Skin Deep (2 page)

She nodded, retrieving her iPhone from the floor of the car.

But he had already pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and was dialing 911. “I want to report an assault and shots fired on Forty-sixth Avenue across from Denver Community Kitchen. The shooters fled the scene and headed south in a black Lincoln Continental with tinted windows. One assailant is on foot—white male, mid-to-late forties, about five-eleven and one-forty. He threatened the victim’s child, so we think he may be on his way to the child’s preschool located at…” He paused, looking to Megan.

“The man’s name is Donny Lee Thomas.” She also gave him the address and name of Emily’s preschool, then dialed her brother’s number, praying he would answer.

“Hey, Megan, what’s—”

“Oh, Marc!” Choking back tears, she rushed to explain. “Donny tried to rob me. He jumped into my car—I think he was hopped up on meth—and he tried to steal money. He hit me. He’s gone now, but he threatened to hurt Emily!”

“Son of a bitch!” Marc swore. “Where are you? Are you alone?”

“I’m across the street from the community kitchen, and, no, I’m not alone. The man who fought Donny off me is still here, and he’s armed. He’s already called 911.” Megan realized she didn’t know the man’s name. “Someone needs to go to the preschool and protect Emily.”

Marc seemed to be speaking with someone else, then he came back on the line. “Stay where you are, sweetheart. Dispatch has got two units headed your way. I’ll get Emily. That bastard won’t get near her.”

She hung up, heard the sound of approaching sirens, her body starting to shake as relief set in. She looked over at the man who squatted down by her passenger side door. “Thank you.”

He watched her, still on the phone with dispatch. “You’re welcome.”

“I’ve seen you at the kitchen. You’re the rancher who donates all that ground beef.”

He nodded, held out his hand. “Well, actually, I’m his son. The name’s Nathaniel West.”

“I-I’m Megan Hunter.” She felt his fingers close around her trembling ones, and, surprisingly, she felt no desire to pull away like she usually did when a man touched her. In fact, she found the contact reassuring. “I can’t thank you enough, Nathaniel.”

# # #

Nate stood in the shadow of the community kitchen waiting for word that he was good to go. He’d already given his statement to the police. They’d asked him a thousand questions and confiscated his firearm, explaining that they would need the forensic evidence it would provide should they find the car he’d shot. They’d offered to call an ambulance to treat the graze on his shoulder, but he’d declined. It wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle himself.

“That’s the second time you’ve been a blessing to us today, Mr. West.” Rev. Marshall came up beside him and pressed a mug of coffee into his hand. “The Almighty was looking out for Megan this evening, that’s for sure. That poor girl has been through enough, I mean to tell you.”

Wondering what the reverend meant by that, Nate accepted the steaming mug and sipped.

“You’re ex-military, aren’t you?” Rev. Marshall seemed to study him.

Nate nodded. “Marines.”

“That’s right.” The reverend nodded. “I remember your dad telling me something about that. You were wounded, burned bad. Looks like they fixed you up good as new though.”

“Yeah.” Right. Good as new.

Nate hoped the reverend would drop it.

“Seems like you’ve been through enough, too, but I’m mighty glad you were here. I thank you for your service on both accounts.” The reverend stuck out his right hand.

“Thank you, sir.” Nate accepted it, gave it a shake, strangely touched by the praise.

Truth was, what had happened tonight had gotten his heart beating in a way nothing had since the explosion. He’d felt blood pumping in his veins, rage surging through him when he’d seen that bastard strike her. It had felt
good
to act, to
do
something, to feel needed again.

He watched as Rev. Marshall walked back inside the kitchen, then looked across the street to where Megan sat in her car giving her statement to a uniformed police officer. Even at this distance, Nate could see she was crying. He found himself wishing he could have a second go at this Donny asshole, whoever he was. It was clear the bastard had bothered her before—and that he’d been waiting for her, maybe even stalking her.

Nate had just climbed into the cab of his truck when he’d spotted the Lincoln Continental pull up behind her and a man jump out and rush into her car. Nate had reacted on instinct, leaving his truck in the alley and going after the bastard, his Colt M1911 cocked and locked in his concealed shoulder holster. He’d forgotten about the men in the car until the window had rolled down and he’d seen the barrel of a Glock pointed his way.

