WATCHING (32 page)

Chapter
42

****

“
I got us a suite
,
”
Hellbrook said as he maneuvered the loaner vehicle to the motel less than an hour after they finished the damned reports from the North Dakota agents. It was pas
sed
midnight, but at least that was one thing they
’
d not have to worry about in the morning. They
’
d finalize everything on the Byrum arrest, gather the case files and copies of reports and rendezvous with the rest of the team in South Dakota. Then it was done.

“
A suite
?
”

“
I
’
m not too comfortable with completely separate rooms, not until we confirm Byrum is our
UNSUB
. It
’
s up to you which part of the suite I
’
m in, but we are sharing a suite
.
”

Georgia looked at him a moment, uncertainty gnawing at her. The choice was up to her, and he meant that. Dammit.

“
Of course
.
”
That was all she could think to say.
“
A suite is fine. I...uh...need a shower
.
”

“
I
’
ll get room service. What would you like
?
”
His tone was level, but it didn
’
t take a profiler to see that he was as aware of the awkwardness as she. Her little game with Byrum hadn
’
t made things easier on either one of them.

It wasn
’
t their first time in a motel room together, but it was the first time they
’
d both been awake and aware of the attraction between them.

She was more than
just
aware of him, she felt him in every inch of the suite.

She needed the shower to escape him. She took twice as long as she normally would have, both out of the need to stall and because the bathroom was gorgeous. Twin jet sprays did an excellent job of washing away the previous few days, and relaxing every muscle and soothing every bruise on her body. When she exited into the small sitting room that joined her room with Hellbrook
’
s she felt loose and warm and feminine.

Hellbrook sat on the couch, suit coat removed, sleeves on his white dress shirt rolled up to reveal strong forearms, and his tie missing. His copper hair was highlighted in the low light of the reading lamp beside the couch, and Georgia
’
s mind seized once again on how leonine her boss was.

He was king of the pride, and waiting for his chosen female to come to him. He smiled at her, and she half expected him to roar at any moment.
“
Food will be here in about an hour. They were a bit backed up
.
”

“
That
’
s fine. What are you working on
?
”
She sat on the edge of the coffee table, not quite ready to sit on the small loveseat beside him.

“
Briefs
.
”

Georgia picked up a stack, averting her eyes from his.
“
With K.D.
’
s name on them
?
”

“
She has enough to worry about without adding useless bureaucratic red tape
.
”

Georgia picked up a second file.
“
And Dan? He have enough to worry about, too
?
”

She leaved through the stacks, finding various reports she easily identified. None had her name on them
—
or Hellbrook
’
s.
“
Everyone
’
s but yours and mine
?
”

“
I didn
’
t think you
’
d appreciate my doing your reports
.
”
He stopped writing before looking at her.
“
Besides, you
’
ve always had yours turned in to me before anyone else
.
”

Her way of protecting herself from him. If he
’
d had cause to write her up, she
’
d assumed he
’
d do it. And that would have possibly affected her chances at securing a team of her own. But she hadn
’
t known he did the reports for the others. If she had, would she have let him do hers?

Probably not. She wouldn
’
t have wanted to give him that type of control.
“
So is this a recurrent theme
?
”

“
Sometimes
.
”
He sighed before gathering the files and stacking them in a neat pile. She
’
d noticed before that Hellbrook liked things organized. He took the last file from her hands, letting his fingers graze hers.
“
These cases are hard enough, eat up enough of our lives. It
’
s better if I take care of all the reports at once. I usually get copies of everyone
’
s notes. Yours, too
.
”

Because she made sure to cc him on everything. To protect her own ass. Had she been that paranoid, or had there been a truth to it? Georgia didn
’
t know.
“
And it doesn
’
t eat up your time, too
?
”

“
I have the time and it
’
s not a big deal for me. And it
’
s my unit, my responsibility. Part of leading a team
.
”

He didn
’
t mention her transfer request and neither did she. It didn
’
t seem like the time to bring it up, to cause yet another argument between them. Not when they
’
d been getting along so well.

