Читать книгу Special Ops Rendezvous - Karen Anders - Страница 12

Chapter 3

The fact that he had his forearm snug around her throat and her waist, his warm, hard chest against her back made her lose focus for just a second. She’d thought last night about all that warm skin that she’d had her hands on. She’d even found it extremely difficult to get to sleep not only because her dear brother had been murdered, but because memories of touching Sam had plagued her. He was a very attractive man, his chiseled features memorable. He had a set of blue eyes that were intense, focused with a lethal edge, and a full bottom lip that was distracting all on its own but, when matched with his perfect bow of an upper lip, made a deadly combination. Very gorgeous, very kissable. The memory of the shape, size and feel of his body was burned into her mind. She wasn’t at all worried that he was going to hurt her. She didn’t know how, but she just knew.

“If you could let go of me, we can discuss this. I mean you no harm, Sam.” Damn, he was tall, six two to her five ten. The arm around her waist was immovable. He was holding her so tight against him, she could feel the beat of his heart against her back. Her backside pressed up against his muscular hips.

He released her and she turned to face him. Sam just stared at her and she couldn’t blame him. He looked so confused, his blue eyes full with a sense of betrayal. She did feel very guilty about that. But she wanted to understand who this man was and why her brother had been so insistent that she follow him and, if the need arose, protect him. That made her pause because Sam Winston looked as though he could quite easily take care of himself. He screamed warrior in a potent way that made her only want to get closer to his dangerous edge.

In the short period of time that she’d known him, she was beginning to understand why her brother cared about Sam so much. Her brother was the kind of man who worried about all his patients, but he considered Sam special because of what had happened to their father. Now she understood why her brother was so keen on helping Sam.

“You’re Dr. Owens’s sister? Let me see proof.”

His eyes were hard and filled with a distrust that Olivia totally understood. “I’d have to get my purse in the living room.”

He nodded sharply and followed her out there. Picking up her handbag, she reached inside and snagged her wallet. Dragging out her license and P.I. ID, she handed both to him.

He studied them. “They look legit, but in my line of work, I can never take anything at face value. People disguise themselves and fabricate identities as easily as breathing.”

He handed the IDs back to her. “I don’t understand why you’re here.”

“I know you don’t. But, in light of my brother’s death, you can’t blame me for being cautious about you.”

He ran his big hand over his dark brown hair buzzed close to his scalp, his blue eyes wary and stormy. “Dr. Owens never mentioned a sister,” he said.

“That’s because my brother didn’t talk about his personal life with his clients. The only proof I can offer you is the truth. John Owens was my brother. He left me everything as I am his only family, including the keys to his practice. I control all his files, notes, tapes, everything.”

He let out a heavy breath. “I guess for the time being, I’ll have to take your word for it.” He shifted, his eyes still wary, but now there was sympathy there and what looked like...guilt. “I’m so sorry about your brother. I know what it’s like to lose people close to you. I just lost a buddy of my own. We’d been through a lot together and he was like a brother to me.”

She nodded. “Mike Harris. I always do my homework on a case, and I read all about you and your family in the paper. I’m sorry about your loss, too, Sam.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, the pain and the loss clearly on his face as he nodded. The distress in his voice and his eyes wasn’t an act. She was very good at reading people. A sudden ache constricted her throat at the fresh memory of just speaking with John two days ago. His warm voice and the way he’d always given her a quick hug whenever they parted. Tears welled up in her eyes as the emotions rushed over her in a terrible sense of loss.

Sam’s expression relaxed, his blue eyes going soft with his compassion as he reached out and squeezed her shoulder.

“Before Mike shot my mother, I would have sworn with total confidence that he wasn’t capable of doing something that horrible. He was not just my friend,” he said with conviction. “We were comrades and we’d been through more than normal men ever go through. I thought our bond was unbreakable. I can’t count the times he’d saved my ass and the times I’d saved his. So it was natural to invite him into my life.”

Her reaction to Sam was so visceral. On every level. Yesterday before she’d met him, she had thought he was a head case that could be a bit out of control, maybe even broken. But then she’d talked to him, seen the terrible scars on his back, the remnants of his agony. When he’d woken from that nightmare, the fear stark on his face, everything in her galvanized into a hard ball of need to help him any way she could.

