Red Zone (4 page)

The more she thought about it, the more she realized the list of suspects was astronomical, between people who knew him personally and would have access to his schedule, and those who, with the help of social media, could track his movements enough to know his usual hangouts. Maybe they were just getting lucky.

But even as that thought crossed her mind, her instincts rejected them. Some of the pictures had been taken at places one wouldn’t normally think to spot a celebrity, like the grocery store. That one shocked even her. Either way, this felt too personal. This felt like someone who knew him, not just an acquaintance. 

Rounding the corner to the backyard again, movement halted her in her tracks. Crouching down, she released the snap on her ankle holster. A heavy silence filled the air and then a huge splash. She followed the noise, slowly edging toward its source. 

There, in the center of the pool, was Gage Daniels. His head and bare shoulders were visible above the water as his arms moved fluidly over his head and down into the water. He was a confident swimmer and obviously in shape. The sun was still making its way up into the sky, but there was enough light for her to see the well-toned muscles tense and flex as he moved through the water. She felt something as she watched him but quickly suppressed it. The man was a pampered athlete who was used to women falling at his feet. Attractive or not, there was no way she was becoming another notch on his belt. 

Once again, she made sure her ankle holster was secure before she turned to go inside. The last thing she wanted was for him to catch her watching him. She didn’t need him getting the wrong idea. 

After drying off from his morning swim, Gage strolled back into the house as he normally did with his towel wrapped loosely around his hips. He was halfway across the room before he realized he wasn’t alone. The beautiful but uptight FBI agent was standing in the middle of his kitchen, staring directly at him. He slowly smiled, and decided to take the opportunity to tease her some more. If he was stuck with her for the conceivable future, then he was going to have some fun. 

Crossing the room, he walked right up beside her to grab a banana. He made sure to get as close as possible without actually touching her. She tensed. “Morning, beautiful.”

“It’s Agent Carson.”

“Nope,” he said, leaning back against the counter with less than a foot between them. “You’re supposed to be acting like my girlfriend, remember? I wouldn’t call my girlfriend ‘Agent Carson,’ now would I?” 

He watched her chest rise and fall under the plain button-up blouse she was wearing. The motion was altogether distracting. 

“Mr. Daniels,” she said through gritted teeth. “When we’re out in public or around others, then yes, I am to act as your girlfriend. We are not, however, currently out in public. When we’re here, in this house, or alone, there is no reason for that pretense, and I would prefer you address me in a professional manner.” 

He took a large bite of his banana, trying to hide his amusement. He noticed she was concentrating very hard on spreading that cream cheese on her bagel. “Sorry, beautiful. Can’t do that.” Pushing himself off the counter, he made sure to brush her arm with his. “I’m going to go grab a shower. You’re free to join me if you want,” he said, winking. 

She closed her eyes, stopping all movement, but she didn’t comment. He figured his job there was done, for the moment anyway, and left to go take that shower. 

Two hours later, he was packed and ready to go. It was Saturday, and the team was flying out to Seattle for the game the next day. He needed to be at the stadium by eleven thirty to catch the team bus to the airport. 

When Gage walked out of his room, he found Agent Carson’s door shut, just as it had been the night before. Maybe he’d gone too far by following her into her room, but considering she was invading his home, he didn’t feel very guilty about it. Besides, it was kind of fun pursuing someone who was a bit of a challenge. Normally he didn’t have to do anything other than smile to get a woman’s attention. Sometimes he didn’t even have to do that, especially in Nashville. People knew who he was and that was enough. Rebecca Carson was a whole different animal. 

He knocked lightly on her door and waited. It didn’t take more than a few seconds for her to answer. 

“Yes?”

“We need to leave for the stadium within the next thirty minutes. Are you almost ready?” He’d mentioned their flight to her over dinner last night. She’d questioned him about his schedule, trying to keep things professional, while he did everything he could to distract her. He had to give her credit—every time he’d push, she’d push back. He liked that. She was making him work for it. That was something he’d never had to do. He’d been a star player in high school, and with that, came girls. College had been much the same. The problem was, most of the women bored him to tears. Rebecca Carson was a challenge he was up for . . . and nice to look at, too.

“Yes,” she said, opening the door. 

She stood there wearing an outfit similar to the one he’d seen her in the previous day. “You can’t wear that.”

“Excuse me?”

“You can’t wear that. You’re supposed to be my girlfriend. My girlfriend would not wear something so . . .”

“Tasteful?”

“Boring was more what I was looking for.” 

“There is nothing wrong with my outfit.”

“If you were going to a funeral, maybe. You’ve got to learn to loosen up, Rebecca.” She froze when he used her first name. That was another piece of information he’d managed to weasel out of her the night before. “Lose the jacket,” he said, taking a step into her room.

To her credit, she didn’t move away from him. Instead, she pushed her shoulders back and stood to her full height. “You’re wearing a jacket. What’s wrong with mine?”

“I’m required to wear a suit when I’m traveling with the team. You, however, are going to look like the FBI agent you are if you’re seen with me wearing that.”

