Do You Trust Me? (9 page)

What he really needed
was to take her to an isolated cabin and spend a week getting her out of his
system. Too bad it wasn’t possible. He already had his nuts in a vise, trying
to control his lust for her and figure out what she was hiding and protect her
at the same time.

“Gotta go. I’ll look
for the guys in a while.” He snapped the phone shut just as Rina reached him. “Sully
managed to free up the team tapped to set up security for you. They’ll be here
today. Soon, as a matter of fact.”

“I need to run
something by you.” She stood next to him now, shading her eyes from the sun
with her hand.

“And that would be?”

She ran the tip of
her tongue over her bottom lip, almost making him come right there. “I forgot
to mention this to you, but I’m sure you can figure out how to handle it.”

Uh-oh.
“Handle what?”

She cleared her
throat. “I have some book signings scheduled here and in Austin during the next
few days. Starting tomorrow.”

A muscle jumped on
his cheek. “Book signings?”

“You know. People
come to the book store, I sign their books, chat with them. Get a little press
coverage.”

The first thought
that came to him was how much danger she’d be in, what an easy target she’d be
for the people after her. His growing attachment to Rina Devargas was already
kick-starting emotions he’d buried a long time ago. Protecting her had become
much more than a job. Now every moment she was out there, she was putting
herself on the line. The idea of her being hurt or captured made his gut twist
and bile clog his throat. If something happened to her, especially on his
watch, he didn’t know if he could handle it.

McCall shook his head
and started to walk toward the house. “No. Absolutely not. Cancel them.”

Rina grabbed his arm.
“Are you crazy? People are expecting me. Ads have run in the paper.” She gave
him a waspish smile. “I did tell my agent you’d be with me, though. I didn’t
think you’d want to miss anything this exciting.”

“Rina.” His fingers
pressed her shoulders in an iron grip. “Whoever called you and left that
message will contact you again. These people are not fooling around. In a
situation like that you’d be a sitting duck for them.”

“I don’t even know
who
these people
are,” she bit back at him. “You won’t tell me anything.
McCall, this is my life. My profession. I don’t run out on my obligations.”

McCall gritted his
teeth. “I’m sorry. There’s no room for negotiation. You’ll just have to cancel.”

“Oh, really? Just
like that?” She snapped her fingers. “Are you planning to lock me in my room?
Because that’s what you’ll have to do.” She stormed back into the house.

He caught up with her
in the kitchen. “You are one big pain in the ass,” he bit off.

“Fine. Get out of my
life, and I won’t bother you any more.”

His eyes raked over
her face. “Why aren’t you even scared? Last night you were having screaming
nightmares. Today, when you get a threatening call from a killer, you go on as
if everything’s normal. What is it with you?”

He spotted the
trembling in her hands, saw her shove them in her pockets when his gaze dropped
to them. “Of course I’m scared. I’m not stupid. But I trust you and whoever to
protect me. And John wouldn’t want me to just hide in a corner.”

“John would want you
to stay alive.” They glared at each other for a long moment. He clenched his
fists, then opened them, flexing his fingers. “All right. Write out all the
details for me, and I’ll see what I can do.”

“See what you can do?”
Her eyes widened and defiance glittered in her eyes. “What does that mean?”

It means I need to
know every little detail so you don’t end up dead. Shit.

“Details, Rina. Give
me the information.” When she just looked at him, he exhaled a heavy breath of
exasperation. “You said you trust me to protect you. I can’t do that unless I
have all the bases covered. I need location, layout, size of crowd expected,
all that stuff. I have to set things up if you’re going to be out in public
like that.”

Her shoulders
slumped. “Okay. I guess you’re right about that.”

“You know I am. Stop
battling me. Please.”

She took a breath, let
it out slowly. “Don’t go ballistic on me, but we also need to talk about the
event I discussed with Sully. Or have you forgotten it?”

“The one at the Alamo?” Anger swept over his body. “Damn right I remember. And the answer is ‘no way in
hell.’ That’s final. I mean it.”

“McCall, I cannot
cancel this.” She shoved her hands through her hair, tossed her head back, and
glared at him. “We worked too hard to set it up, and there’s too much involved.
You heard me tell Sully it’s been on every piece of publicity for the past
year. And the president’s coming. My agent confirmed it.”

The president? Well,
shit, isn’t that just great. How the hell does that tie in with everything
else? Can this be a bigger clusterfuck?

