Red Zone (3 page)

Showered and dressed in clean street clothes, he walked out into the hallway where they were waiting. He still couldn’t believe this. “Let’s go.” He didn’t wait to see if they were following, but by the sound of feet hitting the concrete floor behind him, he knew they were. 

His SUV was right where he’d left it. Throwing his duffle bag into the backseat, he slid behind the wheel and started the vehicle. As he pulled out of the players’ parking lot and onto the street, he noticed a silver car following him. He sighed and concentrated on the road in front of him. How was he supposed to go out and have fun with someone like her on his arm? No one in their right mind would believe
she
was his girlfriend. He’d be lucky if anyone believed he had a girlfriend period. 

A plan began forming in his head. If she was going to be his
girlfriend
for the foreseeable future, then some things were going to have to change. The first was her wardrobe. Fishing his cell from his pants pocket, he dialed his stylist. “What are you doing this evening, Charlie?” 

Hansen drove, keeping pace with Daniels and trying to keep the smirk off his face. 

“There is absolutely nothing amusing about this situation, Hansen.”

With that, he let the laugh he’d been holding in burst out. “Oh, I beg to differ. You pretending to be Mister Star Quarterback’s girlfriend is pretty funny. Do you even know who he is?”

“He’s a football player. What more is there to know?”

“Oh, man,” he said, continuing to laugh. “This is going to be interesting.”

Daniels pulled up in front of a gate and stopped, causing their conversation to come to an end. She could see a large house beyond and assumed this was his home. The gate was smart given someone was after him. Hopefully, he had security cameras installed as well. The cameras at the stadium were helpful, but they wouldn’t negate her always having to check under his vehicle before he got into it. The challenge was going to be doing so without his knowledge, since Donovan wanted to keep Daniels from knowing about the explosives. She didn’t agree with keeping something like that from the football player, but for the moment, she’d let Donovan call the shots.

They followed Daniels through the gate and up the curved driveway to his garage, where he parked the Explorer beside a vintage Mustang. He got out, not acknowledging them at all, before disappearing into the house. The only concession he made to their presence was to leave the garage door open. 

Hansen’s chest was still rumbling with laughter when they both stepped out of their vehicle and followed him inside. “Keep it up, Hansen, and I’ll make sure your wife knows you’ve been cheating on your diet, because we both know you have.” 

“You wouldn’t.”

She turned and gave him a big smile. “Try me.” He sobered immediately, and she enjoyed her little victory before
she walked through the slightly open door into the residence. 

The place was even nicer on the inside. They were currently in the mudroom, and even that had granite countertops and marble floors. It was fancier than her kitchen, so she could only imagine what his kitchen was going to look like. 

They followed the sound of movement down the hall to where it opened up into a large room that included
the kitchen, an eating area, and what looked to be a living room. One could never tell in these big houses, though. They tended to have multiple rooms for very specific things. She didn’t see a television anywhere in sight, so she imagined there had to be at least one other room for that.

Daniels ignored them, exaggerating every move as he pulled things out of the refrigerator and dumped them in a blender. His back was to them, but he had to know they were there by how immature he was acting. She decided it was time to be a professional, suck it up, and do her job, even if this was one of the least desirable things she’d done since joining the FBI. “If you’ll tell me what room you’d like me in, I can bring my things inside and get settled before we talk.”

“There’s a guest room down the hall,” he said, pointing to a hallway that ran behind the kitchen. “That’s as good a place as any.”

“And where do you sleep?”

“Upstairs,” he said with a short, clipped tone.

“And are there any other rooms upstairs?”

He stopped and turned to face them. “Why?”

Before she could answer, her partner jumped in. “If Agent Carson is going to effectively protect you, she needs to be close. You being upstairs while she’s downstairs isn’t the ideal situation. If you have a bedroom upstairs, that would be preferable.” Maybe he sensed she was about to lose her professional cool. This was a crap job, and Mister Football Player wasn’t making things any easier. Couldn’t he just work with them? 

“Fine,” he said, turning back to whatever he was doing. “Take any room but the last one on the left.” With that, he turned on the blender effectively ending the conversation.
This is going to be fun
, she thought. 

Hansen helped her carry her bags upstairs. Thankfully, they hadn’t dropped them off at the hotel earlier. The last room on the left was clearly the master suite and his, so she chose the one directly across from it. The walls were a soft baby blue that matched the bedspread. It wasn’t as frilly as the hotel room, but it still had that air of money about it, including an en suite bathroom that had a large shower and a soaker tub. As much as she hated to admit it, she liked it. 

Since she’d only brought a week’s worth of clothing with her, it didn’t take her long to unpack. They were on their way downstairs within twenty minutes. As they reached the bottom of the staircase, they heard voices. Each glanced at the other before reaching for their guns and edging down the last remaining steps. 

Rounding the corner, they saw a man talking with Daniels. He appeared to be about her height, wearing a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up fashionably and neatly pressed pants. He didn’t look threatening, so they both holstered their guns and stepped into the room. 

Before they made it more than a few feet, the new arrival noticed their entrance and was quickly racing toward them. Correction. He was racing toward her. 

