Renewed Faith (CSA Case Files 3 / Military Romance) (11 page)

“I don’t know, Kevin!” Elle’s voice had risen enough to let Kevin know he’d pushed her as far as she was going to go today. As anticipated, her armor cracked just enough for him to get a glimpse of the uncertainty that lay just beneath the surface. Her voice lowered to almost a whisper, although not once did she let on that she couldn’t handle the reality that he’d pounded home. “I don’t know what this means. Maybe it’s my way of repaying you. Maybe I’m being selfish and I want to be able to say that the slate is wiped clean after this. Will it lead to friendship? I think we’ll both see that I don’t fit into your life, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be given an understanding of how each other works. Just let me do this for you, without question or judgment. One day at a time.”

Kevin felt the turmoil rise up inside of him. The rational side of his brain told him to drop Elle back at the club on his way out of town and they could deal with this at a more appropriate time. Handling his grandfather’s death was going to be tough enough. He shouldn’t be heaping on this type of emotional shit, but he knew he’d already made his decision. He’d let her come with him. It wasn’t him who would end up regretting it and he hoped like hell they could salvage whatever was left after this.

“I’m not promising anything, city girl.” Kevin reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair that caressed her cheek. A small gasp escaped her lips and he couldn’t wait until the time came when he would claim them. She was entering his neck of the woods and he would do everything in his power to prove just how wrong she was. Fit into his life? She would do more than that. She would belong. “Let’s get on the road.”

Chapter Nine

E
lle tried to settle back comfortably against the black leather seat, but nothing she did felt right. The cab of the truck felt stifling and she’d shed her coat within twenty minutes of the drive. Not sure of what to say, she’d remained silent and let Kevin concentrate on the highway. Her thoughts kept drifting to when he’d tucked her hair behind her ear. His fingers brushing her face felt as if they had seared her skin. Since then she’d made sure that no loose strands from the clip were visible. That kind of tenderness and lure mixed together wasn’t something she could handle.

“You can turn down the heat if you’re hot.”

Elle jumped slightly at Kevin’s voice as it rebounded throughout the truck. His deep tone seemed to up the heat and she was tempted to turn the dial on the dashboard, but knew it was just her. He was the one driving and she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. She shook her head slightly.

“I’m fine.”

“Fine, huh?” Kevin ran the wipers, smearing away the snowflakes that left watermarks on the windshield. He looked her way, but instead of following up their previous uncomfortable conversation, he surprised her by asking her opinion of his house. “You seemed shocked, although I’m not sure why. I told you I lived out in the country.”

“Country,” Elle repeated, feeling a little more at ease with such an artificial topic. “Which means farmhouse. I wasn’t expecting a million dollar home.”

Kevin’s rich laughter vibrated the windows and Elle tensed, ready to take offense. Was he laughing at her? Just because she grew up on the streets didn’t mean she wasn’t aware of how much things cost. She hadn’t been exaggerating. His house was at least that much, if not more so.

“The house didn’t even cost that much, I’m afraid.” Kevin shifted and rested his left arm on the door, keeping both hands on the steering wheel. “It was a run down piece of shit until I got a hold of it. Everything you saw I remodeled with my own two hands. Back home you either do it yourself or barter with neighbors for specialty work such as plumbing or electrical. I’ve got a handle on most of it. I still have the back of the house, but I’ll get to it eventually. Then I’ll start the remodel on the barn.”

If Kevin was talking about the ramshackle of wood that sat off to the right side of his property, then he had a lot of work ahead of him. Had that been the shape of the house too? Elle breathed deeply for the first time in…well, she couldn’t remember. She settled back and let the relaxed atmosphere envelop her. This she could handle.

“Will you sell it when you’re done?”

Kevin’s eyebrows rose as if that wasn’t the question he thought she would ask. If he believed she was going to delve any deeper, he was sadly mistaken. Elle was about to meet his family. Odds were she’d get to know Kevin through them without having to ask him herself and find that he wanted something in return. She reached for the water bottle that he’d supplied her with before they’d gotten on the road.

“No. I take pride that I renovated my home with my own hands. It means something now. Something I can pass on to my children. Who would I be if I didn’t make better the place I call home?”

Elle choked as the water got trapped in her windpipe. The casual way he said the word
children
had surprised her. After a couple of moments where she wasn’t sure she’d ever get oxygen again, she was grateful when he didn’t comment on her reaction.

“Drank too fast,” Elle murmured, placing the bottle back into the console that sat between them. “So how’s the investigation coming along?”

Elle glanced at the clock on the dashboard and she calculated the illuminated green numbers. Four hours and twenty minutes left, if they’d been around five hours out like he’d said. Keeping to non-personal topics wasn’t going to be as manageable as she’d thought.

“Before we delve into that, I think it’s best I forewarn you about my family.” Had Jax not mentioned Kevin’s injury that he’d sustained in Afghanistan, Elle wouldn’t have thought twice when he casually rubbed his right knee. She’d seen him do that from time to time, but never really thought anything about it. If Jax was right about the extent of the damage, she would have thought he’d be in more pain. “My mother and father will dote on you. Just accept it and everything will be fine. As for my three brothers and little sister, they’ll try and see exactly how important you are to me. I have no doubt that you can stand your ground, but you might want to have something at the ready so they aren’t constantly hounding you. My two nieces will finagle a way to get their hands on you for a makeover. As for my nephew, well, he’s only six months old. As long as somebody’s holding him, he’s content. It’s a good thing you have a predilection for sweaters. He’s still on his momma’s breast and he might get overfriendly if you show him yours.”

