Sweet Seduction Shield (13 page)

"Because,"
Pierce said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over
his chest, "we're going to be grabbing some clothes and necessities
from your flat."

"Is that
wise?" I asked, thinking returning there was a unnecessary risk
right now. "We can make do with what we've got, or purchase
more."

"No need,"
Pierce argued, a sense of finality in his tone. "We'll be in and
out before you know it. Besides, this may be the only opportunity
you'll get to check on things at home for quite some time."

"What does
that mean?" I demanded.

"Exactly what
it sounds like. You'll both be on lock-down here for the
foreseeable future."

I frowned into
my coffee. Just how long did it take to locate one measly
criminal?

"You've got no
leads on McLaren's man?" I asked.

"Nothing
workable," Pierce admitted. "So, grab a bite to eat and we'll make
a trip to Grey Lynn. Ben will be shadowing us, Abi will stay here
with Adam to keep Daisy happy. We'll be back by lunchtime."

It seemed so
easy, but at the same time, it still sounded so unnecessary to me.
Just what was Pierce playing at?

"I'm not
really hungry," I admitted, rather than voice my fears out
loud.

"You need to
eat," Pierce declared. "In two short days you've lost weight."

My eyebrows
lifted at that little observation. How the hell did he notice
that?

"I've watched
you, Marie. You've hardly eaten a thing since you've been here.
Unless you count tequila slammers."

I glared at
him for a moment, then huffed an incredulous breath of air out.

"Of course the
transcripts you've received from your peeping tom security system
here must have helped to determine that," I retorted archly.

Adam snorted
into his coffee and received glares from both Pierce and
myself.

"I'll, ah, go
touch base with Ben, then," Adam suggested.

"Can I come?"
Daisy asked. "Ben said he had more paint for me to use."

"Of course,
Squirt," Adam replied with a big smile. "I reckon he's probably got
even more rooms for you to decorate if we ask him nicely."

"You think?"
she asked excitedly, as she followed the black clad guy from the
room.

Silence
followed their departure. I couldn't look at Pierce, so just stared
at my cooling cup of coffee.

Finally he
broke the tension first.

"I wasn't
lying when I said you need to eat. You have to look after yourself
too, you know, Marie. I watch you chase after Daisy and make sure
she's happy and all right, but you neglect yourself in the
process."

"That's what
parents do," I said softly. He nodded slowly in agreement. "Got any
kids, Pierce?"

"Ah, no."

"Married?"
Where were these questions coming from?

His deep,
intense brown eyes met mine over the rim of his coffee cup.

"No," he said
resolutely, as though marrying was the last thing he'd ever want to
do.

OK.

"So, just
yourself to look after, then," I surmised. "Oh, and all those
members of the public that need protection the likes a police
detective can provide."

"What's your
point, Marie?"

"We all have
something we're prepared to sacrifice ourselves for. I would do
anything to make sure Daisy is happy, safe and well. You'd do
anything to make sure the public is happy, safe and well. I guess
we both have our priorities right."

"Why do I feel
like I'm being judged for the job I am committed to do?" he asked
quietly.

I met his eyes
and held his fierce gaze with one of my own.

"I'm not
judging you," I argued softly. "I'm merely pointing out I
understand your priorities, and letting you know mine."

"Ah," he said.
"And you believe keeping your secret is a priority."

"And you
don't," I pointed out.

Silence.

He didn't look
away, but something shifted in his gaze. I'm not sure if it was
comprehension, or understanding as such. I'm not sure if he
suddenly realised why I couldn't ever let him know what I had done.
But I think he saw me differently in that moment. Realised I wasn't
a pushover. Acknowledged that I had a spine.

And for a
split second I saw that male appreciation again. That look he'd had
that did strange things to my pulse.

Detective
Pierce considered himself a knight in shining armour. He searched
for damsels in distress. It was what he did. But he was also
attracted to my strength right then. Turned on by my willpower and
the priorities that I had set.

