Out of Eden (25 page)

“This morning when you mentioned the mob, I wrote off what you thought you saw because I didn’t want it to be true. My last case involved a young woman, a victim of a mob hit. If there’s any chance…”

He trailed off, causing Kylie to turn in his arms. She looked up and met his intense blue gaze. “Nothing bad is going to happen to me, Jack.” She didn’t want him to worry, and she didn’t want him to think she couldn’t handle his past demons or future nemeses. She did what she was best at, shoved down her own needs and worries and focused on someone else’s.

Jack’s.

“Even if what I saw was the real deal, surely those wiseguys are long gone. They’d dispose of the body and hit the road. Or maybe they took the body with them and disposed of it over state lines. Like you said earlier, why would they stick around, knowing I’d report a crime? Surely not to silence the witness,” she noted for herself as much as him. “Especially one who’s sleeping with a cop. Why risk getting caught?”

Jack brushed a thumb over her cheek and quirked a tender smile. “Nice try, Tiger. But until this thing shakes out, we’ll proceed on the side of caution. Between myself, Deputy Ziffel and Officers Hooper and Anderson, you’ll be protected 24/7.”

She started to argue, but deep down she felt relieved. Having someone watch her back for a day or two, just until the county police solved or discounted the alleged murder, would ease her worries so that she could concentrate on the store. Then again, she felt bad hogging the attention of the local law. There’d be an influx of people with the opening of the Apple Festival. Not that there was ever any real trouble. But there had been some minor accidents and altercations, instances where the EPD intervened. She also felt bad about wasting Jack’s time. He’d no doubt launch an intensive search for Travis, wanting to talk to him about his involvement in WITSEC or, when he didn’t find him, concluding he was the stiff in the trunk. By looking out for her friend, she was also obstructing an investigation.

“One thing’s for certain,” Jack said, “you’re not sleeping in the middle of nowhere tonight. You can stay with me, at your mom’s or at the Orchard House, but that secluded trailer is out.”

Kylie worried her lower lip. If she was in trouble, she didn’t want that trouble anywhere near Jessica Lynn or Madeline. As for the Orchard House. “Faye’s dad was in an accident. She’s on her way to Orlando with the kids for a couple of weeks.”

“Sorry to hear that. Is Mr. Collins okay?”

“I think so. I hope so. Anyway, I don’t want to impose on Stan. I’ll stay at Mom’s.” The house was currently unoccupied but smack in the middle of a crowded block in town. She kept some clothes and toiletries in her old bedroom. She’d be set.

“Fine,” said Jack. “Listen, Jessie’s working a night shift, so for dinner, it’ll be you and me, Maddie and Mrs. Carmichael. Sound good?”

“Sounds great.” Moving along with previous plans, acting normal, helped to temper Kylie’s nerves.

“Hooper’s sitting in a squad car outside. Don’t hesitate to call him or me for any reason. I programmed the numbers in your cell.”

“Where are you going?” Kylie asked, cursing the nervous flutter in her voice.

“I need to make a run to Travis’s place.”

Kylie was torn between doing the right thing—clueing Jack in on Travis’s trip overseas—and the right thing—protecting a friend whose life was in danger. She couldn’t silence Travis’s voice.
“I know about trying to live up to family expectations. I know about not being appreciated for who you are.”

He’d given up his identity. He’d lost his wife. Surely he deserved a slice of happiness. She couldn’t betray him. Not yet. Not until he’d safely reached his destination. Once he was out of the country, he’d be out of reach. Distanced from both the bad and good guys, right? The neutral zone? She just needed to buy him some time, a day at most. In the meantime, maybe it wasn’t a bad thing if people thought he was dead. Six feet under and forgotten.

Kylie hugged Jack tight. She couldn’t look him in the eye and lie, so she looked away. “Be careful.”

“Always.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

J
ACK DIDN’T CALL FOR THE REST
of the day. No news on Travis. No updates on Jessica. Kylie was dying of curiosity and a little peeved that he’d left her in the dark on both counts. Then again, he’d warned her that he was swamped and that was
before
he’d learned about Travis’s involvement with the witness protection program.