Elle’s mind tried to keep up and suddenly, the cab of the truck once more felt a little warm. This talk of family meant they’d be in their company quite a bit. She never really thought to ask where they were staying and now it looked as if she might be holing up in a hotel by herself. She quickly calculated what she had in savings. As long as it was only two nights, it was doable. He was making it hard for her not to ask the questions that she wanted and found herself on the losing end.

“Um, you
are
planning to tell them that I’m just a friend, right? Look upon me as a substitute for Ethan. They wouldn’t be asking him those kinds of questions, would they?”

Again, Kevin belted out a laugh. His reaction was starting to irritate her. This wasn’t a funny situation as far as she was concerned. Elle twisted in the seat slightly so that she was facing him. She’d had enough of this playing around.

“Seriously. Your brothers and sister wouldn’t ask something like that about Ethan. So we’ll tell them that I’ve come in his place for emotional support. I really won’t be around them that much, so it shouldn’t be a problem. As for children, I’m sure they’ll be wary of a stranger. I’ll attend the service and anything that might be held afterward in honor of your grandfather. I’m not going to intrude on your family time, so when it’s time to head back home, just swing by my hotel room and pick me up. See? There’s no reason to forewarn me.”

Elle didn’t like the way he was smiling, but she felt like if she continued she’d be prodding a hibernating bear and that just wasn’t on her agenda. He didn’t argue with her, which should have made her feel better, but instead ended up doing the opposite. Regardless if things went smoothly, at least she could say she’d paid it forward. That should give her comfort.

“Can we get back to the investigation? I know Bee was brought in, but not the outcome.” Elle remained with her back more against the door than the seat. She liked being able to study him without him doing the same to her. His gray eyes were focused on the road and she would do what she could to keep the conversation from getting too serious. Talking of the investigation would get his mind off of his grandfather’s death. It was a win-win for both of them. “Rachel shared with me that he’s unhappy his girls are being given an out by Reformation. Throw on the fact that she ratted him out, well, I’m worried about her.”

“Taggart checked into it and is keeping tabs on Bee’s whereabouts. The interview went as expected and according to Bee, he wasn’t anywhere near the warehouse. Until the police can prove otherwise, their hands are tied. As for the other rapes and murders, he can’t pinpoint where he actually was during the time they were committed.” They were behind a semi and it didn’t surprise Elle when Kevin turned his signal on. He was confident in his driving, regardless that the snow was coming down at a faster pace. “I watched the recording of his interview and you’re right. Bee’s not too happy with Eric and Cam Bennett. That’s still not a motive. Why would Bee kill his hard won source of income? There are too many unanswered questions, but as long as he stays away from you, then we won’t have a problem. As it stands, Taggart’s scheduled a patrol car to swing past Reformation every now and then to make sure things don’t escalate. It’s just not in the budget to give Rachel round the clock protection, not that I truly think she needs it. She’s more likely to be talked back into working for Bee, in which case putting herself at risk because of her occupation.”

Elle played with a string that must have come from a snag in her sweater. She spun the white thread, questions circling through her mind. Kevin had hit on a point that she never really followed up on in this last year because she didn’t really want to know the answer. Curiosity was getting the best of her today.

“I was able to get out relatively easy,” Elle admitted, going back to studying his square jaw. He used to have longer hair, but now he kept it short in addition to his sideburns. There was no question that he was a handsome man, along with a very wide protective streak. She’d wondered if that extended to her and was about to find out. “That life…I guess what I’m saying is that Bee isn’t the type to just let his girls walk without doing everything in his power to make them stay. He likes them to be dependent upon him, whether for drugs, money, food, or a place to stay. When I told him I was out, he didn’t say a word. Did you have something to do with that?”

“It depends,” Kevin replied, shooting her a sideways look as if to gauge her reaction. “If it’s going to put further distance between us and make the rest of this trip harder for me than it already is, then I’ll plead the fifth.”

Elle couldn’t stop the small smile from forming on her lips. She could understand why he would think that would be her reaction, but it was far from the truth. What she told Jax earlier that morning hadn’t been a lie. She didn’t mind being given a helping hand as long as she worked damn hard for it. Jax and Connor had given her a chance and she’d repaid them twofold. Kevin had done the same and as far as she was concerned, she was settling a debt with this trip. Upon their return, she was hoping she wouldn’t feel so loaded down with gratitude.

“Pretty.”

Elle found that she was once again studying the little thread she held between her fingers. Her eyes flew to his upon hearing that one word. A heartbeat later, he broke their connection by concentrating on the road. What was pretty? She looked out the windshield, but only saw the snowflakes coming at them like angry hornets.

“Did I miss something?”

“You smiled.”

Elle lost her breath for a moment and she didn’t have the oxygen to reply. She wouldn’t react, for that would defeat the purpose in what this trip was intended for. When he started talking about mundane things, such as why he was a Vikings supporter instead of a Packers fan, she settled back into her seat to enjoy the stories of his youth. Apparently she’d been wrong and Kevin talking about his grandfather was his way of letting go. A niggling of worry that she was learning too much was pushed away as she marveled at what a different life he’d led compared to her. She felt like a sponge that had been on the sand for too long and the water was now just nipping at her edge. Elle soaked it up.