Reggie stole a surreptitious glance of Brayden’s profile as he guided the car along the road toward town. They were almost there now, and he’d barely spoken throughout the entire drive. His jaw was tense, his eyes forward. But even though Reggie knew it was more about worry than irritation, she still wasn’t backing down.
“You can’t drive me to the fair,” she said for the tenth time. “People will notice, and it’ll be all I hear about for the entire day. It’ll be all anyone hears about for the entire day.”
“I’m coming with you to the party tonight,” he pointed out, also for the tenth time. “People will talk anyway.”
“Bringing a guest to a party isn’t as suspicious as bringing a strange man to my volunteer shift. And besides that, our plan only works if we pretend to meet there. It’ll be completely ruined if you start out standing beside me, glowering as I paint cat faces on little kids.”
“I don’t glower.”
“You’re glowering right now.”
“You do remember that I’m the cop, right?”
“And you remember that I’m a resident of Whispering Woods?”
“My point is that I’m pretty good at being subtle when the need arises.”
“All the subtlety in the world can’t shut down rumors in a town like this one.”
“Reggie...”
“You said you could use the time to look into Chuck and work on your own case.”
“I’m feeling a change of heart coming on. And I don’t think you should be alone.”
“There are going to be literally hundreds of people at the town square. I won’t be alone.”
“You’ll be alone for the five minutes it will take you to walk from where you want to be dropped off.”
“Which is why you gave me the bear spray.” She patted her pocket and stifled a sigh at the stubborn set of his mouth. “You said I needed to stick to my routine, and that Chuck wouldn’t cause a public scene. Was all that a lie?”
“Of course not.”
“We could go back to my first idea.”
“I don’t remember you offering another option.”
“Sure you do. The one where I try to figure out what Chuck’s up to, and you help me.”
“That’s not an option.”
“So we stick with this, then.” She pointed out the windshield. “It’s a left up there. Then two more blocks and you’ll have to stop so we can move aside the barricade. After that, you can drive up about fifty feet, you’ll see an empty lot and a clothing donation bin. You can stop right in front.”
He flicked on his turn signal a little more heartily than necessary and pressed his lips together. Reggie fought an urge to give in. She was worried, too. Actually, closer to scared. No way did she want to run into Chuck Delta while she was alone. But she also trusted the things Brayden had said about how to stay safe. She could handle weaving through the few streets she needed to in order to get to the fair. She thought she could anyway.
They reached the line of orange delineators, and Brayden grimaced as he eyed the row of squat houses just behind the blockade. “Doesn’t look like a very nice neighborhood.”
“It’s abandoned. The entire street is waiting to be torn down,” Reggie replied. “That’s the whole point, remember? No one’s here to see us.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“C’mon. The faster we do this, the less likely we are to get caught.”
Together, they climbed out and cleared aside the road closed sign and the rest of the barriers. In silence, they brought the car through, then put everything back in place.
Brayden continued to mutter his disapproval as they made their way to the spot Reggie had described, and when he brought the car to a halt, he turned another frown her way. “Why here?”
“You thought it was best if we didn’t stop by my place yet. But I still need something to wear.”
“And you’re going to remedy that...how?”
She ignored the request for clarification in favor of swinging open the door and stepping onto the sidewalk. Her feet ached the tiniest bit, but they were patched enough that it wasn’t too bad as she moved quickly to the donation bin. And by the time she reached it, Brayden had caught up.
He eyed the bin, skepticism clear in his single, raised eyebrow. “You’re going to steal from the poor?”
“It’s not stealing. It’s borrowing back my own things,” Reggie replied. “They only pick up once a month, and I just dropped stuff off the other day.”
She lifted the lid, pushed up to her tiptoes and peered inside. Sure enough, the silver plastic bag she’d filled sat on top. Just out of reach.
“Do you mind reaching that for me?”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“No.”
“It’s basically like reaching into a trash can.”
“It is not.”
“Maybe if I don’t reach in, you’ll be forced to accept a ride to the fair.”
“No. I’ll be forced to walk there with bare feet and my work clothes. Which is guaranteed to draw attention,” she put her hands on her hips and spun to shoot him a glare as she said it, but when she got turned around far enough to face him, he grabbed her by the elbows and dragged her close, making her forget why she’d been annoyed.
He dropped a swift kiss on her lips, then pulled away to run a finger over her cheek. “I’m allowed to be worried. In my job, I see a lot of terrible things. They make me overly cautious on a day-to-day basis. And with you...”
She tipped her face up, a pleasant tingle in her chest as she asked, “With me what?”
He shrugged with what looked like forced casualness. “I feel the need to be even more careful.”
The tingle expanded. “If you really think it’s going to be unsafe, I’ll stay with you. But I can only hide for so long. Sooner or later, Chuck Delta is going to find a way to talk to me. If we do things this way, at least it’s under our terms, right?”
He smiled and swept a lock of hair away from her face. “You’re sure you aren’t a cop, too? Or maybe a lawyer?”
“A hundred percent. Pie trumps the law.”
He studied her for a second, then shook his head and raised his hands in defeat. “A five-minute walk, right?”
