Safe in His Sight (21 page)

“I don’t think I can do it,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck. “I can’t leave you when you look so delectable.”

“Please. I’ve passed by a mirror this morning. Besides, we went over this last night. It’s your first shift back, you have to go.”

“
Have to
. Strong language from the queen of bacon.” He stepped back and held out his arms. “How do I look?”

She fluttered her eyelashes. “Like a hero.” She pressed up on her toes and kissed him.

Damn if his chest didn’t puff up with pride.

She laughed and the normal, delighted sound rippled over his skin. He let her fix eggs while he made toast for both of them. When they sat down at the table, he knew he’d never want to share this kind of intimacy with anyone else. She was the one. It didn’t even sound strange in his head. It sounded right and true. It might take him a lifetime to convince her to stick with him, but what else did he have to do that was more important than her?

He raised a toast point in salute. “Perfect breakfast. Thanks.”

“Least I could do after, well, everything.”

He didn’t care for the note of farewell in her voice. “You’ll follow Grant’s orders and stay here until I’m off shift, right?” They’d discussed it repeatedly last night and the minute he thought he had her convinced to wait, she’d presented a new reason to act first. Why did he like the way she argued?

She nodded now, her green eyes focused on pushing the next bite of egg onto her fork. He recognized the meaning behind her evasion. She intended to turn herself in the minute he was out the door. The idea of her going to the police alone gave him chills.

“I’ll call in and check on you every hour unless there’s a call. The number for the firehouse is on the refrigerator if you need me.”

“Great. Thanks.” She pushed her food around her plate. “I’ll be fine.”

He waited for her to clarify her definition of
fine
while he devoured the food she’d prepared. He cleaned up his plate and the skillet while she finished. A glance at the clock proved he had to get out of there or risk being late his first day back on the job.

He pulled his coat off the peg and returned to the kitchen. “Grant sent a text that someone else is keeping an eye on the house,” Mitch said, tapping his phone before he slid it into his coat pocket.

Her gaze drifted to the front windows, though the curtains were drawn. Thankfully, she didn’t ask to see the text. “Stay put, babe. My shift will be over soon.”

“Babe?”

Finally, he had a reaction out of her. “Too soon?” He winked.

“It will
never
be time for that word.”

His heart kicked in his chest and he couldn’t stifle the cocky grin creasing his face. “Never is a long time.” He was going to hold her to that. “How do you feel about
sweetheart
or
honey
?”

“Go to work.” Her sharp retort didn’t dull the sparkle in her eyes. “I know what you’re doing.”

“You do?”

She walked right up to him and fisted her hands in his coat. “You’re absolutely transparent.” She gave a tug and pulled his mouth to hers for a kiss. “Have a great shift,” she said, her lips brushing his. “I’ll be fine. And I promise I will be right here when you get back.”

“No better motivator than that.” He gave her another brisk kiss, looped the strap of his duffel over his shoulder and walked out the door.

It felt so damned wrong to leave her as he drove down the street. If he stayed, he’d lose his job and his identity. He was a firefighter blood and soul. He wanted to believe Julia would stay put. She was probably right that Leo had skipped town. It didn’t help.

Neither did the idea of backup doing his job protecting her. Though they’d agreed about it last night, he was circling back to all the reasons he should put off his return to work until she was out of danger. They were too alike, he thought with a caustic laugh. Lately they were both making decisions only so they could second-guess them.

He tried to settle his thoughts. Falk had killed his brother and plugged the last leak in his organization. It was reasonable to assume the mastermind would move on to his next pet project. Unless he felt the need to snip the remaining loose ends here in Philly.

Mitch’s stomach dropped at the thought. At the next corner, he turned back for home. She’d just have to work from the firehouse today. He’d think of some excuse for the chief. Backup or not, Mitch refused to leave her hanging out there like bait.

*

Once Mitch left for his shift, Julia set to work. She couldn’t sit there twiddling her thumbs and pacing until he returned. Playing house this morning should’ve freaked her out; instead, she was far too content with the idea of making breakfast for him on a regular basis.

