Blindsided (15 page)

“Sweetheart?” His voice softened. She could picture him with that gorgeous blond hair attractively disheveled and his blue eyes narrowed in concern. “What hell are we talking about here? Are you hurt?”

“No.”

The person that was hurt was one Nathan Henderson. Could you get fired for killing your boss? Yes, she was pretty sure she could.

“He’s dead.”

The moment of quiet seemed to last a lot longer that it probably really was. Rob said, “Can you define ‘he’?”

“Henderson walked in on me. It didn’t go well.”

What an understatement. Fourth time was not a charm apparently.

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The convoluted trail she’d been trying to follow had taken an interesting turn though. If the files she’d been downloading to a jump drive proved as interesting as she thought they were, well, she’d just saved Rob’s very nicely shaped ass. The way Henderson had come after her when he walked in, told her they probably were very interesting.

“What happened?”

What happened was she’d been almost done when he’d opened the door to the office. He hadn’t flipped on the lights either, which meant he suspected she was there—or that someone was there anyway. She’d seen the glint of something metal in his hand, assumed it was a weapon, and ducked behind the desk. In the glow from the computer screen she’d seen only a dusky outline as he came around, but it was a big quiet place, they were alone, and she knew enough about the guy to realize he wouldn’t want to kill her right there, but then again, if he did, no one would hear it.

The plaque was behind her on the wall. Big, heavy, made of carved wood in some modern interpretation. When she stood up her shoulder bumped it, she turned, grabbed it and jerked.

Then swung as he came around the desk after her.

A shudder rippled through her and she sat, shaking in her car.

She’d parked in the lot of a grocery store and hopefully looked just like anyone else sitting in a car chatting on their cell before going in to grab a gallon of milk or something. “I can’t talk about it right now, Rob. I just left a dead guy in a government office. It was self-defense but that doesn’t help much. My knack for sparkling conversation is null and void at the moment. The bottom line is I found the files we need. I have them.”

“I’m not going to pretend I’ll miss Henderson much.” His voice was grim. “You sure he’s dead?”

“I didn’t exactly send for the medical examiner but I’d say that’s a big yes. It sounded awful.” Thea lifted her hand, saw it tremble like a leaf in a high wind, and a semi-hysterical laugh escaped that had
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nothing to do with real mirth. “If you kill someone who attacks you, that doesn’t that give you an express elevator ride straight to hell, does it? I’ve always heard otherwise.”

“Thea, honey—”

“Look, Rob, my minutes are ticking away here and I’m not in the mood to go somewhere and buy another card for this phone. For all I know there’s blood on me and the idea of it makes me sick. I’ll go through the files when I get home and let you know exactly what we have, okay?”

“I’ll call you in a few hours.”

If she had a chance to go home, take a long, hot shower and maybe have a whiskey sour or something, she might be able to stop shaking. “Yeah, give me three.”

She pushed the end button and still sat there a moment. The cars of the late night shoppers had the parking lot about a third full, the neon lights above glowing against the black winter sky. It was cold without the car on.

Henderson, she reminded herself firmly, was a criminal and he’d had a gun in his hand when he’d come into that room. If he and Donovan conspired to kill, her boss wasn’t someone who would be really missed all that much.

From what she’d seen earlier, he had also been involved in quite a lot of other shady activities.

Her fingerprints were all over the plaque, but then again, she’d taken it with her, wrapped in her coat. They’d know it was missing off the wall…someone would remember.

The choice now was whether to try and act normal and show up to work tomorrow as usual, or run like hell.

* * * *

At least she’d slept. Maybe Jesse could take credit for it, but it could have been a lot of things besides sexual satisfaction. The long
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day Kerin had packed with patients as she tried to catch up, the impact of her brother coming out of the blue and his more than-a-little unusual story, or maybe it was just anonymity of where they were that allowed her to relax a little. They’d made love that first time, then ordered up a couple of steaks and some wine, watched part of a decently entertaining made-for-television movie, and then made love again, the second time slow and long, all soft touches and tender smiles and subtle nuances.

