Chapter Six
They lay gasping for breath in a tangle of limbs. She could feel Quinn’s heart thundering against hers. Long minutes passed before either of them could speak.
Finally, he shifted his head to look at her, his gaze locking with hers. “Please tell me you’re not sorry.”
Her smile came from deep inside of her. “Not even a little bit.” Then the smile faded. “So what does that make me, falling into bed with a complete stranger?”
He traced her lips with his tongue, teasing her mouth, then he locked his gaze onto hers. His eyes had darkened to a rich ebony. “Do you believe in fate? That things happen the way they do for a reason?”
She swallowed before answering him, her heart still beating erratically. “I used to. Then fate played some very nasty tricks on me so I decided it was all a vicious rumor.”
“Me, too,” he told her. “But last night changed my mind again. I almost didn’t stop when I saw you, but my conscience—or something—kicked me in the butt. If I’d just driven on home, we wouldn’t be here together like this. I think some master puppeteer is pulling our strings, Kate. I don’t know what your story is, but I can tell you mine is far from pretty. Maybe we were sent to heal each other.”
She turned her face away, unwilling to meet his eyes. “My story would send you running for your life. You wouldn’t stick around long enough to do any healing.” Reality had suddenly reared up to smack her in the face. What in hell was she doing here? She could not involve this man, put his life in danger. “This was great, Quinn, but—”
“Great?” he exploded. “It was a damn sight more than great. Look at me.”
But she couldn’t. She’d hug the memory of the night to her for a long time, because memory was probably all she’d ever have. “Quinn, you don’t need the kind of trouble I’m dragging along with me. And I need to get out of here before you get sucked into it.”
He refused to let go of her and let her get up. Instead, he feathered kisses over her face and brushed her hair back, tucking it behind her ears.
“Listen to me.” He cupped her chin and turned her face so she was forced to meet his penetrating gaze. “I look in your eyes, and I see such terror it frightens me. No one should be that afraid of anything. You tell me your parents are dead, and you have no one. Whatever you’re running from, you can’t keep doing it alone. You’re not alone anymore. So let me help you. Please.”
Kate wanted so badly to say yes. To not be alone anymore. To have more of this with this man. She wrested her chin away and tucked her face against his broad chest, loving the feel of the soft curls against her cheek. Oh God, could she do this? If it was a mistake, it meant her life. And maybe Quinn’s.
But what they had shared was…magical. So special she couldn’t find words to describe it. And she wanted so desperately to hang onto him, to have him ‘fix’ this, so she could get her life back. With him, if it was meant to be.
“Kate?” he urged, kissing her jaw line, his warm hand cradling her still tingling breasts. “Listen to me. I’ve lived with emptiness for a long time. Suddenly, that hole inside me isn’t so big anymore. You broke down at that exact spot for a reason. I stopped for the same reason. I want to see where this thing goes, what we have together. What Fate has in store for us. But in order to do that, we have to take care of whatever’s wrong here.”
What can I lose? I can only be dead once, right?
“All right.” She touched her lips to his briefly. “But first I need a shower and coffee.”
He held her so tightly she could barely breathe. “Good. We can do that.” Then, as if repeating it to himself, “We can do that.”
****
Kate insisted on showering in the bathroom she’d used the night before.
“I want you to move your things into my room,” Quinn insisted.
“I will, but this way we can both shower at the same time.”
He hardened as images of them in his big shower danced in his mind.
As if she read his thoughts, Kate grinned. “We can save that for later.” Then her face sobered. “If you want me to tell you my story, I have to do it before my courage leaves me. So let’s be quick, okay?”
He thought about the feel of her, next to him and around him, as he lathered and rinsed. The taste of her still lingered on his tongue, a taste so exquisite, the memory of it so erotic his dick instantly swelled and he turned the water to icy cold. She was a totally unexpected intrusion, but not, it seemed, an unwelcome one. Far from it.
He wasn’t a big believer in ghosts, but he’d swear to anyone that Lisa was looking over his shoulder, telling him not to lose this opportunity. That it was time to wake up again. Join the living. God knows Jake and Nick had been after him long enough to forget about what they called “all this isolation shit” and get on with his life. But they hadn’t felt the pain he had or his keen sense of loss, the feeling that life had permanently stopped for him.
“I don’t know what I even have left to give anyone,” he said, as if Lisa could hear him. “What we had was perfect. How can you improve on that?”
“Try,” a voice whispered.
He looked around the bathroom, stunned, as if expecting to see his dead wife sitting on the edge of the bathtub.
“You’re losing it,” he muttered, but maybe it was just the sound of that high wall he’d built around himself beginning to crumble.
So. He’d find out whatever trouble Kate was in and help her take care of it. Whatever it was surely wouldn’t be any worse than what he’d been through before. For the first time in four years, he actually had a purpose. A reason to get on with his life.
Dressed in his usual black jeans and T-shirt, he started the coffee maker in the kitchen and poured two glasses of juice. He heard Kate moving around in the other bathroom, the door finally opening. When she came into the kitchen, she was still carrying her tote.
