No disturbances. The perp had probably come in through the front.
“I’m sorry,” Mitch said. “I should’ve scoped out the house before you entered. I let you down. It won’t happen again.”
“The house was locked,” she protested. “How did they—”
“When’s the last time you used the key under the pot?”
She flushed.
“That’s what I figured. You’re a smart woman, Emily. You handled yourself well downtown, but you can’t lower your guard, even on your home turf. Not ever. Now, we have to get out of here.”
He picked his way around the side of the house. His body tensed with awareness, he tugged her near. “Stay close to me.”
Emily’s hand rested lightly against his back. He needed to feel her presence, to know she was safe. He’d rely on his SWAT instincts. Those he could trust. Clearly his detective intuition didn’t make the grade. When he reached the corner, Mitch stilled, listening for any sign, searching for any movement.
She trembled against him. He gave her a comforting squeeze. “Let me check the SUV, and then we’re out of here.”
She nodded, and he did a quick sweep underneath the vehicle. Looked clean, but he gave it a second pass anyway. He couldn’t be too careful. He motioned her toward the vehicle and opened the door. She jumped in, and he slid behind the steering wheel.
Clutching the bag with the photos to her as if they were a lifeline to her memories, she fastened her safety belt.
Within a minute, they were on the road, Mitch on high alert and determined that no one would catch him unaware again.
Emily peeked around. “What are we going to do?”
“First off, I’m hiding you someplace safe. Then we’ll figure out exactly what you’ve stumbled onto. Because it’s big. And worth killing over.”
Emily clutched the bear to her chest. “I should never have asked for your help. I didn’t know it would get this dangerous for you. If you want out, I understand.”
Mitch didn’t like how her words cut him straight through to his heart. He shouldn’t feel so much—except he couldn’t believe that she’d said something so incredibly dense. His anger was about more than just her putting herself in danger. She had him. He was with her all the way. Until she was safe. Until she found out what happened to her son. But she didn’t believe in him.
“I am not going anywhere. Get used to it.”
“But—”
“Subject closed.”
Mitch checked the rear- and side-view mirrors every couple of seconds. The neighborhood streets were abandoned. To his surprise, his Neanderthal declaration seemed to ease the tension in the car rather than ratchet it up. Maybe Emily wasn’t as ready to go it alone as she wanted to appear.
“I wonder if I’ll ever see my home again,” she said, finally breaking the silence.
“I don’t know.” He wouldn’t stop being honest. At least about some things. “If all the bad guys wanted was your research, they got that.”
“The whole thing is so bizarre. Nothing was disturbed in the rest of the house. If we hadn’t gone into the dining room, we wouldn’t even have known.”
“Since they took your research, you either found something or came close to exposing someone. Whoever did this thought you died in the explosion, or else emptied the house right after we left. If he’d succeeded in killing you, the cops wouldn’t have known there was a home invasion or that anything was missing.”
Emily sighed. “Very few people know about the room. If I died, there’d be no one to look for Joshua anymore.”
She shivered, her eyes huge in her pale face.
Mitch’s heart twisted as he thought of just how close she’d come to getting killed on his watch. Again. “I’ll always look, Emily. No matter what.”
She drew out the photo of an infant, gently touching the face. “Perry told me he would find Joshua. He had a lead, and he sounded very confident this time.” She glanced at Mitch. “What was
your
phone call about?”
“Nothing helpful. Tanner letting me know that Ghost is still at large. There have been alleged sightings downtown and one near Sister Kate’s, but nothing concrete.”
“What if we can’t find Ghost? All the evidence was back at my house.”
“Not everything. We didn’t take Perry’s box inside.” Mitch cocked his head. “Our luck could be changing.”
Emily sank into the soft leather seats. “Where are we going? Your place?”
“Not secure enough, especially if there’s a cop informant like Perry said. We’ll head to my brother Noah’s house. He
loaned
us the car. Might as well put us up, too. What he doesn’t know when he’s traveling to every corner of the world won’t hurt him.”
“What if they find us?” she said softly. “I don’t want to cause trouble for you or your family.”
Mitch exited toward Boulder. “Noah’s place is like Fort Knox. Gated community, high-tech alarm system, video surveillance around the perimeter. No one can get in. Not without us being aware.”
“Maybe I should find my own—”
“Do you have somewhere you can go that would be safe?” He said the words gently.
“Sister Kate,” she said, her voice hesitating.
“Not with Ghost on the loose. Besides, the threats on your life started after you began working with Sister Kate’s girls, right?”
Emily nodded.
“Enough said.” Mitch pulled up at a booth to a gated community, and the guard waved him past.
“He let
you
in without showing an ID,” she said.
“I watch Noah’s place when he’s gone. And play with some of his toys. He’s got a killer man cave. Don’t worry. No one else gets in.”
Mitch pulled onto a long drive past a series of oaks and flicked open the SUV’s console. He pressed a remote control and one of five garage doors rose. “I don’t want any sign someone’s home,” he said as the door closed behind them.
He escorted her into the house, past a large interior courtyard with an Olympic-size pool. At her dropped jaw, he laughed. “Yeah, Noah went a little overboard on the decoration. You should see the hot tub. Looks like it’s in the middle of Belize.”
He placed the box they’d taken from Perry’s house on a huge dining table, then started toward the kitchen. “You hungry?”
They could both use some food. And a distraction.
He turned, and Emily held the two photos and the teddy bear with its unique one blue eye and one brown eye tightly in her arms. She looked lost.
“You don’t think we’ll find Joshua, do you? Not really.” She took in a shuddering breath. “I need the truth.”