Silly, but true. She hadn’t recognized the signs when she should have, and now she was irrevocably in love with the man. Consumed with the case and Leo’s motives, she’d made excuses and ignored how serious her feelings had become.

She wasn’t infatuated with Mitch because he was convenient or kind when he wasn’t being cocky. The sex was amazing and what should’ve been a fast, physical release had blown past her smart defenses and touched her heart and soul. Hopefully, when he got home from his shift, she and Grant would have a lead on Leo’s location. Once that last detail was handled, she vowed to lay her heart on the table for him to pick up or leave behind as suited him.

She didn’t want to take any chance that he’d believe she was sticking around simply because she was scared or had developed some weird hero complex. She wanted no barriers, no excuses, to come between them.

All this cycled through her brain as she carefully pieced together every encounter with Leo. Contrary to Mitch’s worries, though the guilt still niggled at her, she had no intention of playing into Haywood’s hands and going anywhere near the police until she had more than a few text messages to prove Leo Falk was alive and the author of a personal crime wave.

Where had the creep been hiding before Philly? Where had he stayed while he’d upended her life to find and kill his brother? And where would he go next?

In school, she’d studied cases of jury tampering, of the shady crews with zero morals available to the highest bidder. That was what Leo felt like to her, an edgy mercenary who knew what buttons to push and when to push them to get his way. Where did a man like that hide?

She pushed her hands through her hair and tugged a little. Checking the clock, she realized Mitch had missed his first check-in call by ten minutes. Telling herself that calling him would be the worst demonstration of clinginess, she forced herself to go get a shower and put on real clothes.

Once she was dressed in jeans and a simple cable sweater, she dried her hair and put on her makeup. No sense giving in to all the clichés and spending her first day of unemployment in a sloppy funk.

She walked into the kitchen and her fresh wave of determination disappeared on a terrified scream.

Leo Falk sat at the kitchen table, scrolling through her laptop. Her heart lurched in her chest and telling herself to run, she found her feet rooted to the spot, frozen by fear. “You look lovely,” he said with frightening familiarity. “Better than I expected. I can see what he finds so appealing.”

“Get out of my house!” She weighed her options as adrenaline and the will to survive kicked in. Could she reach the phone and dial 911 before he caught her? Could she make it to the bedrooms and climb out a window?

“Your house?” He chuckled, turned the laptop toward her. “I thought it was his.”

She clapped her hands over her mouth at the sight of Mitch slumped over the steering wheel of the loaner car. “What did you do to him?”

“I arranged an effective, one-car accident.”

Tears stung her eyes, but she would not give Leo the satisfaction of seeing her tears. She had to believe it wasn’t as bad as it looked.

“You have a choice, Julia. A pleasant death, or a messy one. Which will it be?”

Her temper boiled over and she lunged at him. He knocked her to the floor and pulled a gun she hadn’t noticed. “Messy it is.”

“You won’t get away with this,” she said, looking for an opening as he tied her wrists and ankles to a chair and dragged her into the kitchen.

“Of course I will. This isn’t my first fire.”

“Mr. Franklin wasn’t your first, either, I’m betting.”

“Safe bet.” He tested the ties. “For what it’s worth, I thought you had excellent potential.”

“As what?” she asked, horrified.

“Permanent legal counsel.” He touched her jaw, forcing her to meet his gaze. “I’ve watched you for some time. Shame your true talents will be wasted.” He set the gun on the counter and hummed tunelessly as he poured kerosene over the kitchen floor.

She made a futile attempt to curl her toes up and out of danger. “I never would have worked for you.”

“Yes.” Leo smiled sadly, lighter in hand. “I did figure that out.”

Her gaze transfixed on his thumb as he sparked the flame and lit the trail of kerosene. “Any last words?”

The kitchen door burst open and Mitch staggered through. The miracle of his appearance shocked her and she wasn’t sure she could trust her vision. But Leo saw him, too. “Gun!” she shouted as Leo reached for it. Mitch knocked it out of his hand and they went crashing over the counter stools.

The flames flowed across the kitchen floor, lapping at cabinets and circling her chair. She had to do something to save herself. She tried to stand and scoot, and made little progress with either approach.