He quirked an eyebrow at her with an uneasy feeling. Was she leaving? “Going somewhere?”
She shook her head, her face pale but determined, the fear even more evident in her eyes.
“No. I have some show and tell in here. But first could I have some of that heavenly-smelling coffee?”
“And juice.” He handed her a glass.
He’d thought they’d sit at the counter on the bar stools, but it didn’t seem a place conducive to the kind of talk they were about to have, nor did the dining table. Instead, he carried their mugs into the living room area and motioned for her to follow him.
She sat gingerly on the edge of the big couch, placing the tote bag on the floor between her feet. Her hand shook slightly as she picked up her mug, but the set of her jaw told him she was going to tell him what he wanted to know.
When she did, however, even he was unprepared for the story she laid out for him.
****
Kate sipped at her coffee, taking the time to pull her thoughts together. Her body still glowed from the early morning sex. Maybe that was why, for a change, her nerves weren’t jangling like cowbells.
Sun poured in through the wide windows in the great room, casting its rays on the polished wood floor and highlighting the warm colors of the furniture. This was a house for joy, yet Quinn had obviously hidden in it with his pain. Now, she was about to dump her dirt all over it. For a moment, she thought about changing her mind.
Safe!
Out of nowhere the word jolted her.
Trust your instincts. But she’d trusted Peter and what a disaster that was.
Trust Quinn. Okay, she’d trust that inner voice and hope it didn’t land her in a grave.
Nervously, she settled herself on the couch, the tote bag with the money and the flash drive nestled between her feet. She took a long swallow of her coffee, hoping it would settle her nervous stomach.
“It’s not a nice story,” she began, “and I warn you it’s pretty bizarre. You may want to toss me back where you found me when you hear it. You may not even believe me.”
“Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it together,” he assured her, his voice calm and steadying. “Nothing much scares me anymore.”
She exhaled a long breath. “Okay. The first thing you need to know is my name’s not really Kate Griffin. It’s Kathryn Burke. But she’s a person I’ll never go back to being.”
Quinn’s fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around his mug. “And the reason?”
“Let’s start with the law firm my father and uncle founded, Burke & Associates. It all begins there.”
Staring into her coffee mug, refusing to look at his face, she laid it out for him. Choosing her words carefully. She’d thought to give him the bare bones version, but once she got started the words tumbled out, nearly falling over themselves in their haste to be heard. The law firm, Peter, her parents’ deaths, the depression she’d fallen into, and Peter seamlessly taking control of her life.
When she told him about the conversation she’d overheard, her voice shook, but she swallowed hard and got through it. She left nothing out, starting with the escape from Tampa. When she finished, her body shivering from the memory of every frightening detail, she was almost afraid to look at Quinn. She waited a long breathless moment for him to say something.
Then he reached over and pulled her against him, brushing a kiss against her forehead. “Jesus, Kate. I have to say you have a lot of guts.”
“And stupidity,” she added.
“We’re all stupid at some time, darlin’. The key is learning from it.”
He gave her a tight hug, then sat her away from him and looked directly at her face. “Let’s take one thing at a time. Okay?”
“Okay.” She’d do whatever he wanted. He wasn’t running away from her mess.
“What you did took guts. More guts than most people ever think of having. You are unbelievably brave and resourceful. There aren’t a hundred people who could have done what you did.”
“I think it was more fear than anything else,” she told him.
“But you didn’t let the fear defeat you.” He pulled her against his body. “Fate hasn’t been kind to me for a while, Kate, but I’m thinking last night was her way of making it up to me. So count on this. From now on, darlin’, you’re not alone.”
Darlin’. The word warmed her and eased some of the tension.
“I can’t believe what a fool I was about Peter.” She twisted her lips in a grimace. “I really thought he cared about me. When he insisted the doctor give me something for my so-called depression, I just idiotically kept popping pills in my mouth.” Her laugh had a touch of hysteria. “I think I was so spaced out on drugs the Unibomber could have taken over my life and I wouldn’t have noticed.”
Quinn gave her one quick squeeze and picked up his coffee mug. “Exactly how much do you know about the operation of the law firm?”
She shrugged. “Not much. My dad pretty much kept business away from the family and Peter never discussed it. Why?”
“Because there has to be a reason why he wants you dead. There’s something there they want to hide, something they’re afraid you’ll find out, and that made getting rid of you necessary. We have to find out what that is.”
“I’m telling you.” She dragged her fingers through her hair. “I never even met any of the clients. Dad was very careful to keep all of that separate. And Peter was even more secretive.”
“The first sign that something isn’t kosher,” he told her. “But that also doesn’t tell me why they’d send people to hunt you down. Not that aggressively.”
She took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Okay. I may have the answers here.” Reaching into her tote bag, she unzipped the fanny pack and took out the flash drive, holding it in the palm of her hand. She was trembling, knowing that if she’d misjudged this whole situation she was as good as dead.
Quinn looked at it. “A flash drive?”
“I heard Peter and Miguel discussing what was on it so I grabbed it as some kind of insurance or protection for myself.” She shook her head. “I haven’t even had a chance to see what’s on it.”
