In the Shadow of Vengeance (13 page)

“Stop doing that.”

“What?”

“Reading my thoughts. It's even creepier than your family watching us.”

His expression softened. “I can't read your thoughts. I'm a detective, taught to read people. What you're thinking is displayed in every feature.”

“That's not true. No one can read me that easily.”

“Maybe it's just me. Something I said got your back up.”

She relaxed her posture. “Trust takes patience. I haven't been free to trust anyone but Derek in a long time.”

Noah covered his heart with her free hand. “And that makes me very sad. It's no way to live.”

The blood began to heat in her veins. She wasn't sure why what he said irritated her, but she wanted to lash out at something.

“Don't do that,” he said, cupping her behind the neck.

“Don't do what?”

“Get pissed with me. I wasn't trying to imply that you are living a pathetic life. I know that whatever hell you have been going through since before Danny was born wasn't your doing. I can't imagine being ripped away from my family. They kept me sane, grounded in this shit-crazy world.”

Tears crowded her eyes. “How do you know I didn't do something horrible that forced me into this mess? Did your brothers already tell you my whole wretched past?”

“First of all, they would never cross that line. My training didn't teach me to read just expressions, but character. You can't hide who you really are. I could always feel that you kept yourself cut off, and sometimes you outright lied to me.”

“And you hate liars.”

“Don't put words in my mouth. In my job, people lie all the time, and sometimes those lies cost someone their life. There is a huge difference from that kind of lie and what you had to do to keep your cover intact. Give me some credit to be able to separate the two.”

She let out another heavy sigh. “So now I have made you angry. Maybe I'll close my eyes and take that nap after all.”

Noah gently pressed his thumb on her right temple and massaged the tender skin in a circular pattern. “It's no picnic inside your head, is it?”

“More like a migraine on steroids.”

“Maybe I can fix that, or at least redirect your focus,” he whispered.

The low masculine rumble in his voice sent a jolt through her. This time he kissed her with a new determination, with something raw, demanding. Shock waves spiked right to her core, awakening a hunger she never knew existed.

She combed her fingers through his thick curls. Noah lifted her closer. She pressed into him, needing to feel his body's heat and strength as his mouth explored every inch of hers.

It was just a kiss but so much more. She didn't want this—didn't want to know she could feel like this—but she couldn't break away either. Part of her screamed to just feel, if only for a short time. Then the logical Elizabeth broke their connection and eased back before she lost herself completely. But the taste and his musky, herbal scent lingered over her, making her regret pulling free of the most fantastic kiss she had yet experienced.

“Noah, we can't do that again,” she forced out.

A new hurt seemed to shine from his amazingly expressive eyes.

“Why?”

What had she been thinking? She hadn't kissed a man in more than fourteen years. But somehow, she allowed Noah McNeil to kiss her senseless twice in less than an hour.

Again, he waited patiently for a response as his fingers kneaded her tight muscles at the back of her neck. Why was she denying herself something so extraordinary—something she obviously wanted?

Because I'm leaving, and you can't come with me.

The words wedged deep into her heart. She could fall hard for this man if she gave herself an inch.

“Answer my question.”

So much for patience. “You know why. I have walked away from enough people I care about to last a lifetime. Don't make me care for you.”

Don't make me care
.

The words had rolled around in Noah's head for the last two hours. Too damn late for that. He already cared.

Choking back his frustration, he shot a glance at the woman in the seat next to him. He had never met anyone with her determination and damn stubbornness. After they retrieved Adam's SUV, he again suggested she get some sleep.She forced herself to stay awake for a good hour until her eyelids won the battle over her will. Even when it was just the two of them, she wouldn't let her guard down.

Some of her anxiety, however, seemed to ease after she spoke to Danny and Erin. Adam must have convinced her he could keep them safe on the drive to the cabin in the morning. At least she had stopped asking to call in Derek. The moment the U.S. Marshals Service got involved, Noah would have no choice but to drop out of the picture. He had too much respect to butt heads with them.

After the incident at the hotel, there was no doubt in his mind the family would be relocated immediately. And maybe that was the best plan regardless if Mendoza was involved. The decision had been bothering him for miles. If he turned them over to Derek, they would be hidden from whoever was after Elizabeth.

Curiosity about her past was eating at him. What had happened to her—and when did he begin to care so much? Two weeks ago, Noah wasn't sure he would have noticed if Elizabeth Merlot vanished from his life. He would have wondered now and again what became of Danny and Erin, wishing them the best. But Elizabeth? Other than remembering how stunning she was, he wouldn't have missed her at all. What changed? Why did the thought of her leaving make him feel like hitting something, hard?

Because he didn't want her to go. The feel of her in his arms, the mind-blowing kisses they shared were so damn explosive, they would have knocked him on his ass if he hadn't been holding onto her so tightly. No woman had ever worked her way under his skin like this one. He spent half the time wanting to shake some sense into her and the other half wishing he could bury himself so deep inside, he couldn't tell where he began and she ended. He may be out of his mind, but he needed to know if there was something
more
between them than lust.

“You have been grinding your teeth for the last fifty miles. Whatever is on your mind, just say it, Noah,” she said, stretching her arms over her head and shifting to face him.

“Running is never the answer. Whatever is going on will follow you.”

“I'm not running away.”

“Sounds like it to me. You want to rip yourself out of this life because you're scared. It's an honest reaction to what's been happening the last couple of weeks, but it's not a good plan.”

“And why is that?”

“Because we don't know who is after you.”

She eased back further into her seat and brought her arms tight against her waist. It was as if she couldn't move far enough away from him. “No, detective, I know exactly who is gunning for me. I've lived the nightmare every day.”

