Unauthorized Return (Unauthorized Series Book 4) (4 page)

Aria followed Coleton around the store, amazed to see what he was putting in the cart. Spices, meats, noodles, fancy cheeses. He was spending his own money and they still had plenty of it left since the rent had only been six hundred dollars, so what right did she have to protest? None. And did she really want to? He cooked. He knew the ingredients to lasagna by heart. She had a feeling she was about to eat better than she had in years.

She didn’t cook. Jason had been the cook in their marriage. If it was up to her, she’d eat grocery store chicken and Ramen noodles every day. But Jason had grilled and even liked to make his own sausage and bread. Back when their marriage had been good he’d made her a salad every night, dressed just the way she like it, then loaded her up on protein. He’d even packed her lunch for the next day. He’d taken care of her. But that had all changed in the blink of an eye, after his accident. Then he’d run off with her sister.

Aria felt her almost-good feelings evaporate. Who cared about food when she’d been betrayed by the two people she loved the most. She thought she was over her love for Jason. There was nothing left there but a black hole of seething nothingness too controlled to be called hate - but her sister? Some days she was still angry at her sister, but mostly she just missed her. Missed her smile and her laugh and her bouncy attitude. She wondered what her sister was doing right now.

In front of her, Coleton dropped some delicate-looking noodles into the cart, then turned to her. “What’s the pots and pans situation?”

“I didn’t look,” she said, embarrassed. Why didn’t she look? Oh yeah, because she had been expecting to eat TV dinners like she always did.

“No problem,” he told her, his voice sounding happy and anger-free. She forgot about her own problems for a second and studied him. He’d been mad since the first moment she’d seen him, but now he seemed fine. Mentally removed from the danger he was in. Maybe even enjoying himself?

He turned the cart down the next aisle and began walking swiftly towards the signs that said house wares. She followed him at a distance, watching him pick out one pot and one pan and a dish and silverware starter set. He grinned at her. “Nothing fancy,” he said and she felt herself returning his grin. At least a little.

“What else do we need?”

“Sheets, blankets, pillows, pillowcases,” she said, thinking. “What about clothes? Do you have any?”

His face fell. “My suitcases were in the car that blew up. My suit and everything else.”

“Don’t worry about the suit for now, just grab yourself enough clothes for a couple of days. Toiletries?”

Coleton pressed his lips together. “Yep. I guess I need everything.”

They split up, Coleton heading to menswear and personal items and Aria heading to bedding. She got sheets and blankets for the couch and the bed, still intending to make him take the bed. She was short enough to fit on the couch. She didn’t need his chivalry - if that’s what it was.

Twenty minutes later, they met at the registers. Coleton gave her a smile that lit up his face from the inside and made her melt a little bit at his handsomeness. She didn’t think she’d ever seen a more joyful and authentic smile. Certainly not from someone greeting
her
. What had she done to deserve it? She felt a quiet clenching in her chest, and then a brittle snap as something loosened but didn’t quite let go. Something deep and painful. Something she’d never thought about but everyone knew was there.

“Got everything?” he asked her, his deep voice soothing and still happy. She looked at him, pouring her questions into her eyes, but not daring to ask them.

How can you be happy right now?

Doesn’t it bother you that someone you love is betraying you so badly?

Why are you being so nice to me?

She finally nodded her head and pushed her cart to a lane to wait for check out. He got in front of her and began putting items on the belt. She watched the side of his face, still trying to figure him out. How old was he? He looked younger than her, but she didn’t think he was. He had an old soul. If he was older than her it wasn't by much. His face was a bit scruffy, just beginning to show some beard stubble. His brown hair looked thick, and maybe longer than he normally wore it - he kept brushing it off his forehead like it was irritating him. His eyes were wide set and stunning, and her own gaze kept wanting to return there again and again.

Aria pinched herself - hard, in the webbing between her thumb and her fingers. None of this mattered. Her only agenda was to keep him safe until after the trial. She looked around suddenly, as if hordes of criminals were about to come streaming out of the aisles, brandishing weapons and screaming at them. She almost wished they would. It would be a good distraction.

