RunningScaredBN (6 page)

Riley nodded. She knew all this. Had gone through tons of counseling herself.
 

“Do you regret making it public?”

“No. Oh, there were some nasty comments. Some calling it a publicity stunt. Online trolls looking for attention. Things like that. People whose opinion means nothing.”

Save a handful of people, Riley didn’t care about others’ opinions of her. No, it wasn’t her reputation at stake. It was her life, her sanity, at risk. But what would be at risk if she didn’t take this next step?

Soft music sounded from the auditorium.
 

“Thank you. I’d better let you get back to getting ready.” Impulsively, Riley hugged her and then jumping up, walked swiftly to the door.
 

As she opened it, Kacie said, “Riley?”

She looked back at the woman still sitting on the settee. The compassion on Kacie’s face brought a lump to Riley’s throat.

“If there’s anything you need,” Kacie said, “anything I can do to help, will you let me know?”

“I will. Thank you.” Before closing the door, Riley added, “Be happy, Kacie. I wish you and Brennan the happiest of lives together.”

***

Justin stood in the large foyer of the church, out of the way of the guests exiting the building. The wedding had gone off without a hitch. Brennan and Kacie had looked good together. As Brennan’s best man, he’d been standing up front with him when Kacie had walked down the aisle toward her waiting groom. The entire church had exhaled with a collective gasp. Yes, she’d looked beautiful, but it had been more than that. Justin didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone more joyful or more in love. Brennan’s expression had been a mirror image of Kacie’s.

Justin hoped all their dark days were behind them.
 

He’d been about to turn and face the front when he spotted a woman sitting in the back row. Even with the long blond hair, heavy makeup, and thick-rimmed glasses, he recognized his partner.
 

He hadn’t seen her since their op in Iraq a week ago. He’d asked her if she would be attending the wedding, and she’d been noncommittal, saying only that she was unsure if she’d be able to make it.
 

The audience had been filled with LCR employees and operatives. Many of them in disguise. This wasn’t an op, but because of their pasts, most needed to stay out of the limelight. It was something Justin understood and accepted. Seeing his partner dressed in disguise was something else entirely. It had been a punch to the gut. An abrupt, unpleasant discovery that revealed just how much he didn’t know about her. Who was Riley hiding from and why?

The fact that they’d been partners for over three years and he hadn’t known before about her need to stay hidden infuriated him. The anger was directed at himself, not her. Why hadn’t he known this? Why had he allowed all these secrets between them? They were more than partners. They were friends. And hell, whether she was ready to admit it or not, they were more than friends.

It was way past time to find out the truth about Riley Ingram.

Before he could come up with a plan on how to make that happen, she came through the doors from the auditorium into the foyer. He watched in silence as she practically hugged the walls, staying in the shadows. He knew the moment she caught him looking at her. An awareness clicked in her eyes.

Weaving in between the hordes of guests headed toward the exit, he caught up with her. “Nice wedding, wasn’t it?”
 

“Yes, it was.”

“Are you going to the reception?”

“For a little while. I’m not much for parties.”

“Yeah, me either.” He gave her a look she couldn’t misunderstand. “We need to talk. Want to meet me somewhere for a late dinner?”

“No.”

If there was one thing he liked about Riley Ingram, she didn’t prevaricate. If you asked her a question, she would either tell you the truth, tell you it was none of your business, or just not answer.
 

Deciding to go for broke, he said, “All right. Then you want to tell me who you’re hiding from?”

Riley looked up at the man who’d come to mean so much to her. The black tuxedo fit his tall, muscular frame perfectly. He’d had a haircut since she’d seen him. His thick brownish-blond hair had just enough curl in it to make a girl think about twining her fingers through it. She had seen numerous women give him long, admiring looks. The two women in front of her during the wedding had whispered about how handsome the best man was, giggling about how much they’d like to meet him.
 

Justin Kelly was a handsome, ultra-masculine man whom most any woman would sigh over. Riley should know. She had done her share of sighing, especially in the last few months.

And now he wanted to know who she was hiding from. Just for a moment, Riley allowed a fantasy to take flight. In her imagination, she heard herself give him honest answers and explain what had happened to her. She watched his face darken with concern for her. There was no judgment, no condemnation. No disgust. Instead, she saw understanding, maybe compassion, but not pity. Never pity.

Then she returned to the real world and faced the truth. Speak the words she hadn’t allowed herself to say in years? Tell him the truth in the middle of a crowd of mostly strangers? No. Way. In. Hell.

If she proceeded with her plan, he would know soon enough. Once he knew everything, would the admiration she’d often seen in his eyes be replaced with revulsion?

She could withstand a lot, but that was something she would not survive.

She gave him a smile that probably looked as fake as it felt, but it would have to do. “That’s a discussion for another day.”

“I see.”

Now even more nervous as those slate-gray eyes seemed to penetrate straight through her bravado, she tugged her purse strap over her shoulder. “So. Guess I’ll see you at the reception. Or, if not, on our next call.”

Giving him no time to respond, she backed into the shadows, followed a group of people to an exit, and ran out the door. She told herself she wasn’t being a coward. That it was ludicrous to have a discussion of such import with so many people milling around.
 

A hand grabbed her arm. She was so intent on escape that she snarled a curse as she turned around, her fist raised and ready to strike.

Justin let go of her arm and held up his hands in surrender. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you.”

Mortified, she glanced around to see if anyone else had caught the unusual break in her cool façade. Fortunately, all the other guests were intent on enjoying themselves. No one had noticed other than the brooding man frowning down at her.

“We will talk soon, Ingram. This can’t go on.”

