If Tomorrow Never Comes (Harper Falls Book 2) (33 page)

"You have pretty great friends," he said, adding a kiss to Dani's hug.

"They're your friends, too. If you want them."

"A package deal?"

"No," she assured him, then thought again. "Okay, yes. But I would hope that any man that I had good enough taste to like would also have good taste and like my friends."

Alex looked over at Rose and Tyler then back at Dani.

"I'd say any man fortunate enough to be in your life would be an idiot
not
to embrace the entire package."

"You are not an idiot."

"No," he assured her, "I'm not."

Four hours later he was in Jack's office staring at the composite picture Tyler had done. Alex wasn't surprised at the detail; the drawing was first rate. With everyone's help, they had the closest thing they could get to a straight up photograph, but to his frustration, the face of the man looking back at him rang no bells.

"Plastic surgery is always a possibility," Jack said with a frown.

"True, and if you're in a hurry and not terribly worried about competence or sanitary conditions, there are several clinics in South America that will do the work—no questions asked."

Tyler had done two sketches. In one, the man was wearing sunglasses, the way he had appeared at the health club. In the other she left the glasses off. The shape and size of the eyes were an estimate, but in Alex's opinion, a damn good one. She had an artist's perspective, so she was able to visualize, use the rest of the man's face to make an educated guess at what they hadn't been able to see. Of course, plastic surgery would have altered that to some extent, but he was confident they had an accurate composite. If he saw this man on the street, he would recognize him instantly.

"Everything is ready." Drew had been working to set up the facial recognition program, making sure it was a go as soon as they had the drawing. It had taken some doing to get all the government agencies on board, but Jack and Drew had connections and high-security clearances. Getting permission had been relatively straight forward; what took the time was waiting for a government representative to arrive. The main condition attached to this whole operation had been the insistence that one of their people had to be present. Alex hadn't been happy about the delay, but it had given Tyler time to polish her drawing, something the artist in her had appreciated.

"Finally." Alex felt like they had been waiting days instead of hours.

"This man does not have clearance. I'm going to have to insist that he stay out of the room while the program is running."

"That's ridiculous," Jack protested. "There isn't going to be any sensitive material on display."

"Be that as it may, I have strict orders. The three of us are allowed in the room, no one else. Otherwise, permission will be rescinded."

"Alex?"

Alex looked at Agent Jeremiah Pound. FBI through and through, he had been surprisingly cooperative from the moment he arrived. He knew who Alex was, or rather who he had been.

When he'd realized the government would have to be involved with this operation, Alex's first instinct had been to tell Drew not to mention his name. He hadn't wanted anything to prevent them from getting the go ahead. He knew keeping something like that out of the initial request could backfire, eventually shutting them down altogether. When permission came through so quickly, he'd thought they'd dodged a bullet. And they had. Alex's presence hadn't stopped anything. However, it was apparent from the look Agent Pound was giving him that the man knew at least part of his story. Which part, or how much, was hard to say. But Pound's less than friendly demeanor told him it probably wasn't the good part.

"It's fine, Jack," he told his friend. "From here on out it's just wait and see. I have other things I can be taking care of."

"I'll let you know the minute we get a result."

"No, absolutely not."

"I beg your pardon?" Drew asked, turning to Agent Pound. His least favorite part of this business was working with the feds. Too much paperwork, too many self-important assholes. It had made him and Jack very rich men so he'd learned to deal. What he wouldn't put up with was a black suit coming into his place and telling them what they could and couldn't do.

"If the man in the drawing is in the data banks, it will have to be determined how to proceed from there. This man is expressly forbidden to have anything to do with that."

Jack and Drew began to argue, Alex didn't bother. Agent Pound had been given his orders, there was no room for negotiation. The man was just doing his job, a job that Alex had done a similar version of more than once.

"Jack, Drew," he interrupted. "Don't waste your breath or time. Find the guy, that's all that matters."