“Oh! This must be her,” he gushed. “I see what you mean. I can definitely help.” Before she knew what was going on, he was reaching for her suit jacket, trying
to remove it. 

She reacted instinctively before thinking it through. Within seconds, the man was bent over the kitchen island with his arm pulled tight and high along his back. 

“What in the world are you doing?” Daniels
demanded. 

“What was
he
doing?”

“Jeez, lady. Relax. This is Charlie, my stylist.” 

Glancing down at what she then realized were his designer clothes, Rebecca conceded she might have overreacted
a bit. She wasn’t used to people grabbing at her
and trying to remove her clothes like that. She stepped back, releasing him. “Sorry,” she said. “Just please don’t try to remove my clothing without asking first.”

“Got it. No problem,” he said, glancing between her and Daniels. 

Hansen recovered faster than the rest of them. “What’s he doing here?” he asked, nodding at Charlie.

“My
girlfriend
is going to need some new clothing if she’s going to be out in public with me. Outfits like that,” he pointed at the suit she was wearing, “won’t do.”

“And what exactly is wrong with my clothing?” 

“Honey,” he said, walking up, getting way too close for her comfort. “The places I go? You’ll stick out like a sore thumb in an outfit like that.” Then he leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Or do you want everyone to know you’re my bodyguard?”

Travis Hansen hadn’t had this much fun in a while. He and his former partner were used to investigating kidnappings of minors, before he retired. It was serious business and wasn’t a place where he found himself trying to control his laughter, which was what was happening. There were definite perks to his new line of employment. He was sure, however, that Carson wouldn’t see it that way. 

His ex-partner was as straitlaced as they came. She was hard working and one of the best agents he’d ever worked with. Being sidelined had to be killing her. She was the type when something knocked her down, she found a way to get up again. It was why he’d thought she’d be perfect for this job. That was the main reason why he was trying not to laugh while she stood there like a statue as Charlie circled around her over and over again, taking measurements and holding up clothing. He knew her well enough to know she hated every minute of it. He also thought this would do her a lot of good, in more ways than one.

Daniels stood leaning against the wall on the other side of the room. His arms were crossed in a relaxed pose, and if not for the smirk on his face, Travis would have thought Daniels couldn’t care less about the goings on before him. There was little doubt Daniels was enjoying every minute of Carson’s discomfort. The more Travis watched him, the more he had difficulty controlling his own amusement. The man was cocky and confident. He and Carson should mix like oil and water.
Should be interesting,
Travis thought. 

“Here,” Charlie said, handing her several outfits. 

She looked down at them with distaste. “What exactly do you want me to do with them?” she asked.

“Try them on, of course,” Charlie said, as if it should have been obvious. 

Carson glanced up at him, then Daniels, as if seeking help. When she received none, she took the clothes from Charlie and marched into the bathroom. She had to pass Daniels on the way and looked as if she were ready to do bodily harm to the man she’d been hired to protect. Oh yes, this was going to be quite entertaining. 

Chapter 3

Rebecca woke up at five thirty the next morning. It was still dark outside, and the house was quiet. She took a deep, calming breath before getting out of bed and walking into her bathroom. The harsh light above the sink did nothing to help her mood. Until last month, she’d spent more time in motel rooms than she had in her own home, but she’d never missed her condo more than she did at that moment. 

The previous night had been a nightmare. After trying on outfits she’d never pick out for herself, some of which were far too revealing for her taste, Charlie had left with a promise to be back in a couple of days with her new wardrobe. She had never felt so humiliated in her life as she’d stood there like an object while he measured and positioned her to see if an item would look good with her skin tone or hair color or whatever. It was embarrassing and belittling, and she’d hated every minute of it. 

To make matters worse, Gage Daniels was only adding to her discomfort. He was  . . . irritatingly overconfident. After both Charlie and Hansen had left for the evening, he’d made it his mission to invade her personal space. First, he’d sat much too close to her during their uncomfortable dinner. Then, he’d followed her into her bedroom to make sure she had everything she needed. Did he really think she was that stupid? 

After splashing some cold water on her face, she toweled off before returning to her bedroom for some clothes. She’d made sure to lock the door before going to bed but checked to confirm before changing. If he decided to barge in on her when she was naked, she wouldn’t promise he’d come out unscathed. 

Dressed in her sweats and a T-shirt, Rebecca checked the safety on her gun before strapping it to her ankle and exiting her room. Peeking through the open door to his bedroom, she verified he was sleeping soundly. With confirmation he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, she descended the stairs, disarmed the alarm, and slipped out the back door. 

Her morning jog around the perimeter of the house served two purposes. There wasn’t any reason she couldn’t get in her morning exercise while checking the property out. She’d meant to do it the previous night but instead had spent her evening dodging Mr. QB’s advances. 

As she continued her circuit, the sun’s rays began to appear behind the mountains. She had to admit it was a beautiful property—extravagant, but beautiful. All the trees and bushes were manicured, so she assumed he had a gardener. There was a pool in the back, which meant pool man.