She looked at him as if she were trying to find some ulterior motive. “Fine,” she said, then removed her jacket and placed it back on the hanger. When she returned to stand before him, his hands automatically went to the buttons at the top of her blouse. Before he knew it, her fingers were wrapped around his wrist in a hold bordering on painful. 

“Hey! Let go of my wrist. I have to use that tomorrow.”

She released him and took a step back. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Gage examined his wrist. It seemed to be okay. “Are you always this touchy?”

“I don’t like people touching me without my permission,” she said.

“Duly noted.” Without looking back, he turned and walked out of her room. If she wanted to walk around looking like she was about to enter a nunnery, then so be it. He wasn’t risking his throwing arm over it. 

Rebecca watched as he left room still examining his wrist. She hadn’t hurt him, not really. Pressure points were effective in getting someone’s attention, but she hadn’t used enough force to do him any real harm. 

Walking over to the mirror, she took a good look at herself. Did she really look like she was going to a funeral? Her hair was pulled back away from her face just as it always was, and she had on a pair of black dress pants and a cream-colored blouse. Rebecca supposed, if she were honest, she did look a little stuffy. 

With a tentative hand, she reached up and liberated her hair from its binding, allowing it to flow freely around her shoulders. Then, with nervous fingers, she released the top two buttons of her blouse. It was silly, really. She wore less clothing when she worked out in the gym, but for some reason she felt less than fully dressed like this. Daniels was right. She had to look the part of a girlfriend, not an FBI agent. 

As satisfied with her appearance as she was going to get, Rebecca grabbed her luggage and walked downstairs where Daniels was waiting. 

“Better,” he said when she emerged. 

“Happy to hear you approve,” she said, her voice full of sarcasm. He just continued to look at her with that cocky grin of his. “Are we ready to go?”

“Yeah,” he said, reaching for her bag.

“What are you doing now?” she asked, frustrated.

He ignored her and walked toward the door. “You coming?” he asked when he’d reached the garage. 

She took a deep, calming breath
. It’s just part of the job
. Then, squaring her shoulders, she followed him.

The drive to the stadium was quiet. She kept watch, but no one appeared to be following them. Daniels had explained how everything worked. The team met in the players’ parking lot at the stadium and was then bused to the airport. No wives or girlfriends were allowed on the bus, so she’d arranged for Hansen to meet them here and drive her to the airport. 

She’d much rather be on the bus with Daniels, since it was difficult to protect him or observe his interactions with others when he wasn’t in her line of sight. Making an exception for her presence, though, could tip their hand to the stalker, and that wasn’t something they needed. Staying under the radar was the whole point of this girlfriend façade. 

Daniels slowed down and turned into the players’ parking lot. A lot of people were mingling around, mostly men, however there were a few women, wives and girlfriends, she assumed, mixed in the crowd. 

He parked the car a good distance from where the crowd and the charter buses were waiting. After retrieving his duffle bag and her luggage from the backseat, he walked around to her side of the car. “Your ride’s not here.”

She looked around, but he was right. There was no sign of Hansen. Her phone had no messages, so she assumed he was on his away. One thing she’d learned in her first years in the bureau, Hansen was a good partner. He was where he said he was going to be when he said he was going to be there. “We’re early. I’m sure he’s on his way.” 

“Whatever, beautiful,” he said, hiking the duffle bag up farther on his shoulder. 

He walked away. She followed. 

“What are you doing now?” he said, stopping and turning back to her. 

“Coming with you, of course.” She pointed to the other women in the group. “The other wives and girlfriends are waiting with the players, are they not? Wouldn’t it look off if I didn’t join you as well?”

He frowned.

Although she usually wanted to wipe that cocky grin of his off his face, she didn’t like the way this new expression made his face look. It was out of place, unnatural. 

“Fine,” he said, his smile returning. This time, it held a devious quality. “Let’s go introduce the guys to my new girlfriend.” Before she could say another word, he grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. 

It took a lot of effort on her part not to rip her hand out of his grip, but she knew that wouldn’t look good. She had to play the part, whether she liked it or not, so she gritted her teeth and smiled.

When they reached the group, he introduced her to a couple of his teammates, Zach Evans and Kenny Blake. She recognized Zach from one of the pictures that had been taken of Daniels. Judging by the easy conversation she was witnessing, the three were fairly close friends. There was no sign of a wedding ring on either’s finger, and no women there to see them off. 

Zach and Kenny looked shocked when Daniels introduced her as his girlfriend. They both quickly introduced themselves again, welcoming her to the team. She wasn’t sure she completely understood that, but her being there obviously held some significance. 

They were polite, asking her the standard ‘get to know you’ questions. Was she from Nashville? Did she grow up around here? She noticed they didn’t ask her how long she and Daniels had been together, and wondered if they’d be subjecting him to a barrage of questions once she was no longer standing beside him. That thought made her smile. It would serve him right to be put into an awkward position and try to scramble for answers. 

At eleven fifteen, several men walked out of the stadium. They were all older. The one in the middle announced it was time to load the buses, and the atmosphere around her shifted. There were hugs and kisses as the players said good-bye to the women they were leaving behind. 

Zach and Kenny both said a quick good-bye and then disappeared inside the bus, leaving her standing alone with Daniels. “I see your ride has arrived,” he said, moving to stand in front of her.