“He took advantage of that for the sole purpose of murdering my mother.” Sam’s voice broke and she reached out and touched his shoulder. He sidestepped her hand and paced away. “After Mike shot her, I questioned everything I knew.”

He paused and she could see how he was struggling with Mike’s betrayal. Even more surprising was her need to comfort him, but he wasn’t allowing that. She was so happy that Mike Harris had failed. Olivia was a big supporter of Sam’s mother. She thought Kate Winston was a wonderful vice president. Of course, she had voted for her and would vote for her whatever office she was running for. She was one of those no-holds-barred politicians and she told it like it was. But Olivia wasn’t going to gush all of that to Sam. She could only secretly hope there would be an opportunity to meet her.

He set his hands on his hips and faced her squarely. She appreciated his honesty. She didn’t think Sam had anything to hide, really. John was tight-lipped about Sam’s circumstances. Her brother was always aware of his patient’s confidentiality, so Olivia was really in the dark here about Sam. She would have to rely on her own interviewing skills to decipher what was going on with this guy.

“I assume you suspect I had something to do with your brother’s death and that’s the reason for this subterfuge.”

He wasn’t one to pull punches, but she guessed that was true because he was a Ranger and those kinds of guys hit things head-on. There was something unsettled in his eyes, something apprehensive, with just a touch of fear there, too.

“No, going undercover was John’s idea, Sam. He wanted you to be safe, but he didn’t want to break or damage your trust with him. So he asked me to be totally discreet. I got a job at the spa to stay close. But I will admit that after my brother’s murder, the thought had crossed my mind. My brother asked me to follow you for a reason. Now I wonder if it got him killed.”

“You don’t think I killed him?”

“He was concerned about you, Sam. He thought you needed protection. Why would I think such a thing?”

“Because I wasn’t sure. Olivia, I have memory loss and sometimes I black out and do things I don’t remember.”

“You didn’t kill my brother. I don’t believe that.”

“Thank you for that.” He glanced away, then back. “Dr. Owens hired you to protect me?” That made him smile wryly. “Damn, Dr. Owens,” he said, shaking his head. “He thought I needed protection...yet he was the one who suffered for trying to help me.”

“So you think his murder has something to do with you?”

“I don’t know, Olivia. I truly don’t, but it feels like he was...assassinated.”

That jolted her with a sudden fear of who was behind this, but it wasn’t going to get her to back off. There was more here with Sam, but they were just getting started and she would get Sam to open up to her later when he trusted her more. Because now that she was here, she had no intention of leaving until she got to the bottom of her brother’s death and the threat to Sam. Sam was very much alive, and Olivia believed he was in danger.... She knew he was in danger. Walking away from this wasn’t an option. She owed that much to John.

But even with that determination, her stomach knotted. She tried to get detached from her brother’s murder and think like a private investigator, but she couldn’t quite get to that level of objectivity. She said, “What do you mean? The police won’t tell me anything.”

He looked at her as though he didn’t want to go on.

“Tell me, Sam. I can take it. I need to know.”

He crossed back to her and stood close, his voice a low rasp, his teeth clenched. “He was shot in the head. A kill shot that, to me, says professional.”

Her stomach jumped and tumbled. That information was certainly cause for alarm and made it clear why Sam was worried. “Even if that’s the case, I intend to find out who killed my brother.”

He set his jaw and looked past her into the darkened kitchen. “Olivia, you don’t have a clue what you’re up against. I don’t know who could be involved here, but ever since Mike and I were captured and imprisoned, I haven’t trusted my government. Hell, I can’t even trust my own memories. What I have of them.”

“Why don’t you trust them?”

“I’m only telling you to convince you of the folly of pursuing this.” The reluctance in his voice indicated to her that he was clinging to his training and the “need to know” edict that he lived by. What he was telling her must be classified information. “Very few people knew where we were on that mission. It had to have been compromised. I can hardly remember the details, but what I do remember feels like a damn ambush. I don’t trust the army and I don’t trust the CIA, even though they rescued me. I don’t even know if I’m going back, if I can even get my memories back and feel fully functional again.”