Quinn’s face hardened, and his eyes turned almost black. “If what you heard that night is correct, this could hold every record of the firm’s operation, whatever that is. Jesus, Kate. This thing could be dynamite. No wonder they’re after you.”
Without saying a word, she dropped it into his hand. “You take it. Maybe you’ll know what to do with it.”
“I won’t do anything to put you in danger,” he promised. “But we’ve got to figure out what what’s on here or you’ll never be safe.”
She nodded, misery gripping her. “I know.”
“First things first,” he told her. “You can’t just walk around with this. We have to lock it up until we can find out what the hell is going on.”
“But where? I can’t put it in a safety deposit box. I don’t dare trust it that far away from me.”
He rose and held out his hand. “Lucky for you, I have just the answer.”
But she resisted when he tugged at her. “I have one more thing to show you that also needs safekeeping.” Her hands shook as she took out the fanny pack and showed him its contents. His eyes narrowed, he glanced from the money to her and back to the money.
“Whose is it?” he asked, his voice flat.
“It’s mine. Honestly.” Quickly, she explained all about the deposit and the cash she’d taken out as her safety net.
And she’d made a mistake with that, wanting to increase her cushion of cash just in case. She’d found a branch of her bank on the road and cashed one last check. Stupid, stupid, stupid. That was how they’d almost caught her.
“Okay.” He stood up, pulled her into his arms, and brushed a kiss over her lips, a silent promise. Then he grinned. “No more of that or we won’t get anything done.”
In his bedroom closet, he pulled out a drawer in one of the built-in dressers to reveal a safe sunken into the floor.
“Take whatever you think you might need for walking around money. You can always get more. Whatever you buy you’ll pay cash for. I’ll put the rest in here.”
She grabbed a handful of bills before handing the rest over to Quinn, watching as he stored everything away.
“I’ll write the combination down for you,” he told her. “Memorize it and throw the paper away.”
Her head was spinning as he led her back into the kitchen. So much, so fast. So…everything. A fresh mug of hot coffee settled her nerves but only slightly.
“At least I know why Peter and his men are so anxious to find you.” Quinn reached a hand out and brushed her hair back from her face. “I know you’re scared, but I’m going to fix this.”
“How?” she cried, fear slamming back into her. “You keep saying that, but what if you can’t?”
“I’ve been around the block a few times, darlin’.” He gave her a half-smile. “I’m not without resources.”
The knot in her stomach began to loosen, but then something else occurred to her. “Resources? What do you mean? You can’t tell anyone about this. About me. Please. Promise me.”
He took both of her hands in his, squeezing them gently. “I promise you that I won’t put you in any danger. Can you trust me on that?”
Well, dummy, you dumped your whole story on him and he didn’t run to the phone and call Peter. Haven’t you already made that decision?
She nodded. “I—Yes. I do. I will.”
“Good.” He brushed his lips over hers. I promise you I’m not going to let you down.”
“So where does that leave us?” she asked.
“Right now, we’re going to see about your car. Then I’m going to call a man who’s my closest friend in the world.”
She tensed. “But I said—”
“And I said to trust me. Okay? Kate. Darlin’. We can’t do this by ourselves. We need information that I can’t get without tapping into some connections. The first thing to do is find out if that law firm is on anyone’s watch list. I can do that very cautiously.”
“But—”
“I trust this person completely. If you look in the dictionary under ‘honest,’ you’ll see his picture. Let me talk to him. Please, Kate. We need to get a handle on what’s happening. If we’re dealing with a big organization here, he’ll know about it or at least be able to find information for me. And maybe give us some help.”
Kate sighed and nodded. She hadn’t thought he’d believe her, and now he was willing to stick his neck out for her. The sudden feeling of relief made her weak.
“This is all so insane,” she said, trying to hold onto her control.
“Maybe we both need a little insanity in our lives.” He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs, the roughened pads sliding over her skin. A single tear plopped onto his knuckles. “Don’t cry, Kate. Whatever it turns out to be, I’ll make it right. I promise.”
She’d thought she was done with crying, but more tears were gathering, ready to cascade down her cheeks. “What if you can’t?”
“I used to think there were some things so bad they could never get better. I’ve told myself that every day for the last four years.” For a moment, a faraway look flashed in his eyes. “Then you fell into my life, and suddenly I thought I had a chance again. No matter how bad this is or what you’ve done or who’s after you, it will be okay. I promise. We’ll handle it together, and I’ll keep you safe.”
She wiped away what she hoped was the last of her tears. Leaning into his chest, she could only think how secure he made her feel. For the first time in days, she actually began to hope. Reaching up one hand, she touched his cheek. “Thank you. For…everything.”
“Everything?” he grinned.
“Yes.” She felt herself blushing and lowered her eyes. “You were pretty amazing.”
“You get at least half the credit.” He pulled her in for one last hug, then swatted her rear lightly. “Time to get dressed and see about your car.”
Kate had a feeling that problem would be just as difficult to solve as everything else.