His name trembled on her lips; she fisted her hands to keep from reaching out to him. She didn’t want to let him go, but she needed distance. Having him close clouded her thinking. She managed a hoarse “I’ll meet you in the lobby at seven.”
Without turning back, he went through the door. As soon as she heard it click close, she dropped onto the bed. Emotions she hadn’t allowed herself to feel for years had sprung to life, but they blended with new anger and hurt.
Not only had Seth lied by omission, he had made decisions for her. How could she forgive something like that? Hugging herself, she rocked back and forth, dealing with information she’d never expected and another blow to her fragile, never-healed heart.
She’d faced everything else in her life with fortitude and determination, confident in her path. Seth was the only person she’d allowed herself to be vulnerable and open with. And look where that had gotten her.
Sighing, she pulled herself up and straightened her shoulders. All of these rampaging emotions would have to wait. She had a job to do. Letting personal issues get in the way went against everything she believed in.
She changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth, and washed her face, all without allowing herself to think about Seth. Then, taking the files she wanted to review one more time, she settled into bed. Files on her lap, she forced her mind into career mode. She had taken this job to save lives … that was what she would damn well do. Seth and his lies would have to take a backseat.
Self-lecture over, Honor opened the first file and began to read.
nine
Seth stood in the lobby, waiting for Honor to appear. She was late. He’d already checked out of his room and put his bags in the car. He would’ve knocked on her door and asked if she wanted him to take her luggage down, too, but figured she’d just as soon cram her suitcase down his throat as put it in the car.
Last night, after he’d walked away from her, he’d gone for a run. Their heated encounter required more than just going back to his room and ordering room service. Clearing his head and releasing the pent-up, explosive emotions surging through him had been a necessity.
That kiss had been ill-advised, stupid, and the best thing that had happened to him in five years. He never should have followed her to her room, but seeing the hurt in her eyes when she’d gotten up from the table had been too painful to just let go. He’d told himself he was going to apologize again, like that was going to make a damn bit of difference. Instead, he’d pushed her into her room and attacked her mouth like a marauding pirate after the sweetest of treasures. He was lucky she hadn’t slugged him.
She had responded. Oh hell and damn, had she responded. Her passion and need had been so hot, she’d almost blown his head off. And being the prick he was, he hadn’t tried to soften the kiss, romance her and tell her how good it felt to be with her again. Oh no, not horny Seth. He’d immediately started taking her clothes off. If she hadn’t stopped him, he would have been inside her in seconds.
Seth closed his eyes and ground his teeth till his jaw ached. Just what he needed, a Texas-sized hard-on in the middle of a busy hotel lobby.
He glanced at his watch again. Five more minutes and he was going up after her. So she was only seven minutes late, but for Honor, that was unheard of … not like her at all. She was the consummate professional. Her tardiness was just one more indication of how badly he had hurt her. The shimmering tears in her eyes had haunted him all night long. Sleeplessness had been a way of life for the last few years, but it had been necessary. Never knowing when Hector might learn the truth, Seth had never let his guard down.
Last night, the sleeplessness had been for a different reason. He had known he’d hurt her but never realized just how much.
A soft sound behind him had him whirling around. Dressed in another black pantsuit, this time with a dark orange blouse, Honor looked both beautiful and coolly composed. The serene expression on her face seemed to be etched in ice.
She gave a small nod. “Sorry I’m late. I just got off the phone with Anna Bradford’s father. He’s going to meet us at Anna’s mother’s house. They’re going to talk to us together.”
Good. That saved him from having to rent another vehicle to go to the next town over. “You had breakfast?” he asked.
“Yes. Have you checked out?”
The polite, frigid conversation set him even more on edge. Seth nodded and reached for her bags. “I’ll put these in the back with mine.”
She’d been holding the bags in her hands, but when he went to grab them, she let them drop to the floor. The message was obvious:
Don’t touch me
.
Regret a bitter taste in his mouth, he picked them up and said quietly, “Ready?”
She gave a stiff nod and walked toward the sliding glass doors that led outside.
“Honor.”
She turned around. With that blank, polite mask firmly in place, her brow slightly arched, she silently waited.
“I’m a prick.”