Olivia watched his face, saw the way his jaw hardened against the uncertainty of his life, saw the anger in his eyes and the vulnerability that lay beneath it, and her heart ached for him. He was close to her, leaning slightly toward her to make his point. She wanted to cup his jaw, give him some comfort. The memory of her hands on him came back at her with a sizzling jolt, the feel of his hot, slick muscles beneath her palms. She had totally tried to remain cool, but with each stroke of her hands over his skin, she’d lost that impartiality in the heat of him.

It was clear that he was attracted to her, and that gave her a thrill. His blue eyes dipped to her mouth and she shivered at the thought of him leaning in, pressing that mouth against hers, the tactile memory of his body only fueling the sudden need. They stared at each other.

She held his gaze for what felt like an eternity. Then he broke it and stepped back out of her reach, battling with the temptation that only made her heart pound that much harder at the sheer promise of giving in to it.

“I’m sorry for what you went through. I’m sure it was horrible, intense and extremely terrifying,” she said with compassion. “But the fact remains that my brother was murdered and I’m sticking like glue to the man who may be the key to discovering who killed him. I can’t back down. John wouldn’t want me to.” Her voice was a bit unsteady as the emotion and enormity of what she was saying sank in. “I’ve lost my brother and I can’t...won’t abandon my promise to him to protect and help you, Sam.”

“There are some dangerous people out there, and you might be out of your league, he said, clearly exasperated as he ran both hands over his short hair.

The movement only tightened his powerful biceps and drew attention to his face. With his closely cropped hair, his maleness and his striking looks were pronounced, which made his impact on her even more of a gut punch to her senses. She could only marvel at how calm her voice was. “I’m aware of that.” That calmness seemed to set him off. His eyes went a hot blue and he was in her face again. He clasped her upper arm roughly and shook her slightly.

“Dammit, Olivia. I won’t be able to sleep at night knowing you could now be in danger because of me. I can’t bear another innocent death on my hands. If you are going to continue with this investigation against my advice, then you are sticking close to me, rather than blunder into something that will get you killed.”

“Sam, I’m a private investigator, not some innocent woman off the street. I understand the danger and the consequences.”

His eyes narrowed and he shook his head. “You have no idea what you’re getting into. I can use just about any weapon to kill—silently with a knife, with a gun from a distance, and even my bare hands.... The people we could be up against have all those abilities and one thing I don’t have.”

“What’s that?”

“A complete and utter disregard for human life.”

She met his tough gaze with her chin up and her eyes hard. She took in the wild gleam of pain in his expression, the muscles and tendons that stood out in his neck, the heavy rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. She suspected most women in her shoes would back off, turn around right now and bolt, trying to get as far away from Sam Winston as was possible. But Olivia wasn’t one of those women. In fact, Sam intrigued her, a devastating combination of warrior and hero.

“I’ll be careful.”

He smiled then, but it wasn’t in amusement. “That’s right. Here with me.”

“I don’t think that’s—”

“It’s nonnegotiable, Olivia.”

“Don’t get high-handed with me, Sam. I make my own decisions.”

He let go of her arm and stepped closer, and she tensed. She tried not to show it, but the man unnerved her. The stabilized world she lived in had suddenly become filled with this irresistible and wholly captivating man who had a very destabilizing effect. She wasn’t sure what to do about that. She wasn’t a shrinking violet, and Sam would have to get used to that. She faced things head-on, too.

His eyes went hard and flinty, and she had to resist the urge to shiver. He had intimidating down to a science. Gone were the soft eyes and the soft tone. In their place was blue granite and a flat, steely voice that brooked no argument—something she would expect of a man who lived by his wits and honed strength, one who was used to giving out orders. “You’re moving in here with me until this is over. I won’t take no for an answer. We’ve just become roommates.”

“Giving me ultimatums only makes me want to be contrary,” she returned flatly.

He did smile then and it relieved the tension in his face. “Why doesn’t that surprise me? I’m not too happy about it, either, Olivia.”