Still, she wondered what Jack had discovered while searching Travis’s house. Did he glean clues about his real identity? Did he suspect Travis had skipped the country? Had he heard back from the U.S. Marshals Service?

And what about Jessica? Why was Jack being so secretive about whatever happened at her house? Why was he leery of her being alone?

On top of all that, even though she
really
wanted to believe the role-playing scenario, Kylie had to contend with the knowledge that she’d possibly witnessed a real murder. Had the county police turned up any evidence to support what she thought she’d seen? Had they found a body? If so, who was it?

It was enough to drive a girl crazy.

Instead of obsessing on what she had no control over, Kylie concentrated on McGraw’s. She worked her tail off preparing for the grand reopening. Luckily, the afternoon passed without drama. No goons. No crisis.

Before she knew it, it was time to leave the store and change for dinner. Officer Hooper gave her a lift to her mom’s house.

“I’ll wait out here until Chief Reynolds shows,” he said after walking Kylie to the front door. “Don’t worry. No one will mess with you on my watch.”

Kylie was touched by Hooper’s diligence, but she felt a little silly. Maybe she was being overly optimistic, but she wasn’t anticipating a visit from Bruiser number one and two. Either they were long gone or they weren’t the real deal. Still, she could hear Spenser saying, “
Better safe than sorry
.”

“Thanks, Hooper. I appreciate it.” She jammed the key she’d had since she was a kid into the lock and hurried inside. She smelled Lemon Pledge and green apple carpet deodorizer. The house was clean, as always, but cluttered with framed photos, collectibles, mementos and too much furniture. Her grandma had refused to give up her belongings when she’d moved in, and her mom had refused to scale back. So they ended up with two
homes
jammed into one house. Kylie liked it. Every item reminded her of various moments in her life. Even though her mom and grandma weren’t here, she could feel them. She also felt the presence of the male McGraws.

Feeling nostalgic and safe, she raced up the stairs and ransacked her old bedroom closet. She found the red dress she thought she’d remembered stashing there. Not too casual. Not too dressy. A perfect match to the red pumps she’d snagged from the store. The perfect ensemble for dinner at Wong’s.

She showered and dressed in thirty minutes, ten minutes before she heard Jack knocking. She opened the door and suddenly all the worries she’d spent so much energy fending off slammed into her with blinding force.

Even though Jack was dressed in civilian clothing, there was nothing casual about his demeanor. Was he in bodyguard mode? The bearer of bad news? Or just in a cranky mood?

“You look beautiful,” he said.

He sounded sincere, but she was distracted by his uptight aura. “I’m overdressed.”

“Not for Wong’s, but—”

“We’re not going to Wong’s?” Was he blowing her off for work? Had he learned something about Travis? Heard something from County?

“Mrs. Carmichael called me last minute, said her arthritis has flared up. She’s not up for a night out so I offered to bring over pizza. And, I promised Maddie we’d watch a movie with them. I should’ve called you, but—”

“You were swamped and rushed. It’s okay.” She blew out a relieved breath. Not Wong’s, but not work. “Sounds like fun. I’ll just change into something more casual.”

“I wish you wouldn’t.” He swept an appreciative gaze over her body, the dress, the shoes. “You’re a pleasant distraction from an unpleasant day.”

“What a nice thing to say.” Blushing, she broached the safest subject regarding his day. “This thing with your sister, do you want to talk about it?”

“I can’t.”

“Oh.” She waited for him to elaborate. He didn’t.

He nodded toward his SUV. “Ready?”

Flustered, she abandoned talk of his sister and noted his faded jeans and pullover. She glanced down at her spiky red heels. “All right. But if Shy wants to play fetch, these shoes are coming off.”

“Bare feet. Red toenails,” he said as she nabbed her purse and locked the door. “Sexy.”

Even though he was preoccupied, his attraction to her was fierce. She felt it with every fiber of her being as he wrapped an arm around her waist and escorted her to his Aspen. Her own body tingled in response, but, although she felt connected physically, an emotional chasm stretched between them. He had secrets.
She
had secrets.