And you fought as a special operator for what branch of the military, West—the Salvation Army?

He’d been damned lucky those idiots couldn’t shoot worth a damn.

It was dark now, the wind colder. Drivers slowed down as they passed, pedestrians stopping on the sidewalk to watch the spectacle of squad cars and flashing lights.

Nate’s thoughts were interrupted by a child’s giggle. He followed the sound, his gaze drawn to a tall man in a black SWAT uniform who carried a blond-haired little girl. Wearing a pink coat and wrapped in a white blanket, the girl must have been about four years old. The cop bounced her in his arms, and she giggled again, clutching a purple toy pony to her chin.

She was about the cutest thing Nate had ever seen.

Megan must have heard her daughter’s laughter, too. Relief on her face, she got out of the car and hurried over to the man, who enfolded her in his embrace, kissing her cheek and placing the little girl—Megan had called her Emily—in her arms. Megan held her daughter close, tears spilling down her cheeks. The tall cop put his arms around her, holding both mother and daughter close. Was he her boyfriend? Her husband? Nate couldn’t recall seeing a wedding ring on her finger.

And then suddenly he wanted nothing more than to get back to the ranch. Without saying goodbye, he crossed the street, climbed into his truck, and headed for the ranch.

It was only after he was halfway home that he realized he had her wallet—the wallet he’d ripped from that bastard Donny’s hands—in his coat pocket.

“
I
want to be reassigned from SWAT to Megan’s protection detail until we have this sonofabitch in custody. I don’t give a shit if it’s a conflict of interests.”

Fighting to ignore the anxious knot in her stomach, Megan set about reheating last night’s leftover spaghetti for Emily’s supper, while Marc paced the living room talking on his cell phone with Chief Irving. No matter that Irving was Marc’s boss and ought to have been the one giving orders. Marc was the most protective big brother in the history of the universe. He wouldn’t let something like rank stand in his way.

Megan would never be able to repay Marc for all he’d done to keep her safe—nor would she ever be able to make up for the hurt she’d caused him.

She slid a plate of spaghetti and green beans in the microwave, pushed the buttons, then turned her back to the stove, feeling strangely disoriented in her own kitchen, her sense of safety shattered.

Damn it! Damn!

Why had she believed that a restraining order would be enough to keep Donny away? She should have realized that news stories about the settlement from her lawsuit against the state Department of Corrections would catch his attention. Though the total amount of the settlement—$1.5 million—was sealed by court order, Donny would know it involved a lot of money. He knew what had been done to her.

She closed her eyes and began to count, breathing deeply, trying to dissipate the panic that had begun to gather behind her breastbone.

“The witness put three forty-five rounds through that Continental. With any luck, some bastard is on his way to the ER with lead in his ass. We’re canvassing ERs just in case. No, I didn’t get to speak with the man, though I owe him a huge debt of thanks.”

Megan’s eyes opened, her brother’s words bringing back those few crucial moments in the car.

Are you okay?

Y-yes, but the men in the other car—

Get down!

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Nathaniel West might well have saved her life tonight—and Emily’s.

The microwave beeped, making Megan jump.

She drew a shaky breath. Willing herself to hold onto her composure for Emily’s sake, she reached for her daughter, who sat on the floor coloring in her new horse coloring book. “Let’s wash your hands, sweet pea.”

She picked Emily up, carried her to the sink and helped her lather and rinse her hands, then sat her in her chair, placing the plate of spaghetti and green beans before her together with a small fork and a sippy cup of milk. She reached for a bib and was tying it around Emily’s neck when someone came up behind her.

“What am I supposed to eat?”

Megan gasped and jumped, startled by the sound of her brother’s voice. “I … I can make more spaghetti if you…”

“Megan.” Marc’s grin faded to a look of concern. He drew her into his arms and held her close. “I was kidding. The last thing in the world I want you to worry about tonight is feeding my face. I’ll send one of the guys out to grab me a sandwich or something. You should eat, too.”