There were a lot of ways she could respond to that autocratic statement. Another time, she might have told him exactly what he could do with his arrogance. She opened her mouth to do just that and then saw the concern in his eyes. Justin played things cool most times but not on this. Not tonight. This man cared for her, and though nothing could ever happen between them, he deserved the truth.
 

“You’re right. We will.” She backed away again, saying softly, “I just hope we can handle it.”

Turning, she ran out the door and into the night.

***

Aidan Thorne tugged at his bow tie. Damn thing was choking him to death. He’d much rather be fighting a three-hundred-fifty-pound bruiser with a knife than stand here in a monkey suit with a fake smile plastered on his face.
 

“Hi, Aidan, how are you?”

Recognizing the soft, female voice, Aidan flinched as his entire body tensed up. The one woman he’d been determined to avoid.
Hell
.

Polite mask frozen in place, he turned and gave a cool nod. “Anna, you’re looking well.”

Aidan groaned beneath his breath at his lame-assed words.
You’re looking well
was what you told someone’s elderly aunt. Not a beautiful, vibrant woman that made your mouth water and your skin feel like it was on fire. He told himself he should just be grateful for his ability to maintain a nonchalant air when his heart was thundering like a stampede of elephants. Anna Bradford looked nothing like the abused young woman LCR had rescued years ago. She had matured from an idealistic young college student who wanted to save the world to a lovely young woman. She was still too idealistic, though. And she was still trying to save the world.

Skin the color of light honey-gold, shoulder-length hair a mélange of soft brown and dark gold, dark brown eyes that gleamed with purity and hope, a light sprinkling of freckles across her small nose, and the sweetest, lushest mouth he’d ever seen. Anna personified every single quality that he’d sworn to stay away from.

“It was a beautiful wedding, wasn’t it?”

He was in a dilemma. If he nodded curtly and walked away, he’d hurt her feelings. If he stayed, he greatly feared he’d give in to temptation, lean down, and see if the frosted-pink lipstick on her mouth was as tasty as it looked.
 

“Hey, babe, let’s dance.”

Even though he was saved from having to make a decision, Aidan glared down at the guy now standing beside Anna. He didn’t recognize the creep, with his chiseled jaw, perfect hair, and I’m-too-cool-for-school demeanor, but he sure as hell didn’t like the familiar way he’d grabbed for Anna’s elbow.

 
Before Aidan could make his displeasure known, Anna gracefully twisted away from the guy, and with a diplomacy that would make the State Department proud, she laughed softly and said, “Stuart, there’s no way I’m depriving all the girls lined up to dance with you.” She tilted her head to the left. Sure enough, there were about five young women standing a few feet away who apparently had eyes only for this guy.

“They’ll wait. I want to dance with you.”
 

Though her smile lost a little of its shine, she didn’t do what Aidan hoped she’d do and tell the jerk to go jump off a cliff. He was about to intervene and give a vulgar suggestion of his own when Riley appeared beside them.

“Anna, can I talk to you a minute?”
 

“Sure thing.” She gave the Stuart guy a nod. “Go make those women happy.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Stuart headed toward his small adoring crowd.

“Who the hell was that guy?” Aidan asked.

“One of the top male models in New York.”

Wasn’t any of his business, but he had to know. “Why didn’t you dance with him?”

Her burst of laughter was like a breath of fresh air, free and uninhibited. “Dance with someone prettier than me? Not a chance.”

He liked her, dammit. Liked her self-deprecation. Her sunny disposition. Liked that even though she had once gone through hell, she still believed in goodness. She was everything he wasn’t. Represented everything he couldn’t have.

Aidan backed away. “Good to see you, Anna.” He nodded. “See you later, Ingram.”

Turning, he made a beeline for the door. If he didn’t get out of here now, he would break every promise he’d made to himself to stay away from her. People like Anna Bradford did not belong in his darkness.

Riley watched Aidan stalk out of the room like he had a demon chasing him. Being familiar with running from her own demons, she recognized the act for what it was. She turned back to Anna and eyed her speculatively.
 

“He doesn’t like me.”
 

Anna’s rueful statement caught Riley by surprise. Her friend was usually more perceptive than that. Knowing it would do no good to explain that Aidan’s swift exit had more to do with liking her too much, Riley said instead, “I think having all these people around makes all LCR operatives a little antsy.”

“But not you?”

Antsy? Yes, she was definitely that, but not because of too many people. Her disguise was a good one. No one from her past would suspect that the damaged and ravaged young woman they’d known would be at the star-studded wedding of a famous model and a former NFL quarterback. Those people most likely believed she was dead.

“I don’t figure anyone would ever look for me here.”

“Especially looking like that.”

“What’s the saying? Blondes have more fun?”

“Is it true?” Anna asked.

“Not yet.”

Anna’s gaze went to the door where Aidan had made his exit. “Not for me either.” She scrunched her nose. “Maybe I should’ve gone all the way blond instead of just highlights.”

It wasn’t the first time her friend had indicated she had a thing for Aidan Thorne. There was a large group of LCR women who had a small crush on the Golden Adonis of LCR, as someone had called him. It was, however, the first time Riley realized her friend’s feelings might be more than a simple crush.

“You think we could go somewhere and talk for a while?”

Pulling her gaze from the door, Anna brightened. “Let’s go to my room, get these shoes off, and order room service. I’m in the mood for a triple burger, fries, and a chocolate shake.”

As they headed out the door, the thought of food roiling her stomach, she was reminded of another difference between her and Anna. Riley enjoyed food, but decades of a strict, regimented diet wasn’t something she had been able to overcome.