Jack dismissed Officer Hooper with a nod. The squad car drove off, and Kylie wrestled with guilt as Jack helped her into the passenger seat of his SUV. He wouldn’t be happy when she confessed she’d withheld information. The longer she put off telling him Travis had skipped the country, the angrier he’d be. She thought about the plane ticket and wad of cash locked in the store’s safe and the guilt intensified.

Hands trembling, Kylie fumbled with her seat belt as Jack rounded the vehicle.

He slid her a glance as he slid behind the wheel. “Hear from Travis today?”

Was she that transparent? “No.” It wasn’t a lie, exactly. He hadn’t called so she hadn’t actually
heard
from him. Her cheeks flushed all the same. She fished in her purse for a mint, lipstick, anything to avoid making eye contact. “Did you hear from County Police?”

“They haven’t found any evidence to suggest foul play.”

Kylie suppressed a gleeful squeal. “Why don’t you sound happy about that? It’s good news, right? Means I witnessed a hoax, right?”

“Maybe. They’re still investigating.”

“Oh.” Clearly he wasn’t in a talkative mood. Regardless, she needed more clarity. “Did you hear from U.S. Marshal Service?”

“No.”

He keyed the ignition and backed out of the drive.

She swished red gloss over her lips. “Would you tell me if you did?”

“Yes.”

“Would you tell me what they said?”

After a weighty pause, she looked over and caught his enigmatic gaze. “Depends.”

“On?”

“Whether I want that stuff in your head.”

She knew his intentions were good, but unlike the last time he’d uttered that phrase, she didn’t feel protected as much as manipulated. “Anyone ever told you you’re a control freak?”

“Takes one to know one,” he said, eyes back on the road.

She grunted. “Sounds like something Spenser would say.”

“Speaking of Spense…”

Uh-oh.

“He called me today.”

Crap. Kylie clasped her hands in her lap so as not to wring them. She, too, focused on the road. “Did you tell him about the water tower?”

“No.”

“My run-in with the goons?”

“Why worry him when it could be nothing? I’ll wait till County weighs in.”

“Did you tell him about…us?”

“Not the right time.”

That was a relief, except she realized suddenly that he’d not only kept her in the dark about certain things, but he’d also danced around the truth with his best friend. “Even though you’re an honest man, you’re not always honest—in a full disclosure kind of way.”

“No, I’m not.” He cast her a look. “That a problem?”

She didn’t know. Her fantasy man was becoming more real by the day. Her stomach fluttered, and not in a good way. “Maybe.”

Jack didn’t comment.

Kylie wrestled with the concept of loving a man who kept secrets. “So what
did
you and Spenser talk about?”

“He mentioned his conversation with the mayor. He wanted to know if you were all right. I told him you were a pain in the ass, but nothing I couldn’t handle.”

Kylie snorted.

Jack cracked his first smile of the evening. “It was that or the truth.”

“Which is?”

“You’re a pain in the ass and I’m scared to death of you.”

Kylie’s jaw dropped.

“Scratch that,” he said as he pulled into Mrs. Carmichael’s driveway. “I’m scared of loving you.”

His words slammed into her, seizing her breath, boggling her mind. Was he speaking literally or hypothetically? She couldn’t suppress the question. “Do you?” she squeaked as Madeline and Shy came racing across the lawn. “Love me?”

He caught her gaze just as kid and dog bopped in front of the driver’s window, demanding his attention. “Maybe.”

J
ACK SPENT THE MAJORITY
of the evening questioning his sanity. Knowing how he felt about Kylie and admitting it aloud were two different beasts. Only he hadn’t admitted the truth. He’d just blurted
“Maybe.”
A dumb-ass thing to say, but he didn’t want to lie and he didn’t want to commit, so he’d straddled the fence.

Dumb-ass.

Why the hell had he brought up love to begin with? Except, she
was
a pleasant distraction from an unpleasant day. She’d stolen his breath when she’d opened the door. So pretty, so sweet. So damned fascinating.

Even though he suspected she was holding something back about Travis Martin, he was more intrigued than pissed. He liked that she fiercely defended someone she considered a friend, even though he questioned her judgment. He admired her inclination to trust, even though he thought it made her vulnerable. She possessed a curious mix of strength and sensitivity.