“Are you using reverse psychology on me?”

He laughed. “Would that work?” He sobered. His gaze locked on hers, so intent, so focused. So trustworthy and steady. “Okay, then do it for me so I can sleep at night knowing that if you need me, I can be there in a flash.” He said it quietly, but somehow the softer tone wasn’t the least bit comforting. In fact, it only served to unnerve her further.

She had to take a breath because he made her lungs feel compressed. “Now you’re preying on my emotions, but I’m inclined to let you win this one. Safety in numbers and all that. We’ll make a good team.”

“I’m not exactly a team player. But you’re not the only one who owes something to your brother.”

She told herself she was agreeing to stay with him for safety reasons. But that might have been the biggest lie she’d ever told herself. Even though this man stirred her blood, she wasn’t a pushover. But it was clear he was dangerous in so many ways—to her equilibrium and maybe to her very life. She was going to have to be vigilant about both. A cocky loner wasn’t exactly her type. They didn’t usually play nice with others.

“This Lone Ranger act doesn’t work well within a team.”

“Would that be Team Owens?”

She tilted her head. Okay, he was quick on the uptake.

“I’ll show you to my guest room. The bathroom has an extra toothbrush in it and I can find you something to sleep in.”

She nodded, her heart fluttering just thinking about being under the same roof as Sam. He headed toward the back of the house and she grabbed her purse and followed him. He opened the door to a modest room with a bathroom.

“I’ll be right back.”

He disappeared through the doorway across the hall, and Olivia set her purse on the bed. She would have to go to her apartment and pick up some things tomorrow. She also still had arrangements to handle with her brother’s funeral, which was the day after tomorrow.

For a moment, the loss of her brother overwhelmed her and she closed her eyes against the sudden stab of pain, her arm banded around her waist.

“Olivia?”

She started. She hadn’t heard him come up to her.

“Are you all right?”

She nodded. “I was just thinking about John. Were you planning on coming to his funeral?”

“Yes, I was.”

“It’s the day after tomorrow.”

“I know.” He looked sad and guilty all over again.

She couldn’t even tell him it wasn’t his fault, because she didn’t really know if it was. All she knew was that her brother was dead after hiring her to watch one of his patients. That patient was in some kind of trouble that Olivia couldn’t even fathom. After the attempt on his mother’s life and the involvement of one of his army buddies in the shooting, it was clear it was on a much deadlier and wider scale than she’d ever dealt with.

She couldn’t imagine what Sam was going through. He looked stressed, but that wasn’t a stretch. He was seeing her brother for therapy. Whether that had to do with his military service, the turmoil in his private life right now, or something else, Olivia couldn’t guess. She was determined to get answers regarding John’s death.

But she wasn’t going to back off and let her brother or Sam down.

“Let’s get some sleep,” she said. “We’ll tackle it in the morning when we’re fresher.”

“Sounds like a good plan.” He held out a camouflage T-shirt that was large enough that it would come to her about midthigh.

She accepted it and their hands brushed. His were as warm as she remembered his skin had been. There she was again, thinking about him totally naked. When he’d gotten that hard-on, she couldn’t help wondering if it was because she’d been touching him...okay, not in a therapeutic way. She probably was the one who caused it. She couldn’t seem to feel sorry about that. She liked the fact that she turned this man on.

But it would be smart to keep her distance now that she didn’t have to pretend to date him. They could do away with that altogether. Well, she could pretend, couldn’t she?

“Good night, Olivia.”

“Night, Sam.”

He left and closed the door behind him. She set the shirt on the bed and went into the bathroom, finding the spare toothbrush and toothpaste. She washed her face and brushed her teeth, still pondering Sam’s mental state.

Once that was done, she stripped down to nothing but her undies and pulled the shirt over her head. The soft cotton settled against her body, and her skin flushed as she thought of this fabric having at one time been against Sam’s hard chest, broad shoulders and thickly muscled back.

She slipped beneath the covers and wondered how she was going to even get to sleep. So much had happened in just two short days.

She’d have to watch herself and try to find her professionalism somewhere in all that melting she did around Sam.

Any way she sliced it, Sam Winston was trouble.