Witness Protection (7 page)

Chapter Seven

Sadie and Nick walked for hours before his brother messaged that he was close. Headlights were a welcome sight to her after walking in the cold black night in her boots.

Nick squeezed her hand. “I’ll have you in a warm bed in two hours.” He cleared his throat, seeming to catch how the last part sounded. “What I mean is—”

“It’s okay,” she said on a half laugh. “I know you didn’t intend to say it like that.” Remembering his powerful thighs and chest against her body had her thinking she might not mind waking up snuggled against a strong, warm body like his. Those brown eyes with cinnamon flecks and hair blacker than night made for a package most women would consider beyond hot. Sadie wouldn’t argue.

That she was crushing on her handler also reminded her how ridiculous she was being.

When was the last time she’d allowed herself to notice a man? Or relax at all. There was no laughter in her life. No humor. No friends. No sex. Okay, where’d that last bit come from?

It was true, though. There hadn’t been any sex in far too long. And nothing was funny anymore. She missed the simple pleasures of feeling warm skin against her back when she slept, or laughing at an inside joke.

If she was being brutally honest, she couldn’t remember the last time she really laughed at anything. She could blame her hollow existence on this whole ordeal. Was that accurate?

Sure she’d had to lie and keep people at a safe distance in the past two years. What about before then? Her boyfriend, Tom, had wanted to get engaged. Start a family. And yet she’d kept putting off the conversation. Her skin had itched and the air had become thick at the thought of making the two of them more permanent. She’d had to abandon the notion before she could really consider it.

In the past two years, she could’ve been almost anyone or anything she wanted. What had she chosen?

A baker.

Someone who works in the middle of the night when everyone else slept.

Did a little part of her shrink at the idea of becoming close to anyone because of the pain of rejection she still felt with her aunt?

And yet with Nick, everything was different. She didn’t have to lie. She didn’t have to pretend she was someone else. She didn’t have to fake a relationship. He was her new handler. It was his job to keep her safe. He was proving capable of the task. So much so, that she was starting to feel more like herself than she had in months.

But was letting her guard down a good thing?

Before she could get inside her head about what that meant, a dual cab pickup truck pulled up.

Nick braided their fingers. A slow smile spread across his almost too perfect lips. “Our salvation has arrived.”

The passenger’s-side window rolled down, revealing an attractive man in the driver’s seat. Right away she could see the two were related. The driver had the same sturdy, muscular build. He was similar in size to Nick. He had the same nose and smile. Other than that, his hair was lighter and he had dimples when he smiled.

“This is my little brother Luke.” He introduced the two, motioning toward the cab as he let go of her hand to open the door for her.

“Little?” Luke scoffed. He flashed perfectly straight, white teeth. “I’m second-youngest. And way better looking than this guy.”

“Keep believing it, and maybe it’ll be true someday,” Nick grunted. “You’re as modest as ever, I see.”

“Beautiful dog,” Luke said, as Nick coaxed Boomer into the backseat.

“Thanks,” Sadie said. “He’s been pretty brave today.”

Nick pulled himself inside the warm cab after her. She was so cold she couldn’t stop shivering.

“I can see my brother didn’t prepare well enough for this trip. You’re an icicle. What are you trying to do, freeze your witness into testifying?” He cranked up the heat and pulled a blanket from the backseat, spreading it across Sadie’s lap for her. “This should help. Or you could scoot a little closer and I could put my arm around you. You know, body heat and all.” Another show of perfect white teeth greeted her. Luke seemed to be greatly enjoying teasing his brother.

“She’ll warm up fine without your paws on her,” Nick said quickly, folding his arms.

“This is fantastic.” Sadie pulled the blanket to her chin and leaned toward the vent. “Thank you.”

“Where we headed?” Luke put the gearshift in Drive and handed a steaming foam cup to Sadie. “I brought hot chocolate for you.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. This is heaven.” She gripped the drink with both hands and took a sip.

“Take us to the ranch,” Nick said.

Luke cocked a dark brow, looking as though he needed a minute to rationalize the location before he spoke. “Darlin’, do you want the radio on while I talk to my crazy brother?”

