Daniella covered a giggle with her hand. “Oops. Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“I thought you were taking a nap.”
She shrugged. “That’s hard to do when all I can think about is being blown to bits.”
Isaac frowned. “You don’t feel safe here?”
“Here? Of course,” she answered. “But I can’t stay forever. I need to call the US marshals and tell them what’s happened so they can relocate me.”
“I know. Want to borrow my phone?”
“That won’t help much. All the specific info I need to identify myself is either on the phone card you got rid of or in my apartment. They don’t just arbitrarily believe anybody who calls and claims to be one of their protected witnesses.”
“That makes sense. So, what you’re saying is that you need to go back there soon.” He began to smile wryly, making her feel as if he believed she’d tried to trick him and failed.
“It’s true.”
“I don’t doubt it. I’m also sure you’ve been racking your brain to come up with a plausible reason to go looking for your cat.” The smile grew. “Am I right?”
“You’ve never heard of killing two birds with one stone?”
“Sure. I’ve also heard of pet owners who consider their animals to be family.”
“Ha! You should talk.” She made sure he saw her staring at Abby. The beagle had rolled onto her back and was lying with all four legs in the air, begging for a tummy rub.
“I told you before. This dog and I are working partners.”
“Well, Puddy’s my only true friend so he counts, too.” She could tell by the way the officer sobered and straightened in his chair that she’d revealed too much.
“I know you have more good friends than one cat.”
Daniella shook her head slowly, deliberately. “No. I don’t. I didn’t dare let myself get too close to anybody in case this very thing happened. My father is too vindictive. If he thought anyone was important to me, the way Mom was, it would be just like him to eliminate that person out of sheer meanness.”
She heard Isaac give a sigh as he turned back to his computer and said, “All right. Let’s see what else we can find in your father’s background that might help us anticipate his next move. How about known associates? Can you think of people he might contact in civilian life? What about the men he worked with before he was sent to prison?”
“Most of them either died or landed in jail, too. Besides, I told all that to the police and the prosecutor before his trial.”
“I don’t necessarily mean the criminal element. I mean regular folks. You know, his garage mechanic or the pool boy or yard man. People like that.”
She raked her fingers through her hair. “I can’t remember. It was ten years ago and I was a self-centered teenager. I hardly noticed those kinds of employees.”
“You mean you didn’t have a crush on the pool boy?”
Her cheeks warmed. “All I can recall is his dark, wavy hair and nice muscles. Not nearly as nice as yours, though.” The warmth of her face increased until she had no doubt she was visibly blushing.
The computer made a chirping noise and drew their attention. Isaac clicked on his email icon and opened the attachment. It contained autopsy photos along with a series of recent reports. “Sorry,” Isaac said.
“Hey, I’m a nurse, remember?” She leaned over his shoulder to peer at the screen. “Who is that?”
“Michael Jeffries, Harland’s son. Mind if I look at the rest of the file?”
“Not at all. If I hadn’t chosen nursing I might have gone into the study of forensics.”
As the shots flashed by, she suddenly squeezed Isaac’s shoulder. “Stop. Go back. I want to look at that one.”
“Looks like Michael hurt his shoulder when he fell.”
Daniella pointed. “No, no. That’s not an injury. It’s a birthmark. I saw one almost identical to it on Harland Jeffries’s shoulder just the other night.”
“Interesting. Is that kind of thing rare?”
“Not really. Unlike some other types of marks, ones like that can be inherited. It’s called a café au lait mark, coffee with cream,” Daniella explained. “If I had a picture of Harland’s back I could prove it.”
“You don’t have to prove anything to me. I believe you.”
She smiled and gave Abby’s stomach a rub.
“About everything,” he added. “And I’m going to do my best to see that no harm comes to you.”
“Thanks.” She didn’t pull away when Isaac laid his warm hand over hers and held very still.
He didn’t speak again. Neither did she.
There was no need.
* * *
Isaac figured he could stall his houseguest and keep her from returning to her apartment for one more day, maybe two. The cat had plenty of food and water so it wouldn’t suffer. He simply preferred to keep Daniella away long enough for whoever was after her to determine she was no longer living there.
He sent her out to talk to his brother so he could telephone his sister, Becky, in private. The real estate office answering machine picked up his call.
