Chapter Eighteen

Cash wouldn’t let her out of his sight.

If she took one step, he took two. Always in sight; always by her side. By the end of the week, they’d established a routine of sorts. She worked from the computer by day, refusing to hide, to keep things low key, exposing herself to venues where Clark could easily approach her.

They had meals in various small boutique restaurants and diners, nights of making love, exploring each other, enjoying each other. Kate had no complaints. She wouldn’t let him out of her sight, either.

The following Monday, Cash took her to a quaint little Italian place that didn’t look like much from the outside, but the inside reminded her of a La Contessa in Rome—a place she’d frequented while on vacation, before cancer, before Clark. Greenery, flowers, sun-bleached brick. The smell of garlic and tomatoes perfuming the air. Sheer heaven.

The hostess led them to a table for four in the back, and two big men stood upon their arrival. She recognized Cash’s buddies from Tortilla Joe’s the night they met.

Cash made the introductions. “Kate, these are my good friends, Rush McAlvoy and Jake Parker. We served together in Afghanistan.”

“Kate Sanders, Mr. McAlvoy, Mr. Parker. I remember you from the night Cash and I met.”

“Of course you do,” Rush teased. “And I remember Cash falling all over himself to keep me away from you. May I call you Kate?”

“By all means.”

Rush held out his hand and immediately brought her fingertips to his lips. “I can see Cash wasted no time with the prettiest girl at the party.”

Kate smiled at the compliment, and turned to the other man standing next to Rush.

“And you are Jake,” she said.

Jake, with his black hair and serious blue eyes, dipped his chin.

Kate shook his hand and smiled in greeting.

Cash motioned for the waitress and steered Kate to a seat next to him, with her back toward the wall, safe and secure, facing the entrance. Rush and Jake sat to each side. The men constantly scoped the room, their gazes checking out new patrons entering the restaurant and watching with keen attention the goings-on around them. Cash’s friends were as well trained as he.

“So you met Cash while in the service?” Kate asked, glancing at Rush, then Jake, as their waitress filled her glass with a dark red wine and put three fresh long necks in front of the men.

Surprisingly, it was Jake who was the more forthcoming of the two while Rush and Cash drank and listened. “Yeah, we were the ones who pulled good old Cash from the ambush when he got shot. Guess it’s true—if you save a life, it belongs to you. We’ve been friends a long time. Cash says you have a lot on your plate right now, huh?”

“We’ve been a little preoccupied, it’s true,” Kate agreed, as she cast a glance at Cash.

Jake lifted a chin. “We served in the same unit. Intelligence. Peshwar Mountains, Afghanistan, before the shit hit the fan and the Marines made their presence known. We know a thing or two about dangerous situations and having a friend’s back.”

She believed him. Cash certainly had her back. He was a man who took care of the ones he loved. Brothers in arms, his daughter, and now her. Her throat tightened. She’d experienced fear, yes. She’d fought a battle, no doubt about it. She’d survived a challenge that far too many women had not. But nothing like the incredible sacrifice of these three men. It humbled her, brought her circumstances into a different perspective.

A self-deprecating smile crossed Rush McAlvoy’s face. “You know, Kate, heroes come in all shapes and sizes and genders. The measure of a man—or a woman—is not always the battle, but the way it’s fought. My mother had breast cancer. She waged her war for seven long, inspiring years. My dad and my brothers and I miss her every day, but the lessons she taught us—especially her courage and her joy of life—are a legacy our family will pass to our own sons and daughters.”

Her nose started to sting as her eyes grew moist. When she could speak, she shook her head and, with a husky voice, said simply, “I’m lucky to have met you.”

Cash hooked her around the neck and placed a light kiss on her lips. Jake stared with surprising tenderness in his expression.

“This sick son of a bitch isn’t going to get his hands on you. You’re Cash’s woman, and we protect our own,” Rush said.

Incredible. They not only had each other’s backs—they had hers as well.

They clinked glasses and tactfully gave her a few minutes to control the emotion clogging her throat.

“Thank you,” she said and picked up her menu, grateful for these men, loving Cash with a deeper sense of pride and commitment, and feeling the need to lighten the mood. “I’m starving…the veal parmigiana sounds wonderful. Cash, what sounds good to you?”

She loved getting to know Jake and Rush. By the end of the evening, it seemed as if she’d known them all her life. They were good and capable men. Her sense of relief was a tangible thing. She’d be safe. Somehow the police would catch Clark, and the danger would soon be over.

“One of the policemen on my case suggested I could make myself, shall we say, more available to Clark. Flush him out in the open, I don’t know, set a trap or something.”

“Hell, no,” Cash said, emphatic.

“Hold on, partner, let her finish,” Jake said.

“I’m not letting her deliberately put herself in harm’s way. This sick fuck has killed three women.”

“Precisely,” Kate continued. “Who knows how many others are in jeopardy because they remind him of me? Because they’re unfortunate enough to have a life-threatening disease? We have to stop him, and I’m the only one who can. I have you, Cash. I have Jake, Rush, Ragusa, Murphy. Clark doesn’t stand a chance of getting to me.”

Jake sat back, arms crossed over his chest. “She may be right, bro.”

“Doesn’t matter. I won’t allow it.”

Gently, she covered his hand with hers. “With all due respect, sweetheart, it isn’t yours to allow. You don’t have that right.”

Red flooded his face, and the veins popped out in his forehead. She’d never seen him so angry.

“Don’t hand me that.” Barely restrained fury came from his tone. “You gave me that right when you shared my bed.”

Kate gasped. “Cash,” she reproved, feeling her face turn hot.

Jake growled under his breath. Rush stared straight at his friend.

No one moved until the muscle in Cash’s cheek flexed, and his jaw thrust forward. Then he heaved a heavy sigh. “Sorry. But you’re mine, and I protect what’s mine. They”—he jerked his head toward his friends—“protect what’s mine. We can’t do that if you insist on using yourself as bait.”

“I disagree.” She spoke quietly. “I know you care for me. I know you’ll protect me. Don’t you see, Cash? I have to do this. For me, for Suzanna, and for you. We’ll never have a minute’s peace with Clark out there. We can’t in good conscience do anything else. He wants me; he’ll come after me.”

Jake nodded his head. “She has a point, Cash. Burgess knows the cops are after him. He knows they’re protecting Kate and will expect she’s being watched twenty-four-seven. We coordinate with them, come up with a plan to entice him into the open. If Burgess is as psycho as you say, he’ll make his move.”

“I don’t like it. It’s too dangerous,” Cash again objected.

Kate turned to the men. “I have some ideas. Cash, could you ask Ragusa and Murphy to join all of us for coffee in the morning? I promise I won’t take unnecessary chances, but I have to do this, and I’d like to get everyone together. I think we can come up with an effective plan that addresses your concerns and will put your mind at ease.”

“What, let me kill Clark Burgess before he strikes again?” Cash’s square jaw tensed visibly.

“No, one that will lead to his capture, and force him to face justice for the women he’s murdered,” she answered.

Jake kept his gaze steady on Cash. “Kate might be in the driver’s seat, but you’ve got your hands on the wheel. We’ll do what it takes. The three of us know what it means to claim a woman. To be willing to lay your life on the line for her.”

“We were there when you lost Ray. There’s no way in hell we’ll let you lose Kate,” added Rush.