Page 24 of Deadly Threat
Ronni rose and started picking up coffee cups. “The best thing you can do, Mia, is get some rest. You need it. You’ll be clear and more focused after a few hours of sleep.”
“I don’t need any,” Mia muttered and then yawned. When Ronni smiled at her, she shrugged. “Okay, maybe I do. I also need to feed Ladybug and Taz.”
“Taz?” Malachi asked.
“Tasmania, my cat.” She leaned back and stretched her arms over her head, then made a face. “I smell like I could use a shower, too.”
Malachi thought she smelled of roses and honey. “I’m not sure your home is secure.”
She stood and shook out her legs. “It’s off the books and registered under my other identity, Amy Newsome. Not even Amber knew that. It’s probably the safest place I could be right now.”
He shoved himself upright, glad to stretch his legs as well. “Are you sure about that? It seems Amber knew a lot more than you realized.”
A tiny crease formed between her brows, letting him know that irritated her. “That may be true, but I’m still pretty sure she didn’t have a clue where I lived.” She appeared sad. “We haven’t even had dinner in the past year. Last night was the first time I’ve seen her in person since the trial.”
His heart pinched for her. Not only had she been through a horrible experience, she’d been living like someone in witness protection, not even able to turn to her family afterward for normal moral support. They’d all kept their distance to protect her, but not being able to be around your loved ones, to not be able to share a hug or meal, felt like another form of torture to him.
They dispersed; luckily, the Taskforce office had maintained its covert status, so no reporters or other parties waited outside. Problem was, Malachi didn’t have his truck.
The cool, early morning air was refreshing, although thunder boomed in the distance. As he and Mia realized they had no vehicle, Ronni emerged and tossed him a set of keys. “Blue Mazda down the street there.” She pointed.
“I can text for a lift,” Mia offered, digging out her phone, around Ladybug’s body.
“No,” Malachi and Ronni said at the same time. Malachi put his hand on hers and explained. “You’re all over the news again. We can’t use any kind of public transport or risk someone recognizing you.”
She looked deflated. “Right, sorry. Old habit.”
Malachi jingled the keys at Ronni. “Thanks. We’ll work out a way to get your car to you as soon as possible.”
She told him it was no problem, disappearing back inside. The two of them walked to the vehicle, both quiet. Ladybug snored in Mia’s arms. Both the lady and the dog had been through hell in the past few hours. “I would offer to hide you at my place,” Malachi said, “but I’m guessing my sudden celebrity status will have plenty of folks camped out there, hoping to catch me coming and going,”
“Mine is best,” she assured him. “It’s a total dive, I have to warn you, but it’s also a secret. We’ll be protected there.”
When they arrived a few minutes later, he said, “You weren’t kidding.”
The façade of the three story building was a faded gray, the ground floor windows barred. There was no parking, except on the street, and that was clogged with rusty and worn out vehicles from end to end. He feared leaving the shiny, nearly new Mazda out in the open, but he had no choice. He parked a block over, near a nicer looking neighborhood, then he walked Mia, with her hood up, to her apartment.
The entry and staircase resembled a frat house after a kegger, but her tiny one bedroom on the top floor was nice. It didn’t stink like body odor and stale beer as the rest of the building did. In fact, it smelled of her.
Ladybug, awake now, was thrilled to be home. She ran in lopsided circles around the familiar digs. An elderly cat eyed Malachi suspiciously from her perch near a window, but then ignored him completely as Mia put a scoop of wet food in a bowl. Ladybug inhaled her kibble and flopped down on a dog bed immediately afterward, falling fast asleep once more.
“Can I get you a drink?” Mia asked. “Maybe something to eat? I don’t keep much on hand, but…”
He could see her consternation. “Don’t worry about me.” He began checking the doors and windows to be sure they were locked up tight. Mia followed. “I’ll just hang out on the couch while you clean up,” he told her.
She looked a bit shy and embarrassed as they made their way through her room. He stayed professional, even when he saw her underwear scattered about. There were a few pictures on a desk, a stack of books next to her bed. That perfume, though, the roses and honey, was stronger here, permeating everything. He made busy work of inspecting the fire escape, then locking that window, along with pulling the shade and curtains.
Turning back and seeing her clothes, he mentally grinned as she grabbed a pair of red underwear from a nearby chair and hid them behind her back. Even after the day she’d had, she was still the sexiest thing he’d seen in a long time, but he didn’t want her to feel he was taking advantage of her.
Her current state was vulnerable, and he would never do that to her. The last thing he wanted was to embarrass her, or make her feel uncomfortable in her own home.
So far, he’d been pretty good about shutting off his attraction to her, but now that he was standing here? Hell, if he could make it through the next few minutes, listening to her shower without imagining her naked under the water and dripping wet when she emerged, he deserved a gold star.
Feeling a hard-on already starting, he flopped into a chair in the living room with his back to her and grabbed the TV remote. “Yep,” he called. “I’ll be right here, watching the news.”
He sensed her move close, and before he knew it, she leaned over and kissed the top of his head. “Thank you for helping me. For saving me and Ladybug.”
Heat shot straight to his groin, but when he turned to say it was nothing, she’d already vanished into the bathroom.