He swore under his
breath in frustration. “Do you have any idea what kind of security nightmare
that will be? This will be the best chance for...”

“For what, McCall?
What don’t you want to tell me?”

“Best chance for them
to snatch you.”
Because they sure don’t want any evidence of who’s involved
falling into the wrong hands.
“This is not negotiable.”

“It’s my life.” She
lifted her chin. “If I want to risk it, that’s my choice.”

McCall dropped to the
chair across from her and leaned across the table until his face was mere
inches from hers. “Either you do as I say, or I
will
lock you up until
this thing is over and it won’t be to play fun and games.”

“What thing?” She
folded her arms across her chest. “See? That’s just it. Why won’t you tell me
what’s going on? You might get more out of me.” She shook her head. “You can’t
stop me from attending this event, McCall, so get over it.”

He ground his teeth. “Okay.
I’ll make a deal with you. Give me the information, let me protect you properly
for this, and in the next couple of days, I’ll see if I can get the okay to let
you know what’s going on.”

“I want to know about
John, too.”

McCall’s face looked
grim. “I can’t go there. Sorry.”

A feeling of cold
dread crept over Rina. “He’s dead, isn’t he?” One tear escaped, despite her
determination not to break down. “He’s dead, and no one will tell me.”

If you don’t hear
from me, I’ll probably be dead.

“I don’t know, Rina. I
wish I did. But yes, he’s missed his check-ins so that’s probably a good bet.”
He let out a long breath. “I’m sorry I can’t tell you more than that. What
about you? Are you ready to tell me why you went to his townhouse? Why you dropped
everything and jumped on a plane?”

If only you’d give me
some kind of signal, McCall, I’d hand it over in a flash.

She sat very still until
she was sure she could speak without falling apart. “I’ll get you your
information on my events.”

Back in her den, she booted
up her computer and began typing out what McCall wanted. He was probably right; she was taking a foolish chance. But people were depending on her. The locket
pressed against her skin, a heavy reminder of the trust John had put in her and
the unknown danger that lay in wait for her.

But she wasn’t going
to allow some strangers to dictate her life. Or let Shar down. McCall would just
have to be really good with her security.

Chapter Five

The trip to the
grocery store was thankfully uneventful. Again, Rina insisted on driving and
McCall made no objection, using the time to study every street and turn, check
the traffic, make note of the busy activity on Broadway, the main street in Alamo Heights. He said little, and Rina used the time to let her brain try to unscramble
the whole situation.

She wished she could
figure out the puzzle that was McCall. What had turned him into what he was?
Someone had done a number on him, and she’d guess it nearly destroyed him. It
couldn’t be just the job because she knew some of the team members were
married. She’d even met their wives the one time Sully had brought them all together
to welcome John. Marriage to a man on that task force would be difficult, but a
strong female could make it work.

If not the job, then
a woman.

That must have been
some disaster. Whatever it was scarred him badly. I’d give my next royalty
check to know what happened.

When they turned onto
her street again, she spotted a van in her driveway that said Turner Electric
on it. It was parked far enough to the side so she could pull right into the
garage.

She glanced at
McCall. “Do you know them?”

“Yes. It means Gage
and Les are here.”

“How did they get
into the house?”

He gave her a look as
if to say ‘get real.’ “It’s what they do, Rina. Anyway, if anyone notices the
van and asks, you’re having trouble with your electrical wiring. It’s usually a
good cover.”

“This isn’t exactly a
crowded residential street,” she pointed out.

“Unfortunately,” he
grunted. “Still, there’s traffic up and down the road. No sense pricking anyone’s
curiosity.”

As she shut off the
ignition, the inside door from the house to the garage opened. A man walked down
the two steps and over to her side of the car, opening the door for her.

“Gage McKenzie.” He held
out his hand to Rina.

“Nice to meet you.
Thank you for coming.”

He was nearly as tall
as McCall, but where McCall was all darkness, Gage was light—sandy blond hair,
a slight smattering of freckles, clear hazel eyes. He was lanky where McCall
was muscular. And unlike McCall, he wore a friendly grin that gave her a warm
feeling. Despite the grin and the firm handshake, Rina sensed the same air of
deadliness that she felt with McCall. These were men who didn’t play games.

“How long have you
been here?” McCall asked, opening his own door.

