Shoot Out (The Baltimore Banners Book 7) (4 page)

Mat glanced down at his phone, debating if he should reply to the text or just delete it. He could always say he never got it. He didn't think that excuse would go over well, not since Derek and Kenny both were texting him.

He put the phone on silent and tossed it into the cup holder then shifted in the seat. If he was smart, he'd leave and head over to The Maypole. Grab a bite to eat, maybe a quick drink, then go home. It wasn't like he had anything else to do, not until the golf game tomorrow morning with Ian, JP and Derek.

He was half-tempted to cancel. If Bridget told Derek that he asked about Nicole, asked when she'd be at the hospital, he'd never live it down. Derek would read him the riot act and tell him he was acting like an obsessed fool. And if JP found out, he'd never hear the end of it—especially after he accused JP of being a stalker last year.

What was he doing now, if not stalking?

The reality hit him, making him feel like a fool. He was sitting in his car outside the hospital, hoping to catch a glimpse of a woman he didn't even know. And he had accused JP of being a stalker?

Mat glanced at his watch then leaned forward and hit the ignition switch. The engine rumbled to life before smoothing out under him. He was leaving, just going straight home. He wasn't in the mood to socialize, didn't want to hang out with his teammates and their wives and girlfriends.

Didn't want to feel the like fifth wheel again.

He put the car in reverse and packed away from the curb, his mind only partially focused on the traffic. It was still rush-hour, still hot and humid with the sun beating down on asphalt and concrete and brick. Mat leaned forward and cranked the AC to high, thankful that he wasn't walking outside in the heat like so many others. The foot traffic was almost as heavy as the vehicle traffic. Not surprising, since this area wasn't exactly a prime location in downtown Baltimore. At least, not from what he could see, not if the vacant, boarded-up rowhomes meant anything.

The car in front of him squealed tires, shooting out into the intersection before making a hasty right. Mat slammed on his own brakes in reaction and muttered under his breath. It was supposed to be a no-turn-on-red light but the idiot in front of him apparently didn't care and had damn near caused an accident.

And wouldn't that just top off his night? It would be no less than what he deserved for stalking. He shook his head and muttered to himself again, his attention still focused on the car that had been in such a hurry to make the turn.

It was stopped off to the side now, not quite at the curb, gray exhaust pouring from the rusted tailpipe as traffic tried to get around him. Mat watched, wondering what the driver was doing, why he was stopped like that and making traffic either stop or go around him. More horns blared, the sound harsh even through the closed windows. Mat could see the silhouette of the driver leaning across the seat, knew without really hearing that he was shouting something to the group of people walking along the sidewalk. The car pulled ahead another few feet, almost getting hit by a truck that was trying to pass.

Why didn't the idiot just keep going instead of blocking traffic? Or move up ahead where there were no cars parked along the curb?

A horn blared behind him and Mat looked up, saw that the light was now green. He absently waved and pulled out, trying to make the right turn. But the other car was still sitting there, still blocking traffic. Mat inched a little closer, his gaze darting to the side mirror to look for a break in traffic so he could go around. He started to move then hit the brakes as another car zoomed around him.

"Damn. Really dude?" He blew out a deep breath and clenched his jaw. Yeah, this was no more than what he deserved. If he had gone out with Kenny and Derek, he wouldn't be stuck in this mess.

If he had just stayed home, he wouldn't be stuck in this mess.

But no, he had to go acting like some crazed lovesick fool and try tracking down a woman he didn't even know. Idiot. Nicole obviously didn't want to stay in contact—she would have left a phone number or a note or something. It had been a month already since that night in New Orleans. Kenny was right, he just needed to let it go.

And yeah, he really did need to let it go because he could swear that woman standing near the curb looked exactly like Nicole. Mat squeezed his eyes shut then opened them, glancing at the traffic to his left then back at the woman by the curb. It wasn't her, he knew that. But he wanted to look again, just in case.

Just as he thought, it wasn't Nicole.

Except it was.

He slammed on the brakes and leaned forward, squinting to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

No, it was definitely Nicole. She looked different, dressed in skin-hugging ripped denim capris and some kind of flowing shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and a frayed backpack was slung over her left shoulder. He couldn't see her eyes because they were hidden behind large sunglasses. But he could see her frown. Not just a frown—she looked angry. And maybe even a little frightened as she shook her head and stepped away from the curb.

Mat still had his windows up and couldn't hear, but he was pretty sure the idiot in the car in front of him—the one that was blocking traffic—was shouting something to her. She shook her head and moved away, walking up the sidewalk. The car followed her, moving slow enough to keep up, slow enough to still make a mess of the traffic.

Mat clenched his jaw and moved forward, no longer caring about the other cars. His focus was completely on Nicole and the car following her. Was somebody giving her a hard time? Yeah, from the look on her face—a frown changing to worry—somebody was. Who the hell was it?

Did it matter?

No, it didn't.

Mat glanced to his left then gunned the engine, pulling out into traffic. Horns blared and tires squealed as cars hit their brakes but he didn't care. He pulled forward, darting in front of the car that was following Nicole, and hit the brakes one more time. He opened the door and put one foot on the ground, partially stepping out of the car.

"Nicole!"

She paused, confusion marring what he could see of her face as she looked toward him. She shook her head then kept walking, her steps faster now. The car behind him, the one following her, moved forward again. Mat scowled, wondering if the idiot was going to keep going or if he was going to stop before hitting Mat's car.

The car lurched and the driver leaned on the horn. Mat couldn't really see who was driving, not with the late sun reflecting off the dirty windshield. But he didn't care. He turned back to Nicole and pulled off his sunglasses, hoping she might more easily recognize him if he did.