Alex didn't bother to go back to his office, instead opting for the lounge across from the reception area. Any work he tried to do would in all likelihood have to be redone. His brain was focused on what was going on three doors down and on worrying about Dani.

From the moment he had gotten Boyd's call until he'd been banished from Drew's office, his focus had been on action. Now that participation wasn't an option, he let himself think about just how close this guy had been to Dani and her friends. It didn't matter that this could turn out to be one big overreaction. As far as he was concerned, if it meant keeping her safe, he would always err on the side of caution. If it turned out this guy was just admiring a pretty spectacular view? Fine. Non-crisis averted.

But what about the next time and the next? His instincts told him those bugs that were put in Dani's loft had something to do with him, with his past. He planned on getting to the bottom of it. After that it would be time for a new mindset. He didn't want to always be looking for trouble around every corner. He and Dani deserved a life devoid of constant drama and anxiety. He was determined to make that happen.

"Hey, soldier. How about joining me for a pool party."

Dani. Just seeing her made his heart lighter. She was decked out like she had just stepped out of a movie with Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon. High waisted retro bikini, pink with yellow polka dots. He did love polka dots. Cat eye sunglasses and her ponytail high on her head and tied up with a pink scarf. She had the attitude down to perfection, though Alex suspected she had been born with that.

"Where do you get that stuff?" he asked, taking in the wicker tote that sported a sassy poodle and some kind of cover up that had been popular half a century ago.

"It's called the internet. You should try it. They have these websites where you can order anything your heart desires. Now." She grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. "Stop worrying about my shopping habits and come along for some fun under the artificial sun."

"Jack called you."

"I'm not the only one with very good friends."

"He's your friend, too," he said, reminding her of what she'd told him earlier that day.

Dani stopped at the hidden elevator, turning into his embrace. She looked up, a warm smile on her face.

"And aren't we the lucky ones for having them."

Dani
was the sun, nothing artificial about her. And he was the lucky one, no doubt about it.

A TEMPEST IN a teapot. Full of sound and fury signifying nothing. Let the quotes keep on coming. What it amounted to was they still didn't know the identity of Jilly Underwood's mystery boyfriend or what if anything, his interest was in Dani.

Dani had just arrived back at H&W after going home to change and stopping on the way back to pick up the daily special from Pansy's Diner. Tonight's offerings? Beef stroganoff and green salad. The pool party, guest list exclusive to just the two of them, had been just what he'd needed, Dani the perfect distraction. By the time she had left, Alex was relaxed enough to take the results of the facial recognition scan with something close to calm resignation.

Alex had debated with Jack and Drew how much to tell Dani. The conversation hadn't lasted long because the answer was a no-brainer. She had to be kept in the loop, her safety depended on it. That and the fact that Alex didn't want any new secrets. Anything in the past had to stay there, but from now on, he would try to be an open book. So the three men agreed; tell her what they knew even though it wasn't much.

"So we're back to square one?" Dani asked after he'd briefed her.

"Nope, we are several squares ahead, though not nearly as far as I would have hoped."

He seated Dani at the table he'd set up in his office. The cafeteria seemed too impersonal when it was just the two of them. This was much more intimate.

"But today was a bust," Dani said as she poured him a glass of red wine. "Even the guy you set on Jilly came up empty. Her boyfriend was nowhere to be found."

"We'll keep watching her. But I can tell you from experience, the government is way more interested in this guy than they're letting on."

"What makes you think so?"

"How quickly they responded. There was something about this that ticked somebody's box. If it hadn't, we could have been left waiting until the we were too old to care before they got through the protocol and paperwork usually associated with something like this."

"But it wasn't just the man, it was also because of you. Which means," she continued before he could respond one way or the other, "you're the one in danger, not me."

"Sometimes your brain is too fast for my own good." Alex shrugged. "Okay, it's always been probable that I'm the target."