“Yes.”
“And you’ve got the bear spray, and know how to use it?”
“Yes again.”
“And I gave you my credit card to call me from that antique pay phone that you say exists near the fairgrounds.”
“It’s really there! It’s beside the post office, and it’s perfectly modern.”
“Uh-huh. It’s a pay phone. How modern can it be?”
“Don’t mock it. It’s serving a purpose.”
“All right. Are we forgetting anything?”
“The clothes?”
“Right.” He moved to the donation bin, scooped out the plastic bag and handed it over.
Reggie pulled out a pair of jeans and plain blue T-shirt, glad she’d been purging things that fit rather than things that didn’t. She tucked the clothes under her arm, then stuck her hand all the way to the bottom and yanked out a pair of flip-flops.
“See?” she said triumphantly. “Not trash. Turn around while I get changed.”
He eyed her up and down. “You’re going to get changed on a public street, but you want me to turn around?”
“It’s the principle.”
“Guess your idea of what constitutes a principle is different from mine.”
“Just do it.”
“I’ve got a better idea. How about we sneak into one of these houses, and you can dress there?”
“Detective Maxwell, are you suggesting we commit a B and E?”
“In the name of not exposing yourself to the whole town...yes.”
She looked around the empty street pointedly. “The whole town?”
“You know what I mean. C’mon.” He held out his hand. “Please?”
“It’s so not fair for you to use that big-eyed puppy dog look on me.”
“It’s so not fair for you be willing to take off your clothes in public but not let me look at you.”
She narrowed her eyes, but slid her fingers into his anyway. “Puppy dog eyes and shameless flirting? You play dirty.”
“Gotta have something to break up the monotony of catching bad guys,” he said as he led her up the street.
“Ah.”
“Ah, what?”
“This is a habit for you.” Her tone was light, but she felt a twinge of genuine jealousy at the thought of him regularly running around throwing himself at the women he rescued.
But his next statement reassured her. “Actually. This incredible display of unprofessionalism is a first. At least for me. But I’m definitely putting you on my list of perks, and if you had to witness what you did... I’m going to call it a silver lining.”
Reggie’s face warmed. She hadn’t considered that aspect of the situation. But she had to admit that if there was one good thing to come out of it all, it would be meeting Brayden. She opened her mouth to say as much, but he stiffened, suddenly on alert. He put his finger to his lips, then blocked her body with his. And she couldn’t help but note that as he did it, his hand went to his side. Straight to the spot a gun would’ve been if he’d been wearing it. His fingers twitched for a second, then rubbed nervously over his jeans as his eyes fixed on the house in front of them.
“What’s wrong?” Reggie whispered.
“Change of plans,” he announced, low and grim, as he nodded up the street. “We head straight for that shed over there on the edge of the yard on our left. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
With her heart in her throat—and without knowing what it was that spooked Brayden badly enough that he was squeezing her hand almost hard enough to hurt—Reggie let him pull her quickly to their new destination.
* * *
Brayden itched for his weapon. Even though he could fight with his hands if need be, there was something reassuring about the feeling of steel on his hip. Something about the surety. He eyed the car up the road, then did a mental head shake. He’d stowed the gun in the glove compartment, but he didn’t dare stop. Not until he was sure Reggie was safely out of sight.
He brought his eyes forward again. The wooden structure he’d spotted was only a few dozen feet away now. He moved faster. They reached it in seconds, and he immediately yanked open the door and gestured for Reggie to get inside. In she went, and he followed, exhaling as he closed the door soundly behind them.
“You okay?” he asked immediately.
She blinked at him, the green of her irises iridescent in the dark. “Is that a joke? I’m scared out of my mind. What happened back there?”
He just barely had enough room to reach up and run a hand over her slightly wild hair. “Sorry. I saw a flash of movement by the shrubs near that brown-and-white house across the street and I just reacted.”
“A flash? Could it have been a raccoon or something?”
“Unless raccoons are a lot taller than I recall and have suddenly taken to wearing hooded sweatshirts, it’s not a raccoon.”
“You saw all that in a flash?”
“Nope. Saw that right before we ducked in here. The flash became a person who stopped, looked around, then started walking in our direction.”
“They saw us?”
“Hope not. I think our spot beside the donation bin was sheltered enough. Couple more steps and we would’ve been in his sight lines for sure.” Brayden eased sideways and met her eyes, careful to keep his expression a little neutral. “Even if they did... Might not be targeted.”
She studied him for a second, then shook her head. “But you don’t believe that.”
“Do you?” he asked. “You know the demographics of the town. What’re the odds that it’s a coincidence, and whoever that was, they were just a squatter?”
“Not as likely as I’d like to think,” she admitted. “Whispering Woods has a pretty low vagrancy rate. These houses aren’t being torn down for another two weeks, and Garibaldi didn’t even feel the need to hire security.”
“Garibaldi?”
“He’s the one who bought up the houses along the block.”
Brayden blinked at the revelation. Garibaldi. He had to clamp his jaw shut to keep from saying the man’s name aloud again, this time like a curse. He’d known there had to be a concrete reason behind his uneasy feeling about leaving Reggie alone for a scant five minutes. Now he had it.