Yes, she’d been a pain in the ass the past few days, but she’d also befriended Shy and defended his sister. In the past, she’d forfeited a dream trip to be with her ailing grandpa and she’d depleted her savings to bail her grandma out of debt.

Kylie was kind. Good. And yes, he loved her. Problem was, he didn’t trust that love. So he’d held back. He knew she wouldn’t leave it at
maybe
. She’d want an explanation. He didn’t blame her. That conversation lurked in the background for the next few hours.

Amazing that he was still able to enjoy himself. But he did. They all did.

Even though the mystery of Travis Martin dogged him, even though he worried that an element of the mob had infiltrated Eden, and even though he was worried about Kylie’s safety and his sister’s emotional well-being…this evening had been an unexpected delight.

Sheer joy had pumped through his blood as he’d watched Kylie and his niece playing a canine version of tag with Shy. Just as promised, Kylie had kicked off her shoes. She’d also kicked up a lot of fun and lively conversation, connecting as keenly with Maddie as Mrs. Carmichael.

Jack had soaked in the sounds of laughter, the feeling of family as they’d gobbled pizza and watched a flick featuring a superhero dog. The only thing missing was Jessie.

Jack tucked his niece into Mrs. Carmichael’s spare bed. He helped her say her prayers, swallowing a surge of mixed emotions when Maddie blessed her dad—
even though he doesn’t love Mommy and me
. Maybe Jessie was right. Maybe he should steer clear of the courthouse tomorrow. Jack wasn’t sure if he could see Frank Cortez without inflicting bodily harm.

“Mrs. Carmichael said it’s okay if Shy sleeps with me if it’s okay with you,” Maddie said, rousing Jack from his musings.

“Sure thing, sweet pea.” He called the dog, trying to get her to curl at the end of the bed. Instead, Shy curled up in Maddie’s arms. “Not sure your mom would approve of that, hon.”

“Maybe you could square it with her.”

“Hmm.” He bit back a grin. He’d have to remember to watch his phrasing with this kid. She remembered everything.

Maddie smiled and yawned. “Good night, Uncle Jack.”

“Good night, baby.” He kissed her on the forehead, then left.

Kylie was waiting just outside the door. She had that dreamy look women get when they’re charmed by an endearing sight. On the one hand, it made him uncomfortable. On the other…it made him want to kiss her senseless.

She hooked his arm and drew him down the hall. “You’re great with her, Jack.”

“So are you. I can’t believe how many times you made her laugh,” he said softly. “You teased her out of her shell.”

Kylie shrugged off the compliment. “I do okay with kids.”

“You do okay with lonely widows, too.” Mrs. Carmichael craved attention and was prone to overdramatize. Kylie just rolled with the punches.

“I’ve had a lot of practice with Grandma.”

They reached the bottom of the stairs and Kylie touched his arm. “I came up to tell you I promised to roll curlers into Mrs. Carmichael’s hair. She said her fingers are too stiff.”

Jack raised a brow, lowered his voice. “They didn’t look stiff when she was dealing the deck for that game of Old Maid.”

“I think she just wants some girl time. I’ll be fifteen minutes tops.”

“I’ll wait outside. I need to check in with Jessie.”

“Then we’ll go,” she said.

“Then we’ll talk,” he said.

“Maybe we should sleep on it.”

“Maybe.”

The word hung in the air as she left to tend to Mrs. Carmichael.

Jack moved outside, clueless as to what he was going to say to Kylie whether they spoke tonight, tomorrow, or next week. How the hell do you say,
“I love you, but I’m not right for you.”

“Dammit.”

Frustrated, he dialed his sister’s cell.

“Hi, Jack. Everything okay?”

“Everything’s great. I—”

“Hold on,” she shouted over the background noise. “I can’t hear you. Let me step outside.”

“It’s late,” Jack said, raising his voice to be heard. “Just move to a quieter part of the bar.” The last thing he wanted was for Jessie, or any woman for that matter, to be loitering in the dark, alone.

“Okay, okay, Mr. Worrywart. I’ll move away from the TVs. Hold on. There. That’s better. How did it go with Madeline?”

“Just tucked her in. Her tummy’s full of pizza and hopefully she’s having sweet dreams about a superhero dog.”