guided her through the parking lot and onto a sidewalk.

“Where are we going?”

“To see an old friend.”

Norah didn’t say anything and continued following him.

“Look, I know what you’re thinking, but Gerry is nothing like Tom. I promise you. I wouldn’t bring you here if there were even the slightest chance he was dirty. Not after what happened earlier.”

She nodded. “I trust you, Harley.”

They stopped once they reached a small house about five minutes, she estimated, from the bus stop. Harley knocked on the door, and Norah bit back the nervousness she felt. Who would be on the other side of that door?

She had known from reading about it that Leavenworth, WA was crafted so it made you feel as if you were walking through an old German town. She had always wanted to visit, but hadn’t found the time. Guess she was finding the time now.

The small cottage was adorable and painted with bright colors. Its bright blue walls were complimented by tan shutters, and it boasted a red door. She watched as the bright door was pulled open by an older, gentle-looking man.

“Harley?”

“Hey, Gerry.”

Gerry’s eyes settled on Norah and then widened. “Come on in,” he said softly, and stepped aside.

Norah followed Harley into the living area of the cottage, which was decorated just as beautifully as the outside. A fire roared in the hearth that was framed by an intricate wood design she would be willing to bet was hand carved.

Large bookcases covered the walls and were filled with hundreds of hardback and paperback books that you could see had been read many times throughout the years.

A large mahogany couch sat across from two high-backed chairs in a deep gold. There was so much color in the décor, all warm colors, she noted.

She smelled the aroma of a freshly brewed pot of coffee and wondered if perhaps he had known they would be coming.

“Coffee?” Gerry asked as if he read her mind.

“Got anything a little stronger?” Harley asked him, and Gerry smiled knowingly. “I think I have something you might like. How bout you, Miss?”

“Norah,” she said, and gave him a light smile. “I would love some coffee, thank you, sir.”

“Please just call me Gerry.” He patted her hand lightly and turned towards the kitchen.

She couldn’t help but smile. Gerry was handsome and had a gentleness about him one would expect from a father. She wondered how he and Harley had come across each other. Had he been another of his father’s friends?

Norah wandered around the living room and saw a picture of a younger Gerry with a beautiful woman at his side.

“Gerry seems very nice,” she whispered to Harley.

“He’s great.”

“How did you two meet?”

“We met at a bar about eight years ago. I was undercover and struggling and he was an ear when I needed it.”

“Here you go, Harley,” he said handing him a glass and a bottle of whiskey. “Norah.” He handed her a mug of steaming coffee. “I wasn’t sure how you took it, but I have some cream and sugar in the back.

“Black is fine, thanks.”

She watched, worried as Harley downed his first pour quickly.

“So what’s going on?” Gerry asked, taking a seat in one of the high-backed chairs.

“Is the cottage done?” Harley asked, and sat on the seat next to his.

“It is. Been done for about a year now. I keep it fully stocked so it’s ready for ya if ya need it.”

“Thanks, Gerry. Norah and I are in a bit of trouble.”

“I figured as much.”

“Turns out my boss wasn’t who I thought he was and now they are looking to get rid of us.”

“That’s a shame.”

“You’re in danger with us being here.”

“No more than I was in yesterday, I suppose,” he said, and took a drink from his own glass of whiskey. “You know I don’t scare easily, Harley. I will help you. You worked hard to make sure I couldn’t be traced back to you, and I trust that whatever trouble you are in is not only unwarranted, but that you will take care of it by whatever means necessary.”

Harley nodded. “Can you drive us up there tonight?”

“I can.”

“I need to grab some things from the store.”

“Make me a list, I’ll go and get them for you.”

Harley nodded, and Norah watched in awe. There was a mutual respect between these two men, one that Norah had never witnessed in anyone. She took another drink from her coffee and sat back on the couch. She was still exhausted even after her nap on the bus, so she leaned back against the cushions. She could just close her eyes for a moment, she thought to herself, and set her coffee on a coaster next to her.

---

HARLEY WATCHED AS Norah slept. He had given Gerry the list of things they needed and then covered her with a blanket. He was so damn angry with himself for what had almost happened to her.

Putting aside the fact that they both could have been killed, what that guard had almost done would have been much worse than losing his own life. It was then that he realized he was willing to die for this woman. He barely knew her, and still, if it came down to it, he would throw himself in front of whatever danger came at her.

How in the world had he not seen Tom for what he was? Harley thought back to all the times he had been around him as a child. The man had always seemed kind, and his father had cared for Tom the way one would care for a brother.

Tom had grieved his father after some asshole shot and killed him during a bank robbery. The man had been killed by police during the standoff, so there was never any trial to go through. The weeks and even months afterwards had sped by, and his mother had never been the same. Tom either, it seemed. Harley refused to believe the man had always been the traitor he had proven himself to be today.