“
And the fact that it
’
s after midnight and you
’
re doing everyone else
’
s paperwork so they don
’
t have to doesn
’
t bother you
?
”

“
Why should it
?
”

He was genuinely puzzled and that stuck with her. It was such a direct contrast to the frightening legend that younger agents whispered about. Who was the real Michael Hellbrook?
“
When not out saving the world, how do you spend your time? Be honest, Hell
.
”

“
I don
’
t know. It
’
s been a while since we
’
ve been on long-term stand-down. I have books I read, I write papers, training manuals. I watch the Cards with Dan now and then. Help him with landscaping when he blackmails me into it. That type of thing
.
”

She
’
d disconcerted him. She could see that. It saddened her, the realization that he was more alone than she would have expected.
“
Whereas Zeke spends his free time on countless dates, K.D. does pro bono legal aid, Carrie writes computer software, and Josh has his band and friends, and Dan—
”

“
Spends almost every spare minute at his home or searching for her ex-wife
.
”

“
I rush home to Matthew. Everyone leaves you to tie up loose ends
.
”

“
Not you, like I said before. And it
’
s part of being their unit chief. I really don
’
t mind, Georgia. I
’
d do it for any part of my team
.
”
He slipped the files into the bag he
’
d bought to replace the one he
’
d lost in the fire.
“
The team
—
they,
you
—
are important to me. Part of having a healthy, functioning team is having agents with fully
rounded private lives. And although that
’
s not the case with Dan
—
he has extraordinary circumstances
—
I want to do my part to see my agents have the time for those lives
.
”

“
You are a good man, Hell. I
’
ve not always seen that, except when you
’
re with Carrie
.
”

“
Carrie
?
”
He looked at her, clear surprise and disbelief on his face.

“
Yes, with Carrie. You
’
ve a protective streak where she
’
s concerned that is very sweet. I used to think it was your only redeeming quality
.
Since that first case on my father
’
s task force.
”

“
And now
?
”
He smiled, though she could see hints of their remembered hostilities in his eyes.
“
And Carrie
’
s special
.
”

“
Baby sister special. I know
.
”

“
I
’
m keeping her and K.D. locked up in offices from now until eternity
.
”
His smile slipped. He trailed a hand down the bruise on her arm.
“
That way this type of thing won
’
t happen again
.
”

Georgia sighed, but it was because of the look on his face that told her he meant it, that he wanted nothing more than to protect the two younger women from everything.

Dammit, it was how she often felt toward Matthew, and even Jules and Ana. Protective because she loved them. He really did love his team. Had probably been fond of the woman she
’
d replaced when she
’
d transferred to the CCU.
“
You can
’
t always protect everyone
.
”

“
No? But I can try
.
”
He paused, eyed her.
“
How would you feel about being handcuffed to my side for every case
?
”

“
Infuriated
.
”
Her words lacked any heat and they both knew it.

“
But you
’
d be safe
.
”
His hands fell to rest on either side of her hips, and she realized she
’
d shifted closer to him until she sat directly in front of him.

“
And miserable. This..
.
”
She fingered the edge of the files sticking out of his bag where it sat on the couch.
“
Is who
I
am, too. Just as much as it is who
you
are. And that
’
s wonderful
.
”

She leaned in, no hesitation in her manner, and touched his lips with hers before pulling back. It was the first move she
’
d made in this strange dance they
’
d been doing for days. She didn
’
t understand what prompted it completely,
just
knew she
’
d learned something meaningful about the man in that moment. And she wanted to be a part of him, if for only a little while. It was in what he
hadn
’
t
said that she saw the truth.

Michael Hellbrook was a good man; one who loved his team. They were a family he
’
d created for himself, and he sacrificed of himself to ensure they could have what they needed.

But who sacrificed for Hellbrook?