“I’m not hungry.” Megan let herself sink into her brother’s embrace, hating herself for feeling so afraid again, so vulnerable. She’d tried to put all of this behind her for Emily’s sake—and for her own. And now…

“I’m so, so sorry this happened.” Marc drew back, looked into her eyes. “I promise I’m going to put him away so that he can’t hurt you or threaten Emily again. I wish I’d blown his head off when I had the chance.”

Megan drew away, shaking her head. “Don’t say that. If you had, you’d probably still be in prison.”

Marc raised a hand to the earpiece in his right ear, his gaze shifting toward the front door a moment before someone knocked. “It’s about time.”

Megan watched while Marc walked to the door and opened it to reveal Julian Darcangelo, his best friend and the only police officer other than her brother whom Megan trusted with her life. He was dressed head to toe in black as he usually was when he was working a case—black leather jacket, black turtleneck, black jeans, black boots—his dark hair tied back in a short ponytail.

“McBride is on his way.” He exchanged a quick glance with Marc, then strolled into the kitchen. “How you doing, kiddo?”

Megan hugged her arms around herself, the concern and sympathy in Julian’s eyes somehow making it harder not to cry. “I  … I’m okay.”

“Uncle Julie!” Emily squealed at the sight of him, her face lighting up, her smile messy with spaghetti sauce.

From the living room, Megan heard Marc snicker. “Uncle
Julie
.”

“Hey, sweetie.” Julian flipped Marc off discreetly behind his back, gave Emily a warm smile, then met Megan’s gaze, seeming to study her. “You need a hug?”

It was Julian’s way of asking her whether it was okay for him to touch her. He had spent the better part of his years with the FBI working undercover to free girls and women who’d fallen victim to sex trafficking. He seemed to understand better than anyone how hard it was for her to trust men, to let them near her, to let them touch her, even in a casual way.

She nodded, tears blurring her vision.

He wrapped his arms around her. “It’s going to be okay. Donny doesn’t know it yet, but he just picked a fight with the wrong bunch of guys.”

# # #

Nate knew it would have been easier to drop Megan’s wallet by the police station and let the cops handle it. There was no need for him to deliver it in person. And yet, here he was, turning onto her street at the wheel of the damned delivery truck.

She lived in a tidy middle-class neighborhood with minivans in the driveways and strollers and bicycles on the porches—a family neighborhood. He glanced at the houses, saw that odd addresses were on the left side of the street, even ones on the right. And there it was—two houses down.

He pulled up in front, parked at the curb, and climbed out of the truck, her wallet tucked in his jacket pocket, some part of him wondering what the hell he was doing here. The last thing Megan would want tonight is some stranger showing up at her door.

He started up the sidewalk, but hadn’t yet taken ten steps when he heard heavy footfalls on the ground behind him.

“Freeze! Police!”

What the…?

Nate stopped and slowly raised his hands, only to find himself rushed from all sides by men with weapons drawn. He opened his mouth to tell them he wasn’t the man they were looking for, but was shouted down.

“Down on the ground! Hands behind your head!”

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” He did as they demanded, rough hands forcing him to the cold concrete, patting him down

A hand slid beneath Nate’s parka and found his empty holster. “Shoulder holster, but no weapon. Where’s the weapon, buddy? Did you leave it in the truck?”

Nate tried to explain. “The police confiscated—”

Another hand reached into his right jeans pocket. “He’s got her wallet.”

“You son of a bitch!”

“Back off, Hunter. You’re too close to this. Let us handle it.”

“You’re making a mistake. I’m Nathaniel West. I was at the scene today. I’m the one who—”

Strong hands grasped Nate’s wrists, bringing his arms behind his back, making the constricted muscles and tendons in his right shoulder and arm scream.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Nate tried again. “I’m Nathaniel West—the man who called 911. I’m the one who got that bastard Donny off her.”

Cold plastic gripped his wrists as the cuffs were drawn tight.

“Nathaniel West?” asked the man who had just cuffed him. “Got proof of that?”

“Yes.” Sweat beaded on Nate’s forehead, the pain in his shoulder unrelenting. He rested his cheek on the cold sidewalk, willed his arm to relax. “My wallet is in the truck.”

“I’m on it.” Footsteps on concrete. The squeak of the truck door’s hinges. The clank as the door was shut again. “His driver’s license says Nathaniel West. Is that the guy’s name, Hunter?”