Instead of listening to the message, he hung up and dialed her cell. “Becky, pick up,” he was saying as her “Hello” cut in.
Isaac huffed. “Where are you?”
“On my way to show a house in Arlington. Why?”
“I hope you don’t mind having a surprise houseguest.”
“Mind? Of course not. Who is it?”
“Daniella Dunne. She’s an innocent victim of a crime. She won’t be with us long.”
“She can stay as long as she needs to. Give her my room if you want. Is there anything else I can do to help her?”
“Come home ASAP,” Isaac said. “Daniella acts fine most of the time but I’m getting the idea she’s a lot more fragile than she lets on. I don’t want her to fall apart with only me and Jake here to comfort her.”
Listening to his sister chuckle upset Isaac. “Look, Becky, this is not funny.”
“Hey, I was laughing at you, not her.”
“Well, fine. Daniella’s scared, as she should be, and until the cops can find the person who set explosives under her car, she’ll continue to be in danger.”
“How can you be sure of that?”
“Because there’s more to the story. The bomb construction was familiar, for one. Crude but effective.”
“What about the one that went off last night by the monument? Which reminds me, how’s your leg?”
“It hurts. Thanks for asking,” Isaac said, tongue in cheek. This was not the first time it had occurred to him to wonder why the two recently set bombs were so similar, both in size and destructive efficiency—or in this case, inefficiency.
“We sent the fragments of the first one to the lab at Quantico,” Isaac continued. “I don’t know what the bomb squad did with the unexploded one under Daniella’s car but I’m sure somebody thought to compare the test results. If not, I’ll see it gets done.”
“Hmm. This is the second or third time you’ve called her by her first name. Just how close a friend is she?”
“I met her last night,” he said flatly.
“And? That doesn’t mean a thing if you’ve fallen for her already.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Nobody can get seriously involved that fast. Not even me.”
“Okay, okay. I just thought I heard something different in your voice when you talked about her, that’s all.”
“No way. You’re imagining things.” But was she? Isaac wondered. There had been something odd, some unexplainable connection, that he’d sensed the moment Daniella’s frightened gaze had locked with his in the ER. They did have an emotional bond of sorts, the kind that appeared once in a lifetime, if ever. He knew it and he suspected that Daniella knew it, too.
Beginning to mutter the moment the call ended, Isaac pushed himself to his feet and made sure he was steady on his sore leg, then limped toward the area of the house where Jacob was currently at work.
As he approached, he overheard his brother’s robust laugh, then the higher, lovelier pitch of a woman enjoying the same uplifting emotion. It had to be Daniella, yet the change in her mood seemed so unlikely, he paused to listen.
“So, grab a hammer and give me a hand,” Jake said. “I dare you.”
Isaac couldn’t make out her answer but he didn’t care. There was no way he was going to permit her to hang out with his brother when she should be with him and Abby, where she’d be safest.
Careful to smile as he rounded the corner into the laundry room, Isaac stopped. “There you are. I was getting worried.”
Her head slanted in a quizzical pose. “Why? You’re the one who sent me to Jake,” Daniella countered.
“I know. I just needed privacy. You can come back to the den now.”
It floored him when she shook her head and said, “I’d rather stay here and help your brother if it’s all the same to you. He needs me to hold the level while he nails things in place.”
The urge to make a fuss and insist she rejoin him was so strong Isaac almost expressed his disappointment. He saw Daniella look from him to his brother, then back again, as if she were a child trying to decide which flavor of cookie to choose.
He wanted her to come with him voluntarily rather than because he’d ordered it. What little he already knew about her was contradictory, yet instinct told him she could be stronger than she appeared sometimes. She’d have had to be to survive and thrive after her turbulent teen years. Any weakness he was sensing now had to be mostly due to the reappearance of her lethal father.
Having enjoyed a home with stable, loving parents and a peaceful childhood, Isaac couldn’t imagine the pain she must have suffered. Must still be suffering.
Perhaps it was his empathy, perhaps his deep desire to look after her, that made the difference. He didn’t care how it was defined. All he knew was that Daniella abruptly turned to Jacob to apologize for leaving, then joined him.
He smiled. She took his arm. The warmth of her touch through the fabric of his shirtsleeve was unbelievable. For a few moments he actually forgot the pain in his leg, overlooking everything but her.