It was exactly his kind of evening—minus the secret agent-on-the-run drama.

Kerin lay on her side in the position he’d discovered she favored, her mouth parted just slightly, her fair hair tangled over her bare slim shoulders. Jesse ran his fingers down her arm in a slow, teasing caress. “It’s six.”

“Hmm.” She blinked, the murmur a sleepy acknowledgement. “Is it really?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“All right.” She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair, looking sleepy and delicious. “I need to go home to shower and change.”

Yes, delicious, he thought with an inner smile. Even with small smudges of mascara under her eyes, she was beautiful. He said, “I’ll take care of check out.”

“I’ll pay you back.” She frowned. “For the rental car, too. Jesse, you’ve done too much.”

“Really?” He lifted his brows. “The way I see it, I just spent one very satisfying night with a gorgeous woman.” He corrected himself.

“A very satisfying several weeks, actually.”

“Yes, well, we’re even on that score too, so I’ll still reimburse you.”

The no-nonsense doctor, when it surfaced, was always pretty plain-speaking. “Let’s argue about that some other time. Are you sure you should go into work?”

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She slid out of bed and picked up her underwear, stepping into the panties as she shook her head. “I’m not sure of anything right now.

Every time I think about Rob’s story, I want to ask myself if I mistakenly auditioned for a part in some suspense movie. I wish I’d passed up the role, by the way.”

“There’s a reason they make movies like that.” Jesse got up and reached for his own clothes. “I suspect it’s because sometimes this kind of shit really happens. Read the newspaper this morning and I’ll bet there’s at least one article that will make you say to yourself,

“unbelievable”.”

A tousled blonde head appeared as she pulled her red sweater on.

Her blue eyes were dark with obvious worry. “You think this is all true?”

“Rob’s story? I told you I did. Maybe I wouldn’t if you hadn’t had all those things happening and he’d just popped up and started rambling on about undercover and murders and dishonest colleagues, but quite frankly, it does explain why someone would bug your house, break in and search your computer, and all the other things that got you so rattled you left town.”

Kerin said nothing but just finished dressing, her face averted. He did the same and a few minutes later they were on their way down to the parking garage. It was still dark, inordinately cold, and the crisp air made their breath steam as they got into the rented SUV.

As they pulled out into the street, she said in a quiet voice, “Do you think it’s just all this? Is that what makes it different?”

He would ask her to be clearer about such a vague question, but why would he when he knew exactly what she meant? Different. That was the operative word about their relationship. He touched the brakes at a red light, bringing them to a stop, and it was a convenient time to glance over and try and gauge her expression. “I think all this has worked as an accelerant, but no, I don’t think the reason things are moving so fast between us is just ‘all this’.”

He understood her reservations. At thirty-three, he wasn’t sure
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falling in love in less than two weeks was a very mature thing to do, but on the other hand, maybe it was supposed to be this way. Instant, electric, beyond logic.

“It feels selfish to worry about my love life when Rob is in trouble.” Kerin perfectly mirrored his thoughts.

At least she hadn’t just said sex life. It was something. Besides, he agreed with her. It
was
different.

The rest of the drive was made in silence. The quiet was fine with him since they both had plenty to think about and it was a little early in the morning for deep conversations. The street in her neighborhood looked deserted, only a few lights on here and there, and he pulled into the driveway and parked. It was not exactly bitter cold, but cold enough, and if someone was really watching the house, he felt sorry as hell for them in that regard. It would be an uncomfortable stake out to say the least.

He had to wonder what Donovan—if he was the one doing the surveillance—thought about another disappearance. At least Kerin wasn’t the target after all, but just a minor player in a game she’d never opted for in the first place.

Kerin used the pad outside the garage to let them in, and then disarmed the alarm before they entered the house. A few flips of the light switches showed comforting normality, nothing out of place, no sign of any disturbance or illegal entry.

She visibly relaxed. “I’m going to run up and shower.”

“I’ll make coffee,” Jesse offered, gesturing at the kitchen.