I didn't want
a reaction to that light that flicked on in his eyes. I didn't want
to feel drawn to him, more than I already was. For all intents and
purposes, we were on different sides of the law. I'd benefited from
criminal behaviour in the past, through living with Rick when he
worked for Roan McLaren. I'd stolen property; albeit an item owned
by a drug lord, but it had still been theft. Despite my reasons
why.

And now? Now I
withheld evidence in an ongoing investigation. Evidence that could
help the Police put more than just Roan McLaren away for good. It
could help them take down a plethora of criminals, in an assortment
of illegal activities over the course of several years.

Pierce
believed I had a civic duty to divulge my secret.

I believed I
had a parental duty to protect my daughter from harm.

An attraction
of any sort between us was doomed.

I cleared my
throat and picked my still half full cup of coffee up off the
table, taking it to the sink to wash it out. When I turned around
to leave the room, with some confident comment about freshening up
before we headed out on my mind, he was standing right there.
Watching me, seeing right through me.

I sucked in a
startled breath and looked on mesmerised, as his hand lifted slowly
and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. He left his palm rested
on the back of my neck; so hot, so comforting, so intimate... so
right.

"I'm not your
enemy here, Marie. I'm on your side."

I swallowed
thickly, but couldn't find my voice to argue the point or offer a
reply.

He moved
closer, not removing his hand, but bringing his chest within inches
of mine. I had to tip my head up slightly to keep eye contact.

"You are so
single-minded," he murmured. "You've got blinkers on. You can't see
your way out of the forest, for all the trees. Let me help you," he
pleaded, softly. "I swear I'll keep you and Daisy safe."

"Why?" I found
myself asking. For some reason I thought his answer would tell me
what I needed to know.

Was he doing
this because I was a means to an end? The key to having McLaren
locked away for a very long time. Or was there a personal reason
for him insisting he could protect us? For him pushing me beyond
that which a policeman would normally push a witness.

I wasn't sure
what reply I wanted to hear.

His forehead
furrowed slightly, as though he was trying to think of the right
thing to say. Perhaps reading too much into the question, just like
I was. His thumb absently stroked the sensitive flesh on the side
of my neck, making my heartbeat thrum excitedly with every brush
across my skin. He sucked in a deep and slow breath, then gave a
short nod. I think it was to himself, not to me.

"This is what
I do, Marie," he said quietly, but firmly. "This is my job."

And in that instant I knew that was
not
the answer I had hoped to hear.

I let a sharp
breath of air out and then twisted my body away from his, making a
break for freedom. He let me. One quick glance over my shoulder at
him, from the door, and I think he looked as disappointed in
himself as I was, right then.

I left him
leaning against the bench, head tipped towards the floor, scowl on
his face. Contemplating what he'd just said and probably my
reaction to it.

I'd given a
lot away. But damn it! He'd forced my hand. And now we knew.

He was a
cop.

And I was a
means to an end.

I went
straight to Daisy. The need to check on my daughter, to remind
myself of exactly why I couldn't give in to this man, was too
great. For her I had to keep everything close to my chest. For her
safety, and health, and wellbeing, we had to remain out of
McLaren's - or any other criminal's - sights.

Abi and Kelly
were both up and in the penguin painting room. A paintbrush in
everyone's hands as they placed touches onto a four foot high mural
of a King Penguin on the wall.

"Wow!" I said
with not just a little awe. "That looks fantastic."

"Right?" Abi
agreed in a question. "Your daughter has an awesome talent. I'm
commissioning three more for over there," she said, pointing to the
other corner of the same wall.

"I'm in charge
of the iceberg in between," Kelly declared. "They think that's all
I'm good for. Big chunks of frozen rocks, floating in a sea of
blue."

"I'm sure it's not
all
you're
good for, Kels," Adam announced from the doorway with a sexy
smirk.

"Not that
you'd ever know for certain, big man," Kelly shot back.