But the aisles were mostly empty and quiet, and if she’d done a good job, no one would find them out here ever. Their days would consist of nothing but agonizingly boring waiting - the hallmark of any successful protection detail.

***

They left the store and entered the parking lot, Aria slightly behind Coleton. He looked over his shoulder at her, noting the way her eyes traveled over the surroundings lightly, marking the people who passed them or looked at them for too long. Her posture was rigid and he followed her sight line, suddenly feeling protective towards her. Suddenly feeling like he couldn’t stand it if he put her in danger.

When they reached the car, Coleton loaded it up, acting quickly before Aria could even begin to help. He wanted to do this for her. And cook for her. He wanted to take care of someone. He felt the desire clearly in his heart and it confused him, even while it filled him with a slight yearning. But he knew all of that was never meant to be for him.

He’d had several girlfriends over the years. He’d always preferred strong women, women who had their own jobs and minds and desires, and that had caused him nothing but heartache so far. His most serious girlfriend had gone off to medical school and broken up with him just before, not wanting to deal with a long distance relationship. But he had always tried to hold strong to the faith that true, enduring love would happen for him eventually, if he lived long enough.

They piled into the car and drove back to the apartment in silence. A comfortable silence, he thought. His mind turned to the last couple of women he had been interested in. Jen, a woman who had been just his type but who had turned out to be an undercover police officer feigning interest in him because of his father, and Ava, who had been a departure from the norm for him actually - she had been too anxious and flighty for him to really fall for her. Not that there had been anything serious there - just a fleeting interest before she stole his car and disappeared for good.

The thought made him wince. He should have realized she was scamming him, he never should have dropped his guard around her. He blamed his mistake on the intense feelings of apprehension and up-rootedness he’d been feeling. He’d been on the run for seven months already, and had to move cities twice. He’d only barely escaped being caught by his father’s men in Atlanta, and it had been starting to wear on him. Ava had come along at a time when he’d been particularly homesick and sure things were just going to get worse.

Aria drove slowly, then stopped at a stop sign and waited as a large tractor crossed the road ahead of them, moving slowly. Twilight filled the sky, making the dust the tractor kicked up spin and dance in front of them. Aria spoke, and her words threw Coleton into a slick tailspin he couldn’t recover from.

“So how do you know my sister?”

Aria had spoken without any thought or preconception. The time just seemed right. Finally. They were getting along. He actually seemed like a nice guy. She had no doubt he’d tell her what she wanted to know. There was no reason for him to hide anything from her.

She watched the ancient green tractor pass in front of them, waiting for him to speak, unaware of the storm brewing behind his eyes. Finally she felt the tension that had leapt between the seats and turned to face him. His cheeks were heated and his throat worked convulsively.

“Your sister,” he finally spit out. “Ava Smith is your sister?”

Her eyes widened and she tried to make sense of the name. Smith? Ava’s last name would have been Gale, or if she took Jason’s name, it would have been Arthur. She, herself, had not taken Jason’s name and she never knew if her sister had.

She spoke again, without thinking, her voice a confused, raspy whisper. “Ava is my twin sister.”

Coleton’s fingers scrabbled on the door handle, and in a flash he was out of the car. Aria stared after him, not comprehending at first what he was doing. He slammed his door and stalked away, running his hands through his hair in an angry pushing gesture. She looked at his back, trying to figure out what was going on. Then she had it. He was pissed. Pissed that Ava was her twin? What in the world?

Aria looked around, trying to find a place to pull over. He couldn’t just take off. He had to stay with her, no matter what he was upset about. She turned right, pulling past the retreating tractor and threw a glance over her shoulder at Coleton, who had headed in the other direction. He was just about to disappear behind a gas station. Aria did a quick, illegal U-turn and drove the car hard, trying to catch up with him. She drove around the gas station building, but didn’t see him anywhere. She parked the car and got out, thinking she needed to find him and quick, before darkness fell completely.