“No. I’m fine,” she said. Besides, she wanted to see if sparks were about to fly.

“You just let me know if there’s
anything
I can do for you, you hear?”

Sadie was certain she blushed. Good looks and charm must seriously run in this family. “I will.”

“You didn’t tell me the package I needed to pick up was this beautiful.” Luke chewed on the piece of gum in his mouth.

Being so close to him, Sadie could smell the cinnamon.

Nick made a disgusted noise from his throat. “Don’t you have a girlfriend somewhere?”

Luke didn’t immediately speak. What flashed in his eyes? Hurt? Anger?

An expression crossed Nick’s features that Sadie couldn’t quite put her finger on. Was it regret? Did Nick wish he could take those words back?

She braced herself for more bantering. Instead, Luke’s smile morphed to a serious expression, and he gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Nope. You’re looking at a free man.”

“Lucky for single women everywhere,” Nick said, easing the tension.

She made a mental note to ask about that later.

“Aren’t you on a case?” Nick glanced at Sadie when he said, “Luke works for the FBI.”

“Coffee’s for you, by the way.” Luke held out a cup toward his brother.

Nick took it and held the cup to his lips for a few seconds before he took a sip. “Thanks, man.”

“No problem. I’m around until after Gran’s birthday. Do I need to be checking the rearview or did you ditch the son of a bitch who redecorated your face?” All the charm in his features returned full force.

“Just a couple of bumps and bruises. Nothing permanent, like a bullet hole. I think we walked far enough out of the way. No one should be able to track us.”

Sadie leaned into Nick for warmth.

Luke’s expression turned serious again, all cute playboy disappeared, when he asked, “What are we dealing with here exactly? I take it she’s one of yours in the program.”

Nick nodded. “Except she wasn’t mine before. I inherited her when her handler was killed.”

“And this guy being killed put her at risk?”

“She was relocated two years ago after testifying against Malcolm Grimes and assigned to a marshal by the name of Charlie.”

Luke clenched his jaw muscle. “
The
Malcolm Grimes? One of the biggest crime figures in Chicago?”

“The very one.”

“I read about that case, but I don’t remember you being involved in that one.”

“I wasn’t,” Nick said, taking another sip of coffee. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes for a moment. “That’s good. Really good.”

“Isn’t that case old news?”

“It was until Grimes broke out of jail and her handler was found murdered.”

“That’s not good. Sounds like a mess. And an inside job. Does everyone at the U.S. Marshals Service check out?”

“Nope. This case has a stench so strong even my boss wants away from it just in case our channels of communication are dirty,” Nick said. “A supervisor who was spotted with Grimes’s men has now gone missing.”

“Damn. Okay, so she testified and put the bad guy away. Why come after her now? They have to know the agency would be watching.”

“You’d think. My predecessor relocated her after the trial twice, the last of which was to a small town where she should’ve been able to live out her life in peace.”

“Until her man breaks out of jail and comes after her with reinforcements.”

“Exactly,” Nick agreed. “Possibly with her handler’s help. And, worst-case, a supervisor’s.”

“That stinks to high heaven.”

“Don’t I know.”

“And you think you can help her if...” Luke let his sentence die. He was silent for a minute, chewing on more than his gum. “Even so, taking her to the ranch?”

“I know what you’re about to say.”

“Then you know you can’t break protocol. Not even to keep her safe. And you also know I mean this in the best possible way. God knows I invented doing things on my terms. But stashing her with us? Not a good idea.” Luke turned to Sadie and said, “No offense.”

“None taken. I agree with you,” she said.

“True,” Nick interjected. “Here’s the thing. Everywhere I take her, these guys show up. They’re barely a half step behind. The man power they have is staggering. I thought about staying on the run. And I can. But what do I do when I need to investigate a lead? Leave her exposed, alone in a hotel room? I don’t have backup on this. And these guys are one step behind me out in the open like this.”

“From the looks of your face, they’ve been catching you, too.”

Nick pressed the heel of his right hand to his forehead. “It’s been a problem.”

“What about your boss?”

“He told me to go on Graco protocol, which basically means do whatever it takes as long as it’s legal.”

