All or Nothing: A Trust No One Novel (21 page)

“So, you and Joe, huh? You could do worse.”

Cara snorted.

“Oh right. You have done worse.”

He tipped her head toward the light. His scent was masculine as he stood toe-to-toe with her and moved in close to get a good look. Feeling vulnerable, she leaned away from him until she lost her balance and had to take a step back.

“Hold still, would you?” He pulled her around so she could prop herself against the sink. After selecting two butterfly bandages, he leaned toward her to apply them.

“You’re set.” He didn’t move. His gaze held hers. He leaned forward a fraction more and she thought he was going to kiss her. Her eyes widened and she brought her hands up to his chest and pushed. She might as well have pushed on a rock wall. Abruptly, he laughed, put the tube of antibiotic cream in her hand, and stepped back.

“Don’t worry. I might let you play with explosives Joe didn’t sanction, but I’d never step a foot in his territory… unless I was invited, of course.” He grinned roguishly, backing up to allow her space. “Let’s put a few first-aid supplies in my backpack, just in case you’re always this accident-prone.” He scooped up some bandages and ointment and handed them to her. “Bag’s in the bedroom. I’ll be right with you.” He pushed her out, unceremoniously, and closed the door.

Cara found the backpack and dropped the supplies inside. It was heavier than she expected. When she picked it up to carry it to the living room, it slipped from her hand, spilling its contents out on the floor. She stooped quickly to gather them up. When she pushed the bag aside to kneel down, handcuffs lay on the floor. Immediately, her newfound confidence disappeared, leaving her hollow inside. She jerked her hand back as if she’d been burned. Her breathing nearly stopped and her chest constricted. Her gaze was held captive by the shiny metal object that haunted her nightmares. Panic tore at her even when her new calmer, stronger voice told her they could no longer hurt her. She would have fled, but she’d lost the use of her lower extremities as surely as if those handcuffs bound her once more.

Chapter Twenty

Wednesday 10:35 am

M
URPHY CALLED AS
Joe left his study to check on Cara. “Dennelli, and the rest of his thugs, made it safely back to his estate in West Linn. We’ll keep an eye on him, but my guess is he decided the lady wasn’t worth the effort.”

Joe’s hand gripped the phone. Why did that make his blood boil when it should have made his day? If it was true, Dennelli had gone to a lot of trouble for nothing. It took balls to land a chopper here, in the middle of a war zone, and try to take Cara by force. Joe’s gut told him the SOB wasn’t done yet.

“Keep digging, Murphy. Dennelli hires his dirty work done.”

“I’m on it. Now, let’s talk about Sinclair. Rumor has it he and his wife are planning an extended vacation in France. I’m waiting for verification. I should have it… by the time you get here.”

“Why would I come there?” Joe had no reason to go to Portland. What was Murphy up to?

“We need to talk. You’ll want to have this conversation face-to-face.”

“Is this about Sinclair?”

Murphy hesitated. “It’s related.”

“Cara and I will be there this afternoon.”

“No… come alone.” Murphy ended the call abruptly.

Damn it! Every time he worked with Murphy, he promised himself it would be the last time. Yet, here he was again. Murphy obviously wanted a controlled situation for their meeting, with plenty of his agents around. That meant Joe wasn’t going to like what the jerk had to say. The fact he didn’t want Cara there probably meant she’d like it even less. For a moment, he considered taking her anyway, but there was always the possibility he could diffuse the situation and she’d never have to know.

Wednesday, 11:05 am

H
ER HEART DRUMMING
in her ears, Cara didn’t hear Walker’s approach until he knelt beside her on the bedroom floor.

“I’m sensing some bad vibes here,” he said.

She felt his gaze on her face, but she couldn’t drag her eyes from the shiny metal handcuffs on the floor in front of her. Slowly, he reached for the cuffs and inched them back toward his body. She leaned away from him, continuing to stare at the handcuffs he now held. Dropping them in his coat pocket, he rifled through his backpack until he pulled out a paper clip. He straightened it, then made a tiny bend on one end and fussed with it until he got it just right. She cringed as he took out the cuffs and locked one bracelet securely around his wrist, then calmly inserted the pick he’d fashioned in the lock, wiggled it, and the cuff fell open. She shot a glance at his face, and he smiled.