“We got here about
fifteen minutes ago.” The smile disappeared, replaced by a grim look.

McCall raised his
eyebrows, asking a question.

Rina started to walk
around the vehicle, but Gage blocked her path.

“Miss Devargas, I’m
not sure you want to go in right now.” His hands on her shoulders were gentle
but firm.

Her heart flipped and
not from his touch. The look in his eyes telegraphed bad news. “Why? What’s
wrong?”

McCall and Gage
looked at each other, then McCall took her arm.

“Damn it,” she
snapped. “This is my house. Get out of my way.” She pulled away from him,
dodged around both men, and raced into the house through the utility room and
into the foyer.

The first thing she
noticed was the little table she kept there lying on its side and the vase it
held shattered to pieces on the floor. McCall and Gage were right behind her,
McCall’s hands on her shoulders, steadying her.

Rina shrugged out
from under his grasp, her heart tripping erratically as she walked into the
living room. She did a slow turn, taking in every bit of the destruction, and
swallowed a scream as she looked at McCall. “Oh, my God.”

“It was this way when
we got here,” Gage explained. “How long were you two gone?”

McCall glanced at his
watch. “Not much more than an hour.”

“Well, they’re damn
slick then, because they didn’t have all that much time.”

“They must not have
been able to get here before we arrived this morning,” McCall told him.

“They were obviously
watching for this place to be empty.” He nodded toward Rina. “You’d better take
care of her. She looks like she’s about to keel over.”

Rina stood rooted to
the living room carpet, stunned at the condition of the room. Furniture had
been overturned, cushions dumped on the floor and slit open, small items like
the vase in the hallway smashed beyond repair. Pictures had been yanked off the
walls and their backing sliced away.

“Rina, go into the
kitchen and sit down,” McCall ordered. “You look like you’re about to pass out.”

“Look what they’ve
done.” She clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking worse than they
already were. “Oh, God. McCall, look at this.”

“Come on.” He was
right beside her. “You need to sit down.”

She didn’t think she
could make her feet move, but McCall took her arm and propelled her along. In
the kitchen, the only room not trashed, he sat her in a chair, ran a glass of
water for her and made her drink it.

“Just swallow,” he
told her. “Take deep breaths. And stay right here.”

He moved to the
doorway where he and Gage spoke in low tones. Then he pulled out his cell phone
and speed-dialed a number, turning away from Rina as the call connected.

“Me,” he said. “We
have a situation. Did Gage call you? Uh huh. Yeah, just fifteen minutes ago.”
He described the scene, including the rundown Gage had given him of the other
rooms. “They’re looking for something. I also think they wanted to send her a
message.”

“Things are ramping
up,” Sully told him. “These people are vicious and will stop at nothing to find
what they’re looking for. Maybe this will frighten Rina enough to open up to
us.”

McCall grunted. “Don’t
count on it. Do I want to give her any information yet? Something that might
goose this along?”

There was a momentary
pause. “No,” Sully said at last. “We’ll hold off as long as we can. It’s
chancy, but if she really doesn’t know anything, I don’t want to tell her.”

“Fine. Your call. But
I need to get her out of here. I’m taking her to a motel while we get this
place cleaned up.”

“I’ll be in touch.
And McCall?”

“Yeah?”

“I know this sounds
harsh, but if you can use this episode to advantage, do it.”

McCall snapped the
phone shut. He was angry and frustrated. John Devargas had been a good friend
on a dangerous assignment, and he was days past his last check-in. Now this. He
had a very bad feeling about everything.

John was the one who’d
first sniffed out the plot against President Nicholas Brandon and the possible
reason behind it. They were treading on thin ice by not involving the Secret
Service, and the involvement of foreign countries meant other agencies should
be clued in, also. But Sully played everything close to the vest. That was the
nature of this agency.

They hadn’t yet
touched on the book signing on the second, but he was expecting Sully to put
his foot down and none too gently. Politics and publicity be damned. That was
the worst place she could be with what was going down. And short of arresting
her, he knew he didn’t have a prayer of keeping her away. Damn it, anyway.

He turned back to Rina,
checking her out with a critical eye. Her color was a little better, but not
much, and she still looked shell shocked. He needed to question her but wanted
to give her a little more time to catch her breath. And he had to figure out
the right approach.

Suddenly, she jerked
out of the chair. “My den,” she said tightly. “Oh, crap.”