She heard Leo and Mitch fighting on the other side of the counter as furniture splintered and fists and grunts were exchanged. She had to help Mitch.

Ignoring the flames, she wriggled her legs up and down against the chair legs, to loosen the bindings. Rocking the chair back, she slipped her feet free of the chair legs. Her wrists still bound to the chair, she tucked her nose and mouth into the collar of her sweater and braced herself to run through the fire blocking the only exit from the kitchen.

The smoke stung her eyes and throat. She knew she had to get low, but the floor rippled with fire.

“Julia, this way!”

Hearing Mitch’s smoke-roughened command, she turned to see him reaching over the counter. No sign of Leo. She tried to cooperate but the chair made it impossible.

She couldn’t make the jump and if she didn’t run, she’d be stuck. He moved before she did, coming over the counter and hauling her up off the floor, chair and all. He grabbed a knife from the block and sliced through her bindings, then pushed her back over the counter. “Go!”

Leo emerged from the smoke, blocking her path and aiming the gun at her face. Mitch shoved her to the floor, covering her body with his. “Straight ahead is the door.” He groaned as Leo attacked again. “Run. I’ll be right behind you.”

She made it out and looked back just as Leo dragged Mitch deeper into the burning house.

She screamed his name and reversed direction. She couldn’t let him fight her battles alone. A firefighter caught her around the middle and hauled her toward the front yard. “You have to save him,” she begged. “Please, save him!”

*

Julia stood in the street, the cold pavement easing the minor burns on her bare feet and the acrid smell of smoke billowing into the sky, marring what had been a beautiful morning. Firefighters from Mitch’s shift surrounded her, battling the terrible blaze chewing through the house. It was obvious Leo hadn’t limited the accelerant to the kitchen floor. She prayed they found him in time. If he died...

No. He’d promised her he wouldn’t sacrifice himself to protect her. Any minute he’d come striding out, a cocky grin on his face. She wouldn’t tolerate anything less. Mitch had saved her, pushing her clear before Leo Falk could pull the trigger and make his escape.

It was hard to believe “alone” had ever been her preference after shedding her childhood troubles. If Falk managed to kill Mitch, Julia knew she would be irreparably broken by the loss. She took an involuntary step toward the house.

“He’ll make it,” Grant said, holding her back.

“Yes, he will.” The world just couldn’t be so cruel as to show her the love of her life and then snatch him away. He was a miracle. Everything about him showed her every good thing within herself. “Leo showed me a picture of Mitch dead in a car.”

“They found his car a few blocks away.” Grant held her in half a hug. “Looks like he was ambushed on the way back to you. Whatever they gave him to knock him out wasn’t strong enough.”

Pressing her hands to her lips, new worry surged over him fighting a criminal mastermind in a fire with an unknown drug in his system. And no gear. Still, she had to believe. They’d come this far, and she refused to give up on him now.

“He’ll make it,” Grant said again. “He knows what he’s doing in there.”

Then what was taking him so long to get out of there? “You’re right. He will make it.” No doubts allowed. “And Leo Falk better come out of there alive enough to be prosecuted, as well.” A litany of potential charges rattled through her mind, along with all the ways to prevent him slipping through any loopholes created by a good defense team.

“Sounds good to me,” Grant agreed. “You need shoes,” he observed.

“I’m fine.” She was alive, thanks to Mitch. She’d wait right here until he joined her.

“At least move back to the grass.”

She shrugged away from Grant. “He said he’d be right behind me.” She was
not
leaving this spot until Mitch made it safely out of that blaze. “He doesn’t lie.”

But he wasn’t there. What had Falk done to him?

Firefighters shouted and paramedics moved closer to the front walk. She watched, holding her breath as a firefighter emerged from the smoke, a limp body over his shoulder. Too short to be Mitch, her heart sank.

“Is he dead?”

“I’ll find out,” Grant replied.

Her thoughts reeled, thinking of the fight, the terrible blows exchanged before Mitch had cut her free and shoved her out of harm’s way. She wrapped one hand around her other fist, refusing to cry, refusing to believe Leo had won.