When she said, “You know, it’s high time I contacted the marshal’s office and set up an appointment,” Isaac’s heart lodged in his throat.
Of course she was leaving DC. He’d known that from the beginning. So why were his emotions taking him for such an impossible ride?
It must be the pain meds that were befuddling his brain, he concluded. No way was he going to actually fall for a woman whose primary goal was to disappear for good. He was smarter than that.
At least he hoped he was.
* * *
Parts of the day sped by for Daniella while other parts seemed interminable. Her biggest concern was for her poor, abandoned kitty.
“I’ve decided what to do,” she began at the dinner table. Becky had arrived bearing several pizzas and the rest of them had set the table. “Do?” Isaac raised a brow.
“About Puddy. You can drop me at my apartment in the morning and I’ll go in alone so he won’t be so scared.”
She saw his gaze rake over his brother and sister before returning to her. “See? What did I tell you? The woman is self-destructive.”
“I’m nothing of the kind. I’m logical. Puddy’s afraid of dogs. That’s why he hid. All I have to do is go in by myself and he’ll come right to me. Then I can dig out my private contact numbers for witness protection and I’ll be all set.”
“Not happening,” Isaac muttered.
“Why not?” If she’d been standing she’d have planted her fists on her hips. As it was she almost pounded the dining room table. “You told me there was a watch on my apartment in case my— In case the bad guys showed up again, so unless your cop buddies are slacking off, the place should be secure.”
Jake chuckled. “She’s got you there, bro.”
Agreeing, Becky reached over and patted Daniella’s hand. “When you’re right, you’re right. Would you like me, or all of us, to go with you?”
“Not necessary. But thanks for the offer. Like I said, the cat is kind of shy. Being black, it’s easy for him to hide in dark spaces and I’m afraid if I don’t coax him out soon he may get depressed and make himself sick.”
Laughing softly, Becky winked at her brothers. “Well, guys, I tried to get us invited. Guess you’re on your own.”
As far as Isaac was concerned this was no laughing matter. He scowled at his siblings. “Coercion isn’t necessary. Ms. Dunne wants to survive long enough for the authorities to arrange a new life for her. I’m sure she knows I’m right about not going off on her own.” He smiled as if positive she was about to agree. When she did not, he was happy to see the subject dropped, at least temporarily.
He just wished he couldn’t see the wheels grinding in her fertile imagination. One look in her eyes told him she was far from convinced.
* * *
“Suppose we play it by ear and see what the circumstances are once we get to my apartment,” Daniella suggested, eyeing his injured leg after breakfast the following morning. “After all, I know better than to bandage a cut without cleaning it and assessing the damage first. The same should go for your job. It’s silly to borrow trouble and react defensively to a threat that may never come about.”
Isaac’s palms were pressed to the table as if he intended to leap to his feet. Instead, he stood slowly, deliberately. His shoulders were square, his spine stiff and his jaw set, presenting an image of an immovable granite boulder rising from bedrock.
“Ms. Dunne,” he began, “I have never lost a person I was assigned to protect and I don’t intend to start now. Either you agree to do things my way or we won’t do them at all. Am I making myself clear?”
“Perfectly.”
Daniella knew she shouldn’t fight his good intentions, yet a perverse side of her personality kept insisting she didn’t need looking after. Logically, she did, of course. Anyone in his or her right mind could see that. It was just that when Isaac issued orders he got under her skin. Perhaps it was his tone, although it could also be the way he delivered his demands. His body language brooked no argument, actually spurring her to disagree just on principle.
Which is totally unfair, she chided herself, realizing she was being unreasonable—and not liking the picture of herself as a petulant, spoiled child.
Finally she said, “All right, Officer Black. You win. We’ll do it your way. Just take me back to find my cat. Please?”
“Of course. As long as you promise to behave reasonably from now on.”
Daniella raised her right hand as if taking a solemn oath. “I hereby promise to be reasonable about the rescue of my pet, Puddy.” She grinned slyly with a telltale twitch of mirth at the corners of her mouth.
Any vow she took was meant to be kept and there was no way she’d ever agree to promise to do things the officer’s way forever. Just getting through the following few days was going to be hard enough without placing further restrictions on her thoughts and actions.
She was her own woman. She’d already given up just about everything that mattered to her. She was not going to walk away from her dearest furry friend. Not if she could help it.