“Want to try it?”

She shook her head. “Do it again.”

He stood and moved closer. “Okay, but you put them on me.” He held out the cuffs, and when she couldn’t force herself to reach for them, he sat on the floor beside her. “They’re just inanimate objects. They can’t hurt you.” He took one of her hands, holding it firmly when she tried to jerk it away, and laid the handcuffs on her palm then held out both wrists.

With considerable clumsiness, she finally got them locked. Two seconds later he was free. “You’re so fast.” She stared at him, amazed.

“You will be, too, before we’re done.” He gave her the cuffs again and stuck out his wrists. Cara locked them quickly, the crisp snapping sounds loud in the quiet bungalow. Walker handed her the pick. “Aim the point toward the ratchets in the cuff and twist it around a bit. You’ll feel it when you hit the right spot.” As he said it, the first cuff dropped free. She smiled and went to work on the other one. It took a little longer, but soon the handcuffs lay where they’d fallen on the floor. He allowed her to cuff him and pick the locks until she sat back and threw him a satisfied smile.

“Okay.” He held the cold metal cuff out to her. “Put one on your wrist.”

Her breathing faltered as she shook her head and shoved his hand away.

“I’m not going to make you do anything you’re not willing to do, but you’ve got serious issues with this hunk of steel. The only way you can change that is to face it head-on. You can do this. You know you can. If you panic, I’ll get it off. Okay?”

“I promised myself. Never again.”

“What you really promised yourself was that you’d never be that powerless again. Right? Learn this and you can keep that promise. These are just tools. They can’t hurt you. They can’t even hold you.” He held the cuffs out to her again.

Knowing he was right didn’t make it any easier. Finally, after several false starts, she locked the cuff around her wrist. Her shaking fingers slowed her down, but within a minute she’d picked the lock and was free. Walker told her to put it on again, and again, and again, until she could free herself in two seconds flat. She should have known that wouldn’t be good enough.

“Both wrists.” He held the handcuffs out to her again.

This time she grabbed them and locked them around her wrists. She opened them once, then put them on again and kept picking the locks until she felt confident she could get out of them under any circumstances.

When she finally glanced up, a grin of triumph lifted the corners of his mouth.

“You can do the same thing with a bobby pin or anything else you can bend and fit in the keyhole. They can’t hold you.”

“Thank you.” Cara returned his smile, though tears stung her eyes.

“Forget it. That kind of makes up for the whole dynamite thing this morning. Maybe you won’t think to mention that to Joe.”

“Deal.”

“Let’s get back to work. I’m supposed to teach you knife fighting today. You’ll ace it after this.” He tossed the handcuffs into his bag, stood, and offered her a hand.

Cara got to her feet. “Why do you have those?”

He threw his arm over her shoulders. “I’m pretty sure it’s not the same reason your creepy ex-husband keeps them around.” As they came out of the bedroom, they both saw Joe at the same time. He stood silently, just inside the open front door.

“I didn’t hear anyone knock, did you?” Walker’s tone held a good-natured ribbing.

“He doesn’t really understand that concept.” She stared at Joe and her face warmed. She knew how this looked and could imagine what he was thinking. It angered her she felt guilty when she had no reason. Even if something was going on between her and Walker, it was none of Joe’s business. He had no claim on her.

“Rayna said she hadn’t seen you for a while. I got worried.” Joe’s eyes searched her face and lingered on her bandaged forehead.

“Uh-oh. Busted. I’ll give you two a minute.” Walker slid his arm off her shoulders and continued across the room.

“Wait for me outside, Walker. I need a word with you.” Joe’s gaze still followed Cara.

An awkward silence filled the bungalow, but the question in his eyes spoke volumes. He obviously had a problem with what he thought he’d seen, but it gave her an idea. She could use this to drive a wedge between them. If he despised her, surely he wouldn’t do something as foolhardy as trying to take on David. It was the best thing for him, so why couldn’t she look him in the eye?

“I was worried when you didn’t answer your phone.” He stepped toward her.