"Dude," he
exclaimed with mock shock, clutching at his chest. "Low blow."

"And if anyone
has a witty comeback for that, keep it to themselves," Abi
suggested. Yep, she'd make a good mother one day.

I laughed,
despite my emotional turmoil of moments ago. It was so easy to
forget my worries with these women. So easy to pretend we were part
of their world.

"So, you
heading out now?" Adam asked, directing his question to me. "Ben's
just gone to touch base with Pierce, but I think everyone's
ready."

"I'll just go
say good-bye," Abi said, placing her paintbrush on the side of a
can carefully. "Back in a tick."

"Yeah, right,"
Kelly snorted, receiving a flick of the Abi's fingers as she
passed, making dots of blue paint splatter across Kelly's white
t-shirt.

"Agh, I knew
this was a bad idea," Kelly complained.

"Don't worry,
Kels. I can hose you down outside afterwards," Adam offered with a
wink.

I shook my
head. "Are you guys always like this?"

They looked at
each other, shrugged, then both said at the same time, "Pretty
much."

A snort
escaped me before I could stop it, which made Daisy laugh, quickly
followed by Kelly and then Adam. Before long we were all clutching
our stomachs and laughing loudly, only to be interrupted by a
clearing of a masculine throat.

We all swung
around to see Pierce standing at the door looking unimpressed.

"If you're
ready, Marie," he announced, and then left. Nothing else, just a
statement that was definitely not meant to be a query, but rather a
reprimand.

"What's got
his boxers in a knot?" Kelly asked, retuning her attention to the
wall and her iceberg.

I shrugged,
Adam chortled and Daisy said, "He likes Mummy, but Mummy's not
being nice back."

Oh, and there
went the whole idea of keeping my emotional turmoil and the reason
for it out of my daughter’s sight.

"Daisy," I
said in soft reprimand. "What on earth do you mean?"

She huffed out
an exasperated breath, turned her back to her penguin, crossed her
arms over her little chest, while still holding her paintbrush, and
then cocked her hip. Such sass.

"I know he
likes you," she said, lifting her chin in challenge.

"He likes all
of us," I pointed out.

"But he
really
likes
you."

I sighed.
Relationship advice from a five year old?

"It's not what
you think, sweetheart." I took a step towards her to give her a
farewell hug, and she immediately turned her back on me and lifted
her paintbrush to the wall. It hovered over her penguin, as though
waiting for me to act.

I'd never had
Daisy turn away from me before. I'd never experienced my daughter's
disdain. I wasn't quite sure what to do.

I reached out
a hand to touch her hair, but halfway there, hanging in mid-air,
Pierce shouted from the front of the house, "Marie, let's go!"

And I dropped
it, clenched my fist, blinked back tears and whispered instead, "Be
back soon, Daisy-girl. Love you."

Then left the
room before Adam or Kelly could remark on my poor parenting
skills.

I was
fuming.

Pierce hadn't
said a word on the entire trip to my home, and I hadn't remedied
that. He either knew I was mad,
seething mad
, or he was just
as upset as me. But for entirely different reasons.

It wasn't
enough that we were displaced, in danger, fearing for our lives.
But his interest in me had been noticed by my child. Who at five
years old was throwing her first tantrum at her mother. Because
I wasn't being nice back
.

I let a long
frustrated breath of air out and saw Pierce flick his gaze across
to me briefly. His lips flattened into two thin lines.

I curled my
fists in my lap and stared out at the familiar scene that sped by
the car.

Minutes
passed. The silence stretched.

Finally our
flat came into view. Police tape criss-crossed over the doorway. I
hadn't expected that. I sat forward in my seat, my hand coming up
to rest on the dashboard before me, my eyes straining to see what
else had changed since we were last there.

"I didn't know
the Police had been here," I said, stunned.

"Your house
was broken into," Pierce replied quietly from my side. "Forensics
needed to see if the perpetrator had left any evidence behind."

I shook my
head. "But I didn't say you could go do that?"