“I can see your problem. No one in the agency knows about the ranch.”

“I’ve thought about every other possibility. The ranch is the only place I can keep her safe while I find Grimes. I can’t leave her vulnerable in some random motel. I need backup I can trust, which means no one from my agency. I’m counting on you guys. I need everyone’s help on this.”

Luke didn’t hesitate. “You know I have your back. I have a hot case but you have every other minute of my time.”

“Chasing corporate spies again?”

“Nah. I got a serial killer on the loose in The Metroplex.”

“The one in the media? Ravishing Rob?”

Luke rocked his head. “He’s my guy.”

“I appreciate your offer of help, little bro. I’ll get back to you on that. Let’s get through the next few days, and we’ll see where we’re at after Gran’s party. You’ve got an important case of your own to work on.”

“Nothing’s too important for family. Besides, I’m a half hour outside The Metroplex on the ranch.”

“Don’t you mean forty minutes?”

“Not the way I drive.”

The two bumped fists. Sadie’s heart filled with warmth at the obvious affection these brothers had for each other. Their love came through even when they teased each other. And they were taking care of her, too. Not even Tom did that and she’d almost married him. Heck, when she’d caught a cold that turned into pneumonia, she’d asked if he could pick up her medication from the pharmacy and bring soup. He didn’t show up for hours. When he finally came through the door, she was exhausted and in tears.

He’d asked what was wrong.

She’d said she was starving and had waited for him.

He’d given her a shocked look and had said, “You know I always play poker with the boys on Thursdays.”

Where her relationship with Tom lacked in spark, he made up for in dependability—and he could be depended on as long as she didn’t ask him to upset his normal routine. She’d also learned that depending on others was the fastest way to get her heart broken.

Sadie didn’t let herself go there about how nice it would be to have a family supporting her. At least she had Boomer.

“You know I appreciate it,” Nick said.

Luke glanced at Sadie. “Sounds like a mess. But don’t worry, darlin’. I’ll do what this guy can’t. Keep you safe.”

“I’d be dead already if it weren’t for him.” She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to defend him against his brother’s teasing. Or why her heart squeezed when Nick smiled his response.

Luke cocked an eyebrow. His gaze shifted from Sadie to Nick and back. He placed his wrist on top of the steering wheel and drove.

Sadie leaned her head back.

She woke with a start, and realized she was still in the pickup.

“Sorry about the bumps. Need to fill the potholes. Gran ran out of gravel, so more’s on the way,” Luke said.

Nick’s eyes opened, and his hand came up to his forehead. Using the heels of his hands, he pressed against his eyelids. “Means we’re home.”

“I must’ve fallen asleep.” She stretched and yawned. “It’s been a long night.”

She couldn’t see much except for shrubs lining the winding path. “I’ll be okay. Just need a boost of caffeine and then we can talk through our next steps.”

“Your immediate future holds a hot shower and warm bed.”

And leave her out of the important stuff? No way. “You have to let me help. It’s my life we’re talking about here.”

Nick started to protest, but she cut him off. “Look. I listened to the Marshals Service before and, with all due respect, I’m on the run again with no home and men chasing me with guns. I deserve to be included in any plans that involve me and my life. Clear?”

Nick emphatically shook his head.

Luke parked the truck and deadpanned his brother. “The lady has a point.”

“Damn right,” she said, grateful for the support. “And if you don’t let me be part of the solution, then I’m out of here first thing in the morning. I’ll figure out my own way. I can hide. I’ve gotten pretty good at it.” She wasn’t stupid enough to follow through on the threat. Her options were nil. She had no other leverage.

“Not a good idea. Promise me you won’t disappear on me,” Nick said. The worry in his tone almost shredded her resolve.

She had to be strong. Depend on him and she might as well roll up the tent because as soon as this assignment was over, he’d be gone. And she’d be left to pick up the pieces of her life again. Alone.

She glanced at Boomer.

Not completely alone. At least she had man’s best friend as comfort. He’d shown himself to be not only a dedicated companion but a force to be taken seriously, as well. No more Scooby Doo nickname for this guy. His new moniker would be Cujo.