“I didn’t realize you had to know where I was every minute.” Her voice wavered slightly. The phone had vibrated twice while she and Walker were in his bedroom, but she’d ignored it.

“It’s my job to make sure you’re safe. I have to keep track of you to do that.”

She stared out the door at Walker, thirty feet away, standing with his back to the bungalow. The words that would anger Joe were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t make herself say them. If he believed there was something between her and Walker, it would destroy their friendship. She wouldn’t lie to him… but she didn’t have to correct him if he came to that conclusion on his own.

She skirted around him toward the door.

Joe caught her arm. “Cara…”

She looked down at his hand. “Now who has trust issues?”

His grip tightened for a moment before he let her go, and Cara strode from the bungalow. Walker stared at her, his eyebrows raised, but she kept going without comment. Joe was close behind her until he reached Walker’s side.

“What happened to her head?” Joe asked.

“That little bump? She fell. It’s nothing. What the hell did you say to piss her off so bad?”

Cara didn’t hear Joe’s reply, but she felt relieved. Walker would tell him, in no uncertain terms, there was nothing between them… that he’d spent the last two hours teaching her the art of picking locks. Still, she felt guilty and it didn’t help when Walker caught up to her, a frown knitting his brow. They entered the gym in silence.

He was in full instruction mode as soon as they hit the mat. “The majority of women, who try to defend themselves with a knife, have it taken away and used on them by their attacker. So, never choose a knife if a gun is available. We’re going to concentrate on defensive maneuvers first and then we’ll work on throwing, until you can hit a target as well with a knife as you can with your 9mm.”

An hour later he called a halt to their session, frustration written on his forehead. “Your head’s not in the game. This isn’t something you can sort-of learn.”

“I’m trying.” As dissatisfied with her performance as he was, her words were practically a groan.

“I need all of your attention.”

“I know.” She glared back at him, in no mood to be bullied.

He grabbed a towel from the sidelines and handed it to her. “Let’s try again tomorrow.” His voice was calmer. “What the hell’s going on with you and Joe?” He studied her as she wiped her face. Something in his tone said he knew what she was trying to do.

“There is no Joe and me.” Cara handed him the towel before she walked away.

At the edge of the mat her cell phone vibrated, startling her. She pulled it from her pocket, sure it must be Joe since he was the only one who had her number. If he thought she would pick up for him, he was mistaken.

It wasn’t Joe. The caller ID listed a number she’d never seen before.

Walker came up behind her as she stared at the phone, deciding whether or not to answer. When she glanced at him, he shook his head. He apparently didn’t recognize the number either. David had connections that could easily supply her cell number, and he would most certainly consider it a personal challenge to prove she couldn’t hide from him. It had to be him. Who else could it be? Walker must have come to the same conclusion. He held out his hand for the phone.

“This is my problem.” Cara answered the call before Walker could grab for the phone.

He swore as she turned and walked away.

“Cara?” The voice was familiar, low, and friendly, full of humor. Definitely not David.

“Who is this?”

“The name’s Sam. You probably don’t remember me, but we met at the fair in Bozeman yesterday.”

“Right. I remember you, Sam. How’d you get this number?”

“I was in the electronics shop when someone came in to pick up a phone for Cara. I figured there couldn’t be too many people named Cara in our little town so I took a chance. I realize that sounds kind of creepy, and I’ll understand if you don’t want to hear from me again.”

“Why are you calling?”

“I had to apologize after I realized how badly I must have scared you. I can’t believe I did that. You probably think I’m a stalker, or worse.”

“Well, now that you mention it…”

His laugh held sadness. “I’m sorry. It’s just that you remind me so much of my Emily. She and my daughter were killed in a car accident a year ago. I don’t know a lot of people here, so it’s been kind of lonely. When I saw you at the fair, I just had to talk to you. I guess I got a little carried away. I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I won’t bother you again.”

“I know how that feels,” she said before he could hang up. Her heart ached at the sadness in his voice.

“How what feels?”

“Being alone in the world. I’m sorry about your wife and daughter. How long were you married?”

“Sixteen years, and I miss her every day.”

“Of course you do, Sam, but it will get easier.”