The vulnerability in her words shook him. He wanted to tell her yes, more than anything. Instead, he settled for the truth. “We have a chance.” He walked to her, then gently tucked some errant strands of hair behind her ear. “And we will explore every lead we find, no matter who wants us to stop. That, I promise you, Emily, is the truth.” He cupped her cheek and looked directly into her eyes, unblinking. “We can relax, have a good meal, do whatever we want. No one will bother us here.”
She nodded as he tugged her toward an overstuffed sofa that looked like it might swallow her up. She settled on the edge, awkward and tense. He rested his hand on her back and circled in slow, deliberate movements. Her back stiffened, muscles tightening, but she didn’t pull away.
“We’re safe here? Really?” she asked.
Mitch nodded. “Yes.”
“I could use a shower....” Her voice trailed off. “Except I don’t have clothes or a nightgown or a toothbrush. Or anything.” She looked at Mitch. “I feel like I’m drifting…rudderless,” she said finally.
Mitch couldn’t bear it. He reached for her hand and held it tight. “Look at what’s happened in the past two days. Most people would’ve broken, but you’ve been astonishing. Strong. Tough.”
She pulled away from him. “I don’t feel tough. I feel as if I could shatter into a million pieces. That’s not like me. I need to pull it together.”
Mitch leaned toward her and twisted the soft strands of her hair, taking in the dark circles beneath her cobalt eyes, the strain around her mouth, the tension in her neck. “You need food and sleep.”
He brushed his thumb against the soft skin of her temple, and she closed her eyes.
“Not yet,” she whispered. “Can you just…be with me…quietly for a minute? ’Til I relax.”
He shifted and lay down on the huge soft cushions with her tucked against him. “Like this?”
With a sigh, she sagged against him, her softness pressed close. “Yes.”
They lay there silently for several minutes. He relished just holding her. Any other time, he would’ve been desperate to kiss her, to have her beneath him, passionately holding him, but he simply studied her features and enjoyed the feel of her against him.
How long had it been since he’d cuddled next to a woman and said absolutely nothing? How comfortable. How strange.
And yet, intense desire throbbed just beneath the craving he now had for her. One touch, one kiss, one seductive glance and his instincts would take over.
He shifted his hips away from her so she wouldn’t feel the power of his desire. She didn’t need anything but to feel safe.
She opened her eyes and stared at him.
“I’ve thought a few times that you might kiss me,” she said softly.
“Have you wanted me to?”
“Sometimes,” she said. “But my emotions are all over the place. I’ve been alone so long, I’m not sure I remember how to handle any of this. Or to know if you’re even interested in me.”
He shifted his body, and her eyes widened as he let her feel his need. “Don’t ever doubt that I want you, Emily.”
Nervous, she raised her hand to his cheek. “You need a shave. That will tickle.”
“Let’s check.” Mitch nuzzled her neck, and she giggled. Within moments, her laughter gave way to sighs as he let his lips softly explore her jaw, her cheek, until his lips finally found hers. His body sang as she opened to him and he delved inside, exploring her sweet honey. It was as if he’d been waiting to taste her for his entire life.
She eased beneath him, and his hips settled into the cradle of her.
He raised his head and stared into her eyes. She wanted him, but something made him pull away.
He touched her hair and closed his eyes and the silky strands slid through his fingertips. With a gentle kiss he rose from the couch and held out his hand.
“The shower’s down the hall, second door on the right. Go.”
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No, Emily, and I don’t want to, either, so take a hot shower. I’ll take a cold one.”
Her gaze dropped down his body, and he knew he couldn’t hide his reaction to her. Her cheeks blossomed, and she quickly headed for Noah’s hallway.
“Mitch?” she said, turning back to him. “I still don’t have anything to wear.”
“I’ll find some of my sister Sierra’s clothes and leave them beside the door. Towels are in the bathroom.” He nodded toward the guest room. “Go on. Afterward, help yourself to whatever is in the fridge. I’ll probably soak in the hot tub for a while.”
“Okay. Thanks.” Emily’s gaze slid southward again, triggering another response from Mitch, and she all but ran down the hall.
Cursing his suddenly chivalrous streak, Mitch turned away. He could’ve seduced her. Why hadn’t he? She could be beneath him right now, writhing under his caress. He knew how to please a woman, make her want him, make her glad she’d spent the night with him as her lover. And he’d pushed her away. Why?
Because she’s not ready.
And she’s not a woman to make love to for fun. She was a forever kind of woman.
Off-limits. Unless he wanted more.
He clutched at his leg and massaged the sore thigh muscle. He couldn’t want more. Not until he was whole again.
Not until he discovered who was after her. Not until he found her son.
Not until he could tell her the truth.
From the guest room, a shower turned on. Emily was in there, undressed, wet, waiting. And off-limits.
E
MILY LET THE
STEAMING
water sluice over her, relaxing her neck, her back, her arms. Finally, she’d eliminated the smell of burning plastic from her nostrils. As she soaped her body, she remembered Mitch’s hands on her, his gentle touch, his tenderness.
He was a good man. She’d seen the flare of desire in his eyes, but he’d let her take the lead. Part of her wished he hadn’t. What if he’d simply stripped away her clothes and seduced her with all of the skill she knew he possessed.
She would have melted in his arms. She knew it.
And maybe regretted it. Something he’d been fully aware of. So, he’d hidden his passion with sensitivity, and doing so made her heart race for him all the more.
She stepped out of the shower and wrapped her body in a towel. When she entered the guest room, several sets of jeans, turtlenecks and sweaters had miraculously appeared on the satin-covered bed, along with a nightshirt. The idea that Mitch had been that close to her while she’d been naked in the shower did funny things to her stomach. What would she have done if he’d opened the bathroom door and come in? Would she have been brave enough to open the curtain? Ask him to join her?