"Target?" Dani gulped.

"An unfortunate turn of phrase. You pick one you like."

"Not target." She thought for a moment. "Though why sugar coat it?"

"I'm not going to." Alex reached over and smoothed the worry lines from between her eyebrows. "I plan on pushing my Army contacts a bit harder, and I plan on finding that man. Okay?"

"Okay," Dani nodded.

Putting it aside and changing the subject suited them both. There were much more pleasant ways to spend an evening. They were together and alone. If they couldn't find better things to do with their time, they weren't trying very hard.

Alex took a bite of succulent beef surrounded by sour creamy goodness and sighed.

"Yummy, isn't it?"

"Do they make anything that's not?"

"I haven't tried everything on the menu, but at the rate were going we should find out sometime next spring."

Alex felt the question hanging in the air between them. Or maybe he was just hypersensitive. Either way, he felt the need to answer.

"I
will
be here, Dani."

"Sorry." Dani gave him a light kiss. "Am I that transparent?"

"Yes, but I can't blame you. We're both still finding our footing."

"You too?"

He thought back to the conversation he'd had with Dr. Tolliver. Had it only been that morning? He needed to share it with Dani and start to clear the air.

"Here's the thing," he sighed. This was all about pushing past his struggles with opening up, sharing what he was feeling. He hoped the more he tried, the easier it would get, but right now, he had to push to get the words past the lump in his throat. "I'm afraid you're becoming too comfortable with the idea of us not sleeping together."

Wow, she hadn't been expecting that. She wasn't even sure what it meant.

"I want it more than anything. Why would you doubt it?"

"I know before I even say this how crazy it sounds, but hear me out."

"Go on."

"You've been so understanding," Alex took a deep breath. "Too understanding. You don't ask anymore, not since the night I told you about my nightmares."

"You want me to nag you about it?" Now she really was confused.

"Not nag," he rubbed the back of his neck hating that he found this so difficult. "Just don't be so anxious to jump out of bed after we’ve had sex, or push me out."

Dani tried to absorb what he was saying. He wanted to cuddle. Not that he would ever put it that way. It was a word that even she sometimes found a bit…well, girly. But she knew what Alex meant. She had become so worried about crowding him that she was starting to push him away. She loved the moments after they were together, that quiet time whether they held each other or just lay side by side, their little fingers just barely touching. It felt good to know that he missed that too. She admired him for being brave enough to tell her.

She slid from her chair moving the short distance between them to sit on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her lips grazing his ear.

"You know you aren't handing in your man card just because you open up and admit things like that."

"I know." He pulled her close. "But I still feel like my balls shrank, just a little bit."

"But they're such big balls." Dani wiggled, settling deeper in his lap. "You'll never miss a micro-inch. And just think what you've gained."

Alex stretched his neck to the side, giving her wandering mouth better access.

"Mmm, what's that?"

"A whole lot of whatever you want."

"Anything?"

"Anything," she answered without hesitation. She lifted her head, her eyes meeting his. "Always."

Holding her sparkling emerald gaze, Alex swept her up and headed out the door.

"No couch," he said, voice deep with emotion. "You, me—bed."

Yes, Tarzan.
She almost giggled at the thought.

"Are you laughing
at
me or
with
me?"

She loved when he teased.

"With, absolutely. Just don't call me Jane."

He grinned and Dani sighed. She loved not having to explain her references. No doubt about it, the man got her.

"I promise, no loin cloths, baby."

"I don't know, you would look awfully good in one."

He laid her on his bed, then moved over her until his body was stretched out on top of hers. They were both still fully clothed. Which was fine because, at the moment, Alex was content to just look at her, mapping her face, memorizing every detail. He had known other beautiful women, actresses, supermodels. If he had to be completely objective, maybe, just maybe, her looks had a flaw here or there. However, if that were true why couldn't he see them? Why, above any other woman, was Jordanna Wilde perfection?