Security Detail

The door handle shifted, and someone banged against the door as though trying to open it with the force of his body.

He got Kayla to the window.

A gunshot blew a hole in the door beside the handle. Two. Three shots. Four.

“Go!”

He pushed her out.

Kayla landed on the awning, slid to the edge and rolled at the last second. She grabbed the edge and fell as the fringe ripped from the frame and she disappeared out of sight.

The door flew open.

Conner jumped. He tried to land on the awning as softly as possible, but his boots hit the material and went straight through. Conner prayed, for the first time in years, that he wasn’t going to land on top of Kayla. When he hit the concrete, he rolled to disperse the force and bumped into Kayla’s feet.

He looked up at her.

“That looked painful.”

She wasn’t wrong.

Kayla held out her hand, and he took it but didn’t give her his weight as he got up. Then he let go and put his hand on her back to lead her away. He didn’t need Manny and his men seeing them on the street. Just like he didn’t need to know what her hand in his would feel like. Conner could have lived his life without that.

It would have been infinitely easier than knowing for sure now that her skin was soft and smooth and her smaller hand fit in his perfectly. That her warm fingers could lace through his when his were cold. No, he didn’t need to know that. It wasn’t going to be a comfort when he was on the run from Andis.

Conner sighed.

“Where do we go now?” Kayla asked. “I have no wallet, no keys. It’s all in the office. I can’t even get in my house.” She pulled up short on the sidewalk, in the middle, right out in the open. Conner moved her to the alcove of a Laundromat that was closed.

“We’ll figure it out, okay? Let’s just get to my truck.”

The air outside smelled like smoke. Where were the emergency services? Someone had to have called it in, and their call should have been responded to already. Conner didn’t want to believe that the people who were supposed to protect Kayla and the others who lived in this town could be bought. That they’d intentionally allow an innocent to get hurt.

When they started walking again, she took his hand. Conner wanted to shake loose of her hold but he didn’t. Still, she glanced at him. Conner saw it out of the corner of his eye. He couldn’t answer the question that wasn’t voiced. He wasn’t in a position to do that, not when his world was one of lies and distrust that could get him killed, all for the sake of justice.

Kayla was everything he’d ever wanted, and Conner had to walk away from her.

But not yet.

Someone was behind them.

THREE (#u81a08bf4-53aa-5de1-b8da-d8a9c5cadb65)

Kayla glanced over her shoulder and let out the breath she’d been holding. “Sheriff Johnson?” She turned and dropped her hands slowly. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

His hand rested on his gun, suspicion on his face at her and a strange man being in the street so close to her burning office. She didn’t blame him. Kayla explained what had happened and how Conner had been there when the fire was started. How he’d helped her get out.

“And you don’t know who was in the hall?”

“No.” Kayla shook her head. Conner did, but she didn’t.

“You didn’t actually see anyone?”

“No, but we heard them.” Her voice wavered with the questions that arose in her mind. Did he not believe they’d heard men talking in the hall? “They shot at us.”

“I called the fire chief when I realized there was a fire that hadn’t been reported.” The sheriff glanced up at the building, flames now coming through the window they had jumped out of. “Seems strange no one called it in.”

“I called it in,” Kayla said. “I talked to Miriam.”

The sheriff’s eyes narrowed. “And you?” He motioned to Conner with a lift of his chin. “You got a name?”

“Conner Thorne.”

Secret Service. She’d heard him say it a million times, but that was years ago. Kayla caught herself before she called Conner on it. His cover. Of course he had to stick with the story that he was no longer a special agent in order to protect himself and the investigation.

“Former Secret Service.”

But he didn’t mention being undercover. Didn’t he trust the sheriff? If he didn’t want to admit everything to the man, Kayla was going to trust he knew what he was doing. It was his job.

The sheriff opened his mouth to ask another question Conner probably didn’t want to answer, so Kayla cut him off. She grabbed Conner’s elbow and put her head on his shoulder. “He’s with me.”

Sheriff Johnson’s eyes darkened.

“Conner is living in Samson now, and we knew each other at the White House. How many people can say they have that kind of history?” Kayla laughed, and it sounded false even to her ears. She felt Conner’s chest jerk with surprise. It wasn’t a lie, but she left it open enough the sheriff had to draw his own conclusion. Everyone would put it together that they had known each other way back when. He’d told her Andis knew about their connection.

The sheriff cleared his throat. “I see.” He was handsome enough, Kayla supposed. Silver hair. Good at his job, which made sense, as he’d been doing it for thirty years now with no one ever running against him. “You’ll make sure she gets home okay?”

“Sure thing.”

That was it? Some man-to-man “take care of the little woman” thing she didn’t understand at all. Kayla wanted to roll her eyes, but she’d had enough of acting like a high school kid, more than a lawyer could reasonably take for one night. She needed to let go of Conner before she started to believe her own ruse and got used to holding on to him. Though, if they were dating for real, she’d be way cooler about it. Aloof. Mysterious. A puzzle he needed to solve.

Conner’s mouth had curled up. Kayla let go of him, but was stuck beside him until the sheriff walked away.

“I actually didn’t come here for the fire,” Sheriff Johnson said. “Though I’ll need formal statements from both of you after I talk to the fire chief. I have another case for you, Kayla. I wanted to tell you about this one in person, before I got the call about the break-in.” He paused for a second. “I’ll be talking to Miriam, because she didn’t mention you being in danger, or the fire.”

Kayla nodded. He waved her two steps away, and she joined him as he said, “Her name is Jan Barton. Got mixed up with a local guy she calls her boyfriend. I get the impression she needs somewhere to heal...and probably detox.”

“Sure.” Kayla’s shelter was set up for that. The house manager she had hired was a registered nurse. “She’s at your office?”

“Yep.” The sheriff nodded. “I guess you have a ride.”

“She does.” Conner didn’t look up from his phone.

She also had her own car, but neither man felt it necessary to point out that she was perfectly fine on her own. Or she would have been if not for tonight and the fact that she was still jumpy. Maybe it was just residual fear, but something was seriously not right.

The sheriff’s brow had furrowed at Conner’s statement. Why did she feel like the sheriff was not at all happy that Kayla had a “boyfriend”? It wasn’t like he’d ever given her the impression he was interested in her, so it could simply be fatherly concern. She’d have been polite, and flattered, but Sheriff Johnson knew some of her history. Not all of it, the way Conner did. The sheriff only knew she’d been the victim of an attack, and that was why she wanted to help women who needed safety. He’d even helped her set up the hotline.

So why was he bothered about Conner? Reservations would be justified if he knew Conner worked for Andis. If she could tell the sheriff Conner was undercover, it would allay his fears. When she looked up at Conner with the question likely in her eyes—he’d always been able to read her face—he shook his head.