If he’d been aware that the man owned the street they were on—owned the house where the shadowy figure had just disappeared—he would’ve avoided the area altogether. Insisted on finding another way. As it was, it just served to make him even surer that there was a connection between Chuck Delta and Garibaldi. If the pretty waitress hadn’t been at his side, he would’ve investigated further. Maybe gone into the house in question. Part of him still wanted to. Leaving Reggie alone, though, was out of the question. He had to make sure she was safe before they even made a move.
He focused on Reggie. “We’re going to wait a couple of minutes, then I want you to get changed while I make sure we’re in the clear.”
“How’re you going to do that?”
“I’m going to search this side of the perimeter for exposure.”
Her face pinched with worry. “Brayden...”
He touched her cheek. “I’m not going far. I won’t let the shed out of my sight.”
“I’m not worried about me, I’m worried about you. That being-allowed-to thing goes both ways. Just because I’m not a cop doesn’t mean I’m not aware that bad things happen.”
In spite of their situation, Brayden felt his mouth tip up, pleased that she was worried about his safety. “I’ll be careful.”
She shot him an exasperated look. “All the care in the world isn’t going to make you bulletproof.”
“What would you rather do? Wait for your friend Jaz to decide you really have been kidnapped by aliens?”
“Hey! How did you—” She groaned. “You read the texts.”
He patted the pocket that held the object in question. “It’s my phone. Did you think I wouldn’t?”
“I didn’t think about it at all. And I honestly don’t know how you had time.”
“I make time for the things I’m interested in.”
“My texts interest you?”
“All of you interests me. But I have to admit...I’m a little disappointed.”
“By what?”
“The fact that you don’t see me as a man.”
Even in the dark, he could see the sudden bloom of color in her cheeks. “That’s not what I meant.”
“No?”
“No. Of course you’re a man.”
“But not one you met.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“So you keep saying.”
She made a frustrated noise, and Brayden laughed. “Come here.”
“There’s literally only two feet between us. How can I possibly—”
He shot his hands out to her waist, then dragged her so she was flush against him. “Like this.”
Her face tipped up, her green eyes locking with his. “Oh.”
He chuckled. “Tell me what I can do that’ll turn me into a man you met instead of just a man...who you met.”
Reggie’s forehead crinkled up. “What’s the difference?”
“Being able to do this.” He dropped his mouth to hers in a light kiss.
“You can do that,” she breathed as he let her go.
“So then. You have met a man?”
“I think my friend was implying something a little more...” She trailed off and lifted her shoulders helplessly.
“A little more what?”
“I dunno.”
“Maybe a little more this?” He brought his mouth down for a second kiss, this one followed by a light trace of her lips with his tongue.
“Didn’t you say you had something to do?”
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want me to go?”
She shot him a playful look and traced her hands over his chest. “Is staying actually an option?”
“Yep. But only if you want to spend the duration of my investigation locked in a shed.”
“Alone?”
“I do have a job to do,” he teased.
Now her playful look turned serious. “I know. How long do you think that’ll be?”
“The investigation?”
“Yes.”
“Are you asking because the idea of staying in here appeals to you, or because you really want to know?”
“Is it too soon to admit that it just became the latter?”
“Never too soon for honesty.”
“Then honestly... I really wasn’t thinking about it before. I guess my brain’s been too busy trying to wrap itself around everything else. But now that it’s come up, I am wondering what you’ll do when your case is closed. Leave? Stay? I know Freemont City isn’t all that far away, but it’s still a few hours’ drive. I assume you have a life there just like I’ve got one here.” She paused, looked down and took a breath, then lifted her gaze to his face again. “I’m not much of a casual dater. Or a casual...whatever you call it when you’re kissing a man you just met while running for your life.”
Brayden couldn’t help but laugh at the last bit. “I don’t think there is a word for that.”
“And if there was?”
“It wouldn’t apply to me, either.”
“So where does that leave this...leave us?”
He didn’t hesitate. “I’ve been chasing this case for fifteen years, Reggie. There’ve been a hundred leads that haven’t panned out. I’ve never once thought about walking away. Never thought it wasn’t worth my time. I’m committed. When I go after something, I give it everything I’ve got. If you’re not interested in taking a chance that I’ll be the same way with you, now’s a good time to tell me.”
“I’m not not interested,” she said.
“But?”
She shook her head. “Do you really want to hear all about my relationship baggage while we’re hiding in a shed?”
“Is there a better place to hear about baggage?”
“Just about anywhere, I think.”
“If you don’t want to tell me, sweetheart, you don’t have to.”
“No. It’s not that. I just—” She sighed. “How about I’ll make you a deal? You go out and do your perimeter search. You come back in one piece, get us through this day and I’ll tell you all my horrible secrets.”
He kissed her lightly. “Sounds like a bargain.”
He pulled away and placed a hand on the door. He only got it open an inch before Reggie’s voice stopped him.
“Brayden?”
“Yeah?”
“Seriously. Be safe.”
“I will.”
Then he slipped out, pushing aside his personal feelings in favor of his professional detachment, and moved silently through the yard.