At one point he had to have been a good man. That didn’t mean Harley wouldn’t kill him if he got the chance, though. He had crossed a line, Harley thought, looking back at Norah. A line that he would never be able to uncross.

He took a deep breath and did his best to let go of all of the tension he was feeling. He needed a clear head going forward. No more distractions, Andrews, he thought to himself. Too bad the largest distraction of them all was currently sleeping on the couch across from him.

The whiskey had done little to dull the ache in his head. He poured himself another glass and drank deeply.

---

NORAH OPENED HER eyes and saw Harley. He was still sitting on the same chair he had been in before, only Gerry was gone now. She sat up and regarded him warily, wondering what he was thinking.

He turned those gray eyes on her and her heart skipped a beat.

“Sorry, I guess I passed out again.”

“It’s been a damn long day.”

“Yeah, I suppose it has.” She sat up and saw him eyeing her throat. She brushed her fingers to the bruises she knew must be there. “I’m okay, Harley.”

“Yeah.” He took another drink and then stood. She noticed the wince as he moved quickly.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.”

She stood and walked to him. She looked him over and saw that although the cut on his forehead had stopped bleeding, it was caked with dry blood. “Does Gerry have a first aid kit somewhere?” she asked him.

“I’m fine, Norah.”

Norah straightened her back at his irritated tone. “You are going to let me clean that cut on your forehead,” she said sternly, crossing her arms over her chest.

“You don’t need to.”

“I don’t care what you think I don’t need to do. I am going to clean it even if I have to knock you over the head with that bottle of whiskey and then fix whatever cut that gives you too.”

Harley laughed slightly. “I don’t need even more of a headache. Come on, my guess would be that he keeps it in the bathroom.”

She followed him into the bathroom and took the first aid kit he handed her. He sat down on the toilet lid and she went to work cleaning his head with the alcohol wipe.

Harley suddenly became very aware how close Norah was to him. He fought the sudden urge to grab her around the waist and pull her down to him. What in the hell is wrong with me? he mentally asked himself.

Not only had they just met the day before, ever since they had met they had been on the run for their lives. Not twelve hours ago they were both very nearly killed and she was almost assaulted. Now he was imagining what her full lips would taste like under his. It was the whiskey, had to be the whiskey causing this reaction. Still, would she pull away if he reached for her?

“So where did Gerry go?” she asked, thankfully interrupting his thoughts.

Harley squeezed his eyes shut so he wasn’t staring at her full chest that was straining against the stolen jacket she wore.

“He went to the store to grab the things on my list.”

“That was very nice of him.”

“He’s one of the best.”

“So you said you guys met at a bar?” she asked, putting Neosporin on his forehead.

“Yeah. I haven’t seen or spoken to him since about four years ago.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, the night I was going to—” He stopped. He really shouldn’t tell her about that night.

“Going to what?” she wondered as she put on a butterfly strip to hold his skin together.

“My father died when I was seventeen. He was shot during a bank robbery. My mother stayed focused on me and I lived with her until I was old enough to join the police academy. I worked hard, became a cop, and excelled quickly, and they had me undercover after only working about two years. I met Gerry when I was working that first undercover op.

“I saw him a few times after that whenever I would visit that bar, and we became friends, sort of. We only ever saw each other there. About four years after I met him, I found out my mother’s new boyfriend was beating her. He put her in the hospital and I was going to put him in the ground.”

Norah stilled. Not because of what he had said about his mother’s boyfriend, but because she had been on the receiving end of a beating that would have landed her in the hospital as well, only lucky for Clayton, he had hired an in-house doctor for the shelters and the good doc cared for her.

“Gerry gave me ten acres of land he owned, although not officially so it couldn’t be traced back to me. He even started the process of building me a small cottage on that land so I could go into hiding.”

“Did you kill him?”

“No, but I would have. Almost did, in fact, had it not been for a passerby. They let me go; the fucker wouldn’t press charges because he knew my mother would support me and he would end up in prison as well.”

“Is that how you started working for Tom?”

“They fired me for aggression and Tom took me on.”

His anger made even more sense now. Tom had taken him in when no one else would, and now that Tom turned out to be who he was, she imagined Harley was questioning his own personal choices.

“You aren’t like him.”

“Who?”

“Tom. You are a good man, Harley Andrews.”

“How can you say that?” he asked, standing. “I nearly killed a man four years ago, killed two men today, and very nearly got you raped because I was too blind to see my boss for who he was.”

“That man beat your mother, and having been at the end of an abuser, I would have loved to have had someone who loved me enough to risk themselves to save me. I wish I had loved myself enough to save myself. And as far as what happened earlier today, that was not your fault. You saved my life, Harley.” She gently touched the side of his face.

