Page 57 of Nicole's Shelter

She swallowed. It had been years since she let herself think about that image. “The last pictures on that roll were overexposed of course. I don’t think I realized at the time that I was still working the shutter and the film advanced.”

“Nicole, tell me.”

“I have the negatives.” She gulped air and tried to get the rest of it out. “Negatives of Clifton shooting my neighbor,” she finished on a hoarse whisper.

He was so quiet she knew he must be judging her for a coward—or worse—for not handing over such damning evidence when she discovered it. She wished her sight would hurry up and repair itself. She needed to see his face, to read the expression and emotions in his eyes. To know if there was any hope.

She knew before she jumped him that this ‘relationship’ would end sooner rather than later. Knew anything other than a flash and burn was a pipe dream. But she never thought she’d have to walk away with him thinking the worst of her.

“What was I supposed to say? Even with the pictures, I was just a kid and a potential arson suspect. Maybe if I’d understood more of the legal process I would have done things differently. But it just seemed like sharing that picture meant we’d have to move again. My sister already hated me.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.”

“Spoken like an only child.”

“I’ve had plenty of brothers in the Army. And don’t forget Eva.”

“But who do you go home to for holidays?” She regretted the words the moment they were out. “I’m sorry.” She didn’t need to see his expression to know she’d hurt him. “Rick—”

“Don’t apologize. You have a point,” he said, his voice steady. “Special Forces and dark ops are a different world and require a different outlook. Even now you’d say the recovery team is my family.”

He’d gone clinical, becoming the consummate professional again. A train whistle sounded in the distance, low and lonely, a perfect echo of the empty feeling inside her. “Where are the negatives, Nicole?”

Shivering, feeling over-exposed, she wished for the armor of real clothing rather than the sheet redolent with sex and bad judgment.

“At the beach.”

“There are several of those along the major train route.”

“South,” she said before he could ask again. “Myrtle Beach.”

* * *

At last, he had a destination. He felt like a jerk for prying it out of her that way, but she’d just handed him a solution and he meant to use it to her advantage. “Then we’ll be on our way as soon as Doc releases you.”

“What about my vision?”

“You said it was improving.”

She nodded, a small tight motion that said more about her emotional state than any words possibly could. “Pull on the scrubs and get some rest. We’ll see how you are in the morning. No one will find us here. Do you want another ice pack?”

“No, thanks.”

“All right. I’ll be right outside the door.”

He walked toward the kitchen to return the ice pack to the freezer, telling himself it was relief, not disappointment he felt that she turned down another round of ice. Holding her again was a dumb idea that would only hurt them both. His professional life was more stable since he’d joined Cypress Security, but he was on the job and that meant resolving Nicole’s problem had to be his primary focus.

Just the way he was wired.

She was a case, if not an official client, and he refused to listen to the voice in his head that shouted otherwise. They might have crossed the line a few hours ago and he might have slept better beside her than he had slept alone in years, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t regain some professionalism.

She’d been upset about her injury. He’d been wired from the adrenaline. Sex happened.

He rubbed a hand over his chest, unable to convince himself that the sex hadn’t meant anything. That she didn’t mean anything. Cursing his conscience for a fool, he parked himself in the hallway outside her door and pulled out his phone.

Sliding the device back and forth through his fingers he reviewed everything he knew about her case so far. He had her real name. He had the name of the rogue agent hunting her. If she really had the evidence she claimed – and he believed she did – it was time to take action.

Knowing he should sleep, he started scanning headlines on his phone instead. News agencies weren’t reporting anything earth shattering about Nicole and he couldn’t find anything about three bikers fighting it out with guns on a rural route.

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