Page 44 of True Valor
Chapter Sixteen
“My...fee ...”Julie snapped her mouth shuton the rest of the word.Either this visitor was lying, or she hada fiancé she hadn’t gotten around to remembering.That was anunpleasant thought in light of having entertained the idea offalling in love with Nic.Nic, the one who’d left her here.Shepushed the button.“Okay, give me a minute.”
Julie smoothed the wrinkles from her orangejumpsuit, wondering why she bothered.Well, whoever this guy was,he would definitely not be seeing her at her best.Then, she pulledthe rubber band from her hair and finger combed as best she could.She shrugged, pushed the button again, and told the jailer she wasready.
The jailer accompanied her to the visitationroom and opened the door.“He’s inside, ma’am.”
Hewas most assuredly inside.The roomwas small, with a window from which the staff could keep an eye onthem, not that they bothered.Heturned as she entered and a200-watt smile spread across his handsome face.Handsome was anunderstatement.The idea that this man was her fiancé sent a shiverdown her spine.He wore charcoal grey slacks and a forest-greenV-neck sweater that accentuated his light green-blue eyes.Helooked like he’d stepped out of the centerfold of GQ’s beach-boyedition, if GQ even had a centerfold.Or a beach-boy edition.
“Hi, doll.”He strode toward her, swept herinto his arms, winked, and nailed her with a hot, devouring kiss.His lips moved down her neck until she felt his breath in her ear.“I’m Cruz.I work with Nic.You can call me Eric.I’m going to kissyou again, so kiss me back, then we can talk.”
Julie’s head spun as he kissed her.Shedidn’t exactly return the kiss but at least she didn’t pull away.Cruz?This was Cruz?This was definitely not how she’d picturedEric Cruz.She’d expected him to have the dark, Latin looks hisname implied.And she certainly hadn’t expected him to be hervisitor.What the hell was going on?
He drew back and held her at arm’s length.“Let me look at you.”Then he gathered her into his arms again,whispering, “D said you were beautiful.He was right.”
She took the opportunity of being so close tohim to whisper back, “What are you doing here?”
Cruz held her tight, not allowing her to backaway.“I’m here to help Nic get you out of this mess.”
“He put me here,” Julie hissed.She triedunsuccessfully to pull away.
“Only to keep you safe.I don’t know how muchI can tell you.Places like this have ears.”He moved her again toarm’s length.“I’m so glad you’re okay, sweetheart.”
Again, he smiled and again, she shook herselfto match this surfer with the identity of Nic’s best friend.
“We only have half an hour,” Cruz said,pulling her hand to his lips.He led her to the table in the middleof the room and moved her purposefully to a particular chair.Then,he sat down beside her, with his back to the window.“You aresobeautiful,” he said again, pulling her hands over andholding them gently.His voice became little more than a whisper.“I can see why D loves you.”
Julie frowned and Cruz laughed.
“What can you tell me about the guy in theski mask?”
“Um, not much.”
Eric squeezed her hands reassuringly.
“I walked into my parent’s room.He had hisback to me.My parents...”Her throat closed on the words.
“It’s okay.Just think about the man.”
“He had his back to me.Then he turnedaround, not like he’d heard me, like he was going to turn aroundanyway.”Julie looked at Cruz.His eyes were soft with compassion.But somehow, having Nic’s best friend here, only made her miss Nicmore.She looked back down at her hands, wrapped in his.She triedto focus on the scene in her head.“He saw me and our eyes met.Helooked surprised and he raised the gun.”
The scene that had stopped there in hermemory now continued.She didn’t speak, not wanting to break thevision in her head, but clung to Eric’s hands as she watched.
The man raised the gun to kill her.There wasno doubting the look in those eyes.Julie reacted.Without eventhinking, she kicked the man’s hands, and the gun went flying.Shekicked him again just above the knee.
His breath came out in awhooshandshe ran.Down the hall, through the kitchen, and grabbed her folks’car keys from the nail by the door, before racing to their car.
As she pulled the door open, somethingthudded against the car.One look at the house explained the sound.There, on the front porch, the man stood, gun aimed at her.Shelaunched into the car, got it started, and ducking as best shecould, pulled out of the driveway into the street.
She never looked back.
That was all she remembered until Nic foundher, still in her pajamas.
The warmth of Eric’s hands on hers broughther back.
“I kicked the gun out of his hand.I kickedhim again, I think in the knee.I ran, got in my parents’ car anddrove away.Then, Nic found me.”
Cruz didn’t speak for a minute.“Do youremember what color eyes the man had?”