“I put it in danger in the first place.”

“No you didn’t, Clayton did. Besides, you fed me pancakes.”

“So all can be forgiven because I fed you?”

“Everything can be fixed with buttery, syrup-coated pancakes.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

She stood for a moment, hand on his face, staring into those steel-colored eyes. What am I feeling? she wondered. Lust? Sure, Harley was handsome. Respect? Absolutely, but could there possibly be more?

“Uh hum.” Gerry cleared his throat from the doorway and Norah dropped her hand. “Got your stuff, Harley.” He set two large bags down. “I’ll leave you two to it, then.”

“Thanks, Gerry,” Harley said, and lifted the bags. He took out a pair of scissors and handed them to her. “Sorry, Norah, you’re going to have to make some changes.”

She looked down at the scissors. She loved her hair. It might be silly, but it was something she had always been proud of. She sighed. “Can you cut it, please?” she asked, handing them back to him. “I would rather just shut my eyes and let it happen.”

His eyes widened, and he looked absolutely horrified. “I have never cut anyone’s hair before, ever.” She almost laughed as he looked back and forth between the scissors and her long hair.

“I’ll do it!” she heard Gerry yell from the other room, and he walked over. “I’ve surprisingly cut my share of hair.” He gently took the scissors. “Go on out there and finish putting your bags together, Harley. I’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks, Gerry,” he said, and bolted.

“For a man who has been shot before, he looked incredibly terrified of those scissors,” Gerry said, laughing as he studied her hair.

“He sure did,” Norah agreed. “He is a good man.”

“He definitely is,” Gerry concurred, and Norah closed her eyes as he began cutting.

“He will keep you safe, Norah. Whatever trouble you have found yourself in, trust in Harley.”

“I do,” she said as she allowed herself a peek in the mirror. She studied Gerry’s face as he focused on the task at hand. She was surprised to see that not only did he obviously know what he was doing, his hands were steady as he did it. He didn’t hesitate at all, just trimmed where he felt he needed to and continued until he was happy with it.

“What do you think?” he asked as she studied her new hair in the mirror.

“I like it.”

“You sound surprised.”

“I am. I really liked my long hair, but this is,” she searched for the word, “cute.” She smiled.

“I like to cut hair. An odd hobby for an old man to have, I suppose.” He turned and started to step out of the room. “I’ll let Harley know you’re ready. You guys can finish changing up at the cottage. Harley said he wanted to get up there as quickly as possible.”

She nodded. “Thanks, Gerry.” She stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around him. He hesitated but then hugged her back.

“You had better stop now, or we’ll make that boy jealous.” His voice was shaky and he stepped away.

Norah leaned closer to the mirror and began twisting the strands of her now short hair in her fingers. By her estimations, Gerry had cut over eighteen inches off the ends. It used to be so long that she would sit on it if she wasn’t careful. Now it was cut to just above her shoulders, and at an angle. She laughed slightly. Gerry had given her a reverse bob.

“Hey, I—” Harley stopped in the doorway and stared at her for so long she began to feel self-conscious.

“I think Gerry did a great job,” she said defensively.

“I agree, it looks really nice.” Sexy was the term he had wanted to use.

“Thank you.”

He cleared his throat. “We need to get going. The cottage has running water, so you can shower and change there.”

“I don’t have any clothes.”

“In the bag,” he said, lifting a duffle.

“Thank you.”

“Welcome. Let’s get going.”

She followed him out of the room.

“Shit, give me a second.” He grabbed a broom, dustpan, and a small bag and gathered up her hair from the floor. “I don’t want to leave any evidence we were here. Just in case.”

Norah nodded. She hadn’t thought about that. They walked out of the bathroom to see their faces plastered on the television with the word Wanted above them.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Harley said, and turned form the TV.

“Apparently the two of you shot up some charity banquet,” Gerry joked, obviously not believing a word of it.

“Oh, you mean the one we almost died at?” Norah said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “This is such bullshit!”

Both Gerry and Harley turned to stare at her.

“What?” she asked them angrily.

“Nothing,” Gerry said, and turned around as he tried to fight back a smile.

“Never heard you cuss before. Thought that was my thing,” Harley joked.

“Yeah, well, I'm tired of being bullied. Almost dying three times in the span of twenty-four hours will do that to a person.”

“We better get you two out of town,” Gerry said, and stood.

They followed him out into his garage and both sat in the back seat. They shrunk down so they wouldn’t be seen by anyone they passed on the street, and Gerry drove them out of Leavenworth.

Norah’s face was a breath away from Harley’s, and his arms were wrapped around her to keep her still as they lay on the seat. She forced herself to look away from him and tucked her face into his shoulder. She couldn’t seem to stop the way she was feeling about him, but she could at least not stare into those stormy eyes.