"Nicole!"

She stopped again, her right hand coming up and grabbing the strap of her bag, like she was trying to secure it before taking off running. And damn, he didn't mean to scare her.

Scare her more, that is. Because she
was
scared. He saw it on her face, in the slight tightening of her features when she glanced over her shoulder at the car behind her then back at him.

He didn't know if their eyes actually met or not. It felt like it, but that could just be his imagination. But he knew when she recognized him, saw her body relax just the smallest bit as something like relief crossed her face.

"It's Mat." And what did it say about him that he felt the need to tell her his name? Yeah, he remembered her, remembered that night…but he couldn't be sure she did.

A horn blared again, the sound ending on a dying squeal. He glanced back at the car behind him then looked over at Nicole. "Did you need a ride or something?"

She didn't even hesitate, just stepped off the curb and made a beeline for his car. Mat hit the button for the power lock at the last minute, just before she pulled on the handle. The car behind them blared the horn one last time then shot out into the traffic, damn near causing another accident. Mat jumped back, wondering if he had come as close to being hit as he thought, or if it was just his imagination.

He climbed back into the car and shut the door, hurriedly buckling his seatbelt as he eased his way into the now-moving traffic. His heart beat a little harder, a little faster, and he wasn't sure why. Because of the car that had been following Nicole? Because he was worried about her? Or because she was finally here, sitting next to him?

He didn't let himself think about the other option—that she had gotten in his car only to get away from whoever was following her. Mat didn't think he possessed an excessive ego, not even on the ice, but the idea that he was the lesser of two evils didn't sit well with him. So no, he would try not to think of it that way.

He glanced over, noticed that Nicole was sitting up straight, maybe a little stiff. She faced forward, her arms wrapped tightly around the backpack, like she was afraid of losing it or something. He cleared his throat, afraid of startling her, then motioned to her lap when she looked over.

"You, uh, forgot your seatbelt."

"Oh. Sure, no problem."

And Christ, he was a fucking idiot. He'd been thinking about the woman next to him for a month and the first words out of his mouth were about her seatbelt? Yeah, maybe the guys were right for calling him Saint Mat.

He cleared his throat and tightened his hands around the steering wheel. "So. Was that guy giving you a hard time or something?"

Nicole didn't answer right away, just gave him a quick glance before turning her attention straight ahead again. Mat knew she heard him, though, because she stiffened just the slightest bit. A full minute went by before she shook her head.

"No. I mean, not really. Um, no, it's all good."

She was lying. Or maybe she just didn't want to tell him. Maybe she thought it really wasn't his business. If that was the case, she was right—it really wasn't. But that didn't mean he didn't want to know, didn't mean that he couldn't help her if she needed it.

"Was he your ex?"

Nicole whipped her head around so fast that Mat was surprised she didn't hurt her neck. He still couldn't see her eyes, not behind those large sunglasses, but he could tell she was definitely surprised. Her mouth dropped open, forming a small
O
, and he heard the swift intake of her breath in the silence that followed his question.

The silence that filled the car with a heavy weight, bearing down on him. He probably shouldn't have said anything.

"You, uh, know about him?" Her voice was just above a squeak, hesitant and surprised. Mat looked away, forcing himself to study the traffic in front of him instead of the woman next to him. Maybe if he didn't look at her, she'd be more comfortable. Yeah, he definitely shouldn't have said anything.

"Bridget mentioned something about him. Um, that next morning. In New Orleans." Smooth. Real smooth. He hadn't meant to bring that night up, didn't want her to get the wrong idea. Like maybe he was looking for another night. Not that the thought hadn't crossed his mind once or twice or a hundred times. But that's not why he tried looking for her. And great, now she was shifting in the seat, like she was suddenly uncomfortable. And was her face turning just a little pink? He couldn't tell—

"The light's green."

Mat jerked his attention back to the traffic and muttered to himself before hitting the gas. Maybe a little too hard, because the car shot forward a little too fast. He eased off the gas and readjusted his grip on the steering wheel.

"Yeah, that was my ex. I'm not sure how he—" Nicole's mouth snapped shut and she shook her head, obviously thinking better of saying whatever she had been going to say. She shifted again, tossed a quick glance his way, then looked out the window. "I guess I should have told you. That night, I mean. I didn't think it made a difference, though—"

"No. No, it didn't. Doesn't." Mat shook his head and cleared his throat. No, it didn't make a difference, not anymore. Not when he knew the mystery guy was really her ex and not actually still married to her.

Some of the tension seemed to leave her. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part. But she shifted in the seat once more, turning the smallest bit so she was partially facing him now instead of staring straight out the window. He glanced over and gave her a smile, then looked back at the traffic crawling forward in front of them.

"Thank you, by the way. For the ride."

"Yeah, no problem."

"I guess that was pretty lucky for me. You showing up like that, I mean."

Mat nodded but didn't say anything. Better for her to think it was just luck. He sure as hell didn't want her to find out he'd been stalking her, trying to get a chance to see her again.

"So what are you doing in this neighborhood, anyway?"

"Oh. I, uh—I mean…" Great, now what? He didn't want to lie to her, but how could he tell her the truth? He frowned, trying to come up with a good answer, but she kept talking.

"Did you have a doctor's appointment or something?"

"Um—"

"That was too personal, I'm sorry. It doesn't matter. It was just lucky that you were there."

Mat released the breath he'd been holding, grateful that he hadn't been forced to answer, grateful that Nicole had kept on talking. Although he didn't quite remember Nicole being such a fast talker before. Of course, they hadn't been doing much talking in New Orleans. Not really.