Several gasps a few feet away told him he’d made that admission much too loudly in a lobby filled with families. Ignoring them, he kept his eyes locked on hers, waiting for a crushing insult or even another cold shoulder. What he got was Honor Stone at her best.
Her mouth curved and a slight twinkle came back into her eyes as she said, “They say admitting the problem is the first step.”
Admiration vying with the sinking reminder of what he’d given up, Seth followed her out the door.
Honor took the keys Seth held out at her request. Driving would keep her hands occupied, since she alternated between wanting to punch him for his arrogance and to caress him because … well, because he was so damned caressable.
His admission of being a prick had softened her defenses. She wasn’t a pushover, but why did the man have to be so charming when she still had a major, completely justified mad going on?
This morning, she’d woken prepared to have the minor pity party she’d delayed. Then her eyes had caught sight of the files she’d reviewed late into the night. Each one represented a missing girl. Like magic, her weepy, self-serving tears had dried up. How dare she have a meltdown over something that happened five years ago, when these young women, if they were even still alive, were going through hell?
Missing dinner last night had left her with a massive hole in her stomach. After dressing for the day, she’d gone down to the hotel restaurant and had breakfast. And since she’d walked out of the restaurant after she’d ordered last night, she had apologized to the manager and offered to pay. She’d been assured that it had already been taken care of by her handsome dinner companion.
Turning left at the entrance to the interstate, she was more than aware of that handsome man beside her. He had been silent since they’d gotten into the car, probably figuring he’d said enough last night. That had been the sketchiest of details. Today, she wanted facts—all of them.
Keeping her eyes straight ahead, she said quietly, “Okay, I’m ready.”
He didn’t even pretend to not know … he just started talking. “Not long after I joined the force, I did a short undercover stint. Turns out I was good at it. I was cocky, sure of myself, thought I could handle anything. When they offered me the opportunity to bring down the elusive Hector Clemmons, it was like being offered the Triple Crown. Take down a murdering son of a bitch, impress my superiors, and feed my ego.
“We started the ruse with me being under suspicion for taking bribes. Nothing major … just enough to taint my reputation, have people question my ethics. And then I supposedly resigned under pressure.”
“What about the restaurant? You said the department helped you set that up—that took some serious cash, didn’t it?”
“Yeah, but it was actually something I’d always wanted to do. I told you my mom taught all of her kids how to cook. I’d always thought if I hadn’t decided on being a cop, I’d like to own a restaurant.” He shrugged. “The department put up half the cash … I paid them back with interest within a year.”
She shot him another look, this one of surprise. “Wait a minute. You were looking at opening another one when we were together.”
“Yeah. The department only set up the first one. Turns out I really enjoyed it. I ended up owning three.”
“And Clemmons?”
“He was scum, but he also had some legitimate businesses. One of those was importing gourmet foods. I started slow with him. He knew I’d been a cop, so he was even more suspicious. The taint of me being a dirty one helped, but it was slow going, earning his trust.”
“And the murder charge?”
For the first time since they’d been talking, he hesitated. She might be furious with him for his deceit, but she knew Seth. He wasn’t a murderer. And then it hit her. “It was because of me, wasn’t it?”
“Hector heard about you. Stupid of me to think I could keep my private life private. Bill, my handler, warned me. I didn’t listen. Hector made some comments about you. Started asking questions. We knew we were going to have to do something to throw him off track.” He shrugged. “And then Monty Jenkins just kind of fell into our hands.”
“How’s that?”
“He was the low man on Clemmons’s ladder. Got caught stealing some goods; Clemmons fired him but, surprisingly, didn’t seek retribution. Jenkins’s landlady found him in his apartment, dead from a heroin overdose.”
“And the gunshot?”
“Never happened. The landlady only saw the bottom part of his body. She called the cops immediately, so she didn’t know how Monty died. We invented the neighbor hearing the gunshot, the one who also saw me leaving the apartment. But we let Hector think I killed Monty as a way to prove myself to him and show my loyalty.”
“Then, I’m assuming Hector was the one who came to your rescue in jail?”
“Yeah. Worked just like we planned. Hector put up my bail. And then, as you know, the charges were dropped.”