“I would really appreciate it if you would stop using my title like it's a fucking cuss word.”

“Be happy to as soon as you clean up that gutter mouth.” She let out a loud sigh as she stared out into the darkness. An uncomfortable silence settled in the cab.

“Okay, this one is on me.” She turned and met his stare. “I'm sorry. I know you are trying to help us. I don't see another option.”

Again she grew quiet. Noah shoved down his own frustration. If he was going to help her, he had to understand what drove her.

“No, I shouldn't have barked at you. I'm trying to understand all this.”

“I use to feel invisible in Baltimore. Settling in the Fells Point section gave me that small town feel I miss so much. But something changed. Maybe it began when Danny was taken by that monster. There is this sense of unease, dread weighing on my shoulders, and maybe even Danny's. If Erin feels it, she is much better at covering. Noah, my kids' safety is everything. We can't live like … they need … I need a fresh start.”

He reached for her hand and held it in his lap. For some reason, she didn't yank it free.

Hell, he was very familiar with the overwhelming need to protect his family. What he didn't want was the wrenching sense of loss that had begun smoldering in him at the thought of never seeing Elizabeth again. He had become a master at keeping his emotions intact, his heart protected. When had he started to feel?

Maybe it was the moment he witnessed that bastard toss Elizabeth into the fucking trunk. He cared what happened to her like he cared for any victim. But he didn't risk his life to save hers because of his job. Something deeper, richer had formed between them in the last few hours. He was beginning to get to know the real woman behind all the secrets. He liked the new Elizabeth Merlot and wasn't ready for her to evaporate into thin air.

He slowed the SUV and turned off the country road onto a gravel road. The half moon cast a faint blue glow that shimmered through the leaves. The chill in the air chased the nighttime creatures underground, leaving the surrounding woods encased in an eerie stillness. On the surface, there was an unearthly ghost-like feel, but for Noah, the muscles in his shoulders began to relax, as did the constant frustration he seemed to wear like a warm winter's coat.

From the main road, there was no sign that anything was around for miles. Adam had found the densest area and built a small fortress. Noah switched on the bright lights and lowered his speed to a crawl.

“Where are we?”

“The cabin is at the end of this road.”

“This isn't a driveway?”

“Well, kind of, if you can consider something almost two miles long a driveway.”

“And your family owns all this land?”

“Adam bought this property several years ago. He had the place built after my parents' cabin was lost to us.”

“Lost?”

“Someone thought it had outlived its usefulness and blew it to smithereens.”

“Someone blew up your cabin?” Her voice cracked.

“My family has had their fair share of problems. We work together and help each other deal with the shit those problems leave behind. I know you think you need a place to start over, but before you make such a drastic move, you and Danny need to deal with what happened to him. Crap has a way of hiding in the deep crevasses of your heart. When you least expect it, it pokes its ugly head out and knocks you on your ass.”

“Don't you think I know that?” She jerked her hand free. “Detective McNeil, has anyone ever mentioned you're a shortsighted nincompoop?”

“Not to my face and definitely not within striking distance.”

Laughter bubbled up inside him, but he swallowed it. Damn, the woman was touchy, so damn sexy and adorable. If she would just let out the string of cuss words that had to be on the tip of her tongue, she would feel so much better.

He placed a hand over the clenched fists in her lap. “Sorry. I didn't mean to put you on the defensive.”

He slowed at the twelve-foot wrought-iron gate and keyed in a code. He pressed the accelerator with enough force that the wheels spun in the gravel as he pulled into the circular driveway. After turning off the engine, he shifted in his seat to face her.

“You're all geared up to tell Danny and Erin everything. I don't think that's a bad idea, but give me a couple days first. There are things going on that I don't understand.” He glanced out at the large, two-story log cabin nestled in the trees. “I don't want you to disappear from my life.”

She didn't say anything for a long time. “Do you understand that I'm trying to keep Danny and Erin safe?”

“And I'm right there with you.”
Especially since this may be Mendoza's game.

Noah had a few hours to find a way to say those words out loud without coming off sounding like the village idiot. “Elizabeth, very few people know this place exists. Let's drop this for a short time, go in and raid Adam's wine cellar, have something to eat, and relax.”

She unclipped her seatbelt. “I am a little hungry.”

“Please tell me you're not one of those women who pick apart their food, only eating enough to keep a dead bird alive.”

Opening the door, she got out and stared at him over the top of the SUV. “I can eat you under the table, detective. Name the time and your poison.”

This time, the laugh couldn't be held back. “You're on, Merlot. I have almost six feet, four inches of an empty well to fill.”

She started up the walk and the porch and interior lights came to life. The brightness after the gloomy woods made her pause.

“Good grief. Did you do that?”

“No, the house has sensors that were activated when I punched in my code at the gate.”

“It lives,” she mumbled under her breath as she shook her head. “This place wasn't what I expected at all.”

“What did you expect?”

“A normal small woodsy cabin.”

“Believe me when I say we need the space. It's still woodsy and a cabin.”

Noah pointed to a hand-drawn sign over the mailbox with the words The Cabin burnt into the wood. He unlocked the door and stepped back to allow her to enter before he shut the door behind them and set the alarm.

Elizabeth's eyes scanned the spacious foyer. A living room with floor-to-ceiling windows was on one side of the foyer while a music room took up the opposite side. Noah loved the family photos posted on the walls and set in frames on all the surfaces. Adam spent years without any family and seemed to be making up for lost time.

A twinge of guilt hit him hard. When he needed his oldest brother, and a friend, Adam had dropped everything, even taking two teenagers into his home. Noah had to make this up to him.

“Is there something wrong?” she asked.

He shook his head and planted a smile on his lips. “No. All is good. The kitchen is in the back of the house.”