Before McCall could
stop her, she raced down the hall to the room where she did all her work. When
she flung open the door and looked inside, if McCall hadn’t been behind her,
she would have fallen.

“No. No, no, no.”

She shook her head
back and forth as she kept repeating the word over and over. The room was a
disaster, even worse than the living room. Desk drawers had been yanked open,
papers strewn everywhere, program disks and music CDs spilled onto the floor.
There wasn’t a surface or item left untouched.

Rina sank to her
knees, sifting her hands through the debris, a stunned look on her face at the
terrible invasion of her privacy.

“God,” she said. “I
feel so violated. So…so…naked.”

She didn’t protest
when McCall lifted her from the floor and put his arms around her. He saw Gage
in the doorway, watching him, one eyebrow lifted.

The hell with him.
With everybody. This is what she needs right now. It’s just part of the job.

Yeah, right. Keep
telling yourself that.

“I’m sorry.” She shook
her head against his chest. “I can usually take just about anything in stride.”

“Understandable,” he
said. “Something like this is personal. You feel robbed of all dignity and
sense of security.” He eased himself away from her and pushed her gently onto
the loveseat. “Just sit tight for a second. I want to check on something.”

Opening the narrow
cabinet where the Central Processing Unit for her computer was, he yanked at it
and pulled it out. The side panels came away easily, and his suspicions were
confirmed. This would really send her over the edge.

“Rina.” He sat back
down beside her, unhappy about giving her more bad news. “They’ve taken the
hard drive from your computer.”

“What?” Her voice
sounded like a croak. “What are you talking about? My computer?” She looked
over at the dismantled unit. “Oh, hell.”

She looked so white
he was afraid she would faint after all. He took her hands in his and rubbed
them to get circulation back into her system.

“Do you have any
brandy in the house?” he asked her.

She nodded. “There’s
a bottle in the bar in the living room. If they haven’t broken it.”

“Sit right here. Don’t
move. And don’t pass out on me, okay?”

Rina just stared
straight ahead. She was sure they were looking for the microchip in the locket,
but how did they even know about its existence? Unless someone had leaked the
information.

Betrayed. I’ve been
betrayed.

That’s what John had
been trying to tell her.

You’ll know who to
trust.

No, John, I don’t,
she cried silently.

Come on, McCall. If
it’s you, let me know. Please don’t be the traitor.

The control that had
been holding her together until now suddenly snapped.
The tears she’d been
forcing herself to hold back overflowed and streamed down her cheeks unheeded.
Burying her face in her hands, she just let them come, swallowing the wrenching
sobs trying to break through.

She looked up only
when she felt something prodding her hand, and a tissue was shoved into her
fingers. Blotting her face she finally looked up to see McCall standing in
front of her, holding a glass.

McCall looked at her,
feeling her desolation. She was a mess, and he didn’t think one juice glass of
brandy was a cure-all, but at least it would steady her system. He handed her
the glass.

“Here. Drink it all,”
he ordered. “Every bit, even if you have to sip. Your system needs it.”

She took the glass
with hands trembling so badly she nearly spilled the liquid. He closed a hand over
hers and guided the glass to her lips. She took too big a swallow, choked,
coughed, then sipped a little bit.

When he saw color
begin to come into her face again and her hands stop shaking, McCall removed
his hand but didn’t move away from her. “Gage and Les are still going ahead
with the security stuff,” he told her. “At least it will discourage further
intrusion.”

He raked his gaze
over her. She looked so defeated, sitting on the loveseat, hair disheveled,
cheeks lined with tear tracks, eyes with a bruised look. He fought an unwanted
urge to pull her into his arms and comfort her, kiss the tears away. Shit. Jesus.
That wasn’t him at all. He was just sinking in deeper and deeper. Unbelievably,
he felt his cock harden.

Great, asshole. Think
about fucking her when her world is falling apart.

If he didn’t watch
it, he’d screw up a critical situation just like he’d done once before and a
lot of people might get killed. The past had a rotten way of repeating itself.
He sensed a presence in the doorway, just a slight disturbance in the air, and
looked up. “Rina.”

She raised her head.

He nodded in the direction
of the doorway. “This is Les Burkell. He’s going to be working here with Gage.”

Les dipped his head. “Miss
Devargas. Sorry we had to meet under such circumstances. We’ll do our best to
see there isn’t a repeat. McCall, can we talk for a minute?”