“But what about the dead guy’s family? How did they—”
“Fortunately for us, Monty didn’t have a family. And even more fortunately, Hector never asked to see the body. He not only posted my bail, he also paid the coroner to say it was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Or, rather, Clemmons thought he paid the coroner to say that.” His mouth moved in a tight smile.
“So the coroner was in on your plan, too?”
“Yeah, my captain had a long talk with him. He was getting close to retirement … planned to move away anyway. Though he was in no real danger. Clemmons fell for it like a dream.”
“What about your family?”
Even without looking at him, she knew he stiffened … could sense the tension in his body.
“What about my family?”
“Did they know any of this?”
“Not until it was over.”
“So they …”
“Pretty much disowned me way before Clemmons went down. The only way we could get this to work was for everyone, including my family, to think this was all legit. And it was the only way to ensure their safety. If Hector had thought he could use my family against me, he would have. I made it clear to everyone that I wanted nothing to do with them. It worked just liked we’d planned; the entire family backed away from me completely. My mom held out the longest, but even she stopped trying to see me after a while.
“Of course, when they found out I was actually on the right side of the law, they got pissed for a whole new reason.”
“But they forgave you, right?”
“Most of them have … things are still strained, though.”
“With Clemmons dead, they can tell others. Right?”
Seth shrugged. “Too little too late.”
“But your brother asked for your help.”
“Kelli was missing a week before he even called me. The only reason he did it then was because he thought I might have some connections that could help them.”
“But why didn’t someone else in the family let you know?”
“I asked the same question when I went home. My mother thought Joel had called me right after it happened.” He turned toward the window, but she could see his jaw working as he added, “I don’t think any of them believe I’m someone they can depend on to help anymore.” He shrugged. “Years of trying to defend a scumbag relative took its toll on everyone.”
“I’m sorry, Seth.”
She could feel his surprise even before he said, “Hell, Honor. You have as much right to be angry as they do.”
“I didn’t say I’m not mad anymore. But I know what your family means to you.”
He gave a stiff nod of acknowledgment, and she wasn’t surprised he changed the subject. “What about your family? Your parents still living in Virginia?”
“Not anymore. My mom didn’t want to stay there after my dad died.”
He twisted around to face her. “Your father died? I’m sorry, Honor. I know how much you loved him.”
Swallowing the lump that always accompanied talking about her dad, she said, “Thanks. It was a shock for all of us. He went on his regular run one morning and just dropped dead. Aneurysm.”
“When did he die?”
“A few years ago.”
Recognizing evasiveness in her too brief answer, he asked, “When?”
“A few weeks after you and I broke up.”
Seth blew out a sigh. So he’d broken her heart and then she’d lost her father not long afterward. Was it any wonder that she hated him? “How’s your mom doing?”
“She’s been the rock in our family forever, so pretty much the same now. It was hard at first. They had so many plans.”
“And your brother?”
“Got another six months left in Afghanistan. Then we’re hoping he’s stateside for good.”
“Wasn’t your sister-in-law pregnant when we were together? They have any more kids?”
“They have none. Marla lost the baby and suffered some complications. She can’t get pregnant.”
“God, that’s tough.”
She threw him a tight smile. “Lots of things can happen in five years.”
“Guess so.”
“So what are you doing now … do you still work for Houston PD?”
“No, after Clemmons was arrested, I left.”
“What about your restaurants?”
“Sold them.”
“And?”
“Moved to a little island south of Key West.”
She shot him another look, her eyes now dancing with laughter. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Because my mom moved to Sarasota a few years ago. Her sister lives down there. When I was visiting her not long ago, we went to Key West for the weekend.”
What would he have done if he’d been walking down the street and had seen Honor? Hell, what would she have done? Shoot him? No, but she probably would have wanted to.
“So if you’re no longer a cop, what do you do now?”
“Not much of anything. Fishing, diving. Bought a boat, rent it out some. Teach scuba diving.”
“Sounds … peaceful.”
He snorted. “Sounds boring, I know.” He shrugged. “I needed to get away.”
“Did it help?”
Having no answer he wanted to give, Seth gazed out of the window. What could he say? Nothing had helped, would ever help. Whether he lived in Florida or Texas, the past couldn’t be altered. Forgetting what had happened … not only what he had done, but what he hadn’t done. Hell no, didn’t matter where he lived; that was never going to change.