“Sounds fantastic.” She smiled and dropped her purse on the counter, turning to leave the room.

And stopped. Jesse waited and watched her square her shoulders and turn back around. Her blue eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

“
You’re
fantastic, actually. Last night…when you offered to help Rob…I mean, you don’t even
know
him…”

“I’m trying pretty damned hard to impress you, so don’t be fooled.” He grinned, trying to lighten the mood. “If we were in the
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third grade, I’d be the best one at kickball, just for you.”

She gave a choked laugh. “I bet you would be.”

“In my day, I was one hell of a kickball player if a pretty girl was watching.”

Kerin stood there, looking at him. “Jesse…”

He waited but tensed a little. Whatever she was going to say, he wasn’t sure either of them was ready for it.

She whispered finally, “The coffee is the pantry. I’d better get going.”

He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or not when she left the room and practically ran up the stairs.

* * * *

Patient, patient, patient. Consultation call. More appointments. No time for lunch. She made a brief call to Jesse’s cell phone to let him know a sandwich at her desk was going to be the best she could do.

He’d promised to get one of the more anonymous cell phones so they could call Rob. Though work was a good way to distract her from worrying about it, her brother’s plight was at the back of her mind all day.

It was after six when she finished up the last chart. When the door to her office opened, she looked up, expecting to see one of the other doctors, though most of them were gone.

Instead the man that entered was stocky and dark-haired, with a slightly hooked nose, square jaw, and he wore a padded black jacket and a baseball cap. Startled, Kerin set down her pen, the flicker of alarm instant.

She
knew.

It was the look in his eyes. They were flat, unemotional, unfriendly. He shut the door behind him with a definite click. “Dr.

Burke.”

“I don’t know where he is,” she said with only a small tremor in
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her voice, folding her hands with what she hoped looked like calm and setting them on her desk. “I’m going to guess he deliberately didn’t tell me.”

His smile was chilling. “You know who I am. That means he’s talked to you.”

“I’m going to guess your name is Donovan, and yes, I’ve spoken to my brother. But once again, I don’t know where he is.”

Did anyone see him come in?

Jesse would surely be waiting to follow her home. Maybe Donovan had even passed him…shit, why didn’t they ask Rob for a description? The answer was, of course, because they both had been trying to process the information in the first place. Considering the inhospitable weather, their inexperience with this type of intrigue, and how unbelievable the circumstances, it wasn’t much wonder she had failed to ask. Maybe Jesse had during the initial meeting with Rob, but it was so cold out, people bundled up against the weather. It was difficult to recognize anyone with a hat shading their features and a bulky coat on.

“He’ll have given you something. A phone number. I need it.”

She really didn’t have the number. Jesse did. Kerin shook her head. “I don’t have one.”

“You do realize your brother is in a lot of trouble.”

“I realize
you
are in a lot of trouble.”

“He’s sold you a pack of lies, Dr. Burke. I’m afraid sometimes things go wrong. I was there. If he can’t reconcile what happened, he needs help. The department has programs for this.”

She was acutely aware for the first time her office felt small. It had always seemed spacious before but now the space was overwhelmed with her unwanted visitor’s presence. Kerin stood, though it didn’t do much to make her feel better. Donovan was still quite a bit taller and dominated the room.

“His story differs.”

“He’s lying.” His eyes glittered.

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“I wasn’t there,” she said succinctly. “So guess who I believe.”

With studied casual intent, he reached into his jacket. “Doesn’t matter. Things are getting a little out of hand. I’ve been playing nice so far where you are concerned, mostly because I didn’t think you knew a fucking thing anyway. But I’m sorry, sweetheart, when you didn’t come home last night, I figured Rob must have popped up after all. The rental car was a dead giveaway.”

The moment he produced the very business-like looking gun, she knew her brother had been telling the entire truth. It wasn’t so much she doubted Rob before, but maybe some of more the fantastical aspects of his story. In her familiar office, with the diplomas she’d worked so hard for on the walls and the ordinary trappings of telephones, a cluttered desk, the day calendar that was full of scribbles…