The street was all commercial buildings, a used vacuum cleaner repair and sales store, a tiny hometown hardware store, and a thrift shop or two. Aria scanned the businesses quickly, seeing no one on the sidewalk, and not sure where he would have gone. She turned in a circle, checking behind her, then turned back, becoming angry herself. He couldn’t just take off. If she lost him it would mean hell to pay with the Assistant Chief.

Aria started walking, stalking quickly down the sidewalk, her head turning in all directions, her eyes wide and unfocused, just looking for a tall shape, or maybe movement. She passed the mouth of an alley and saw him, almost at the other end, walking quickly, his hands shoved in his pockets.

His whole demeanor seemed off. She followed him lightly, ready to break into a run if he did. Her hand fingered the handcuffs in her back pocket, and as her own anger grew, she began to imagine slapping them on him and dragging him back to the apartment. Even as the indignant fantasy played out in her mind, she knew it wasn’t practical. She needed his cooperation - needed him to want to stay with her of his own accord. She had to sleep sometime, and she didn't need him sneaking out when she did. Arresting him to place him in protective custody would mean heading to a safe house that was equipped to keep a prisoner, and after watching his car blow up in the parking lot this morning, she didn’t think that was safe for him. He needed to be able to move at a moment's notice.

Some of his steam seemed to be blowing out. She was catching up to him. He turned left at the next road and she put on a burst of speed to get to the corner before he disappeared. He was still walking, and she thought she heard him mutter to himself, before he finally stopped and looked up at the sky, like he was trying to find an answer.

Aria let instinct take over, knowing
she
would never produce the right thing to say, but that her unconscious mind would. She walked closer to him and opened her mouth, waiting to see what would come out.

“She’s my twin sister and I haven’t seen her in two years,” she said to his back, her voice breaking. “She ran off with my husband, then married him after he divorced me. It seems like she hurt you or offended you in some way and I’m sorry for that. You aren’t the only one.”

Aria took a deep, shuddery breath. She hadn’t admitted that to anyone in two years. In fact, it was the first time she’d said it out loud. She hadn’t taken Jason’s name when they got married so she didn’t need to consider whether to change it when they got divorced. She hadn’t bothered to change her marital status with HR yet. They didn’t need to know. She’d been deeply ashamed of this development in her life, enough to bury herself in her work and not come up for air in years, but now it was out. Someone knew.

Coleton turned to her, and his soft eyes told her she had said the right thing. His anger had fled, leaving compassion in its wake. But she didn’t see pity there. Which was good. Pity would have destroyed her.

Coleton looked at her and she looked back, letting his eyes say things to her. Things she didn’t want to hear aloud. Finally, she couldn’t take anymore.

“Let’s get off the street,” she said, turning and heading back the way she had come.

He followed.

***

Aria pulled into the apartment parking lot and parked their car in front of the wrong building, knowing it was only a tiny bit of subterfuge, and hoping it wasn’t needed at all. If the people who were looking for Coleton traced them as far as this building, their chances of getting out unscathed were slim.

A few people were in the parking lot, drinking from bottles wrapped in paper bags, yelling at children, laughing and cussing in rough voices. She scanned them all and found them fine, then nodded to Coleton. He jumped out and grabbed as many bags from the trunk as he could hold, pushing a few up onto his wrists.

She watched him, bemused. “There’s nothing wrong with taking a few trips.”

“There is if we don’t need them,” he said, grabbing another bag.

She watched him finally admit defeat and head towards the door, then grabbed a few bags of her own, following him. The tension had melted on the way back, and now she felt worn out, defeated, tired. She hadn’t asked him about her sister again and knew she wouldn’t. He would tell her when he was ready. Sharing the truth had done that much for her.

She unlocked the door and they dropped bags in the entryway, then retrieved the rest of them from the car. When they entered the apartment the second time, Coleton took a few of the bags straight into the kitchen.

“I’ll start dinner,” he called over his shoulder, not looking at her.

“OK,” she muttered under her breath, actually glad he was heading in there so quickly. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast and that had been almost twelve hours ago. Normally she loved days like today, but this one was proving to be an emotional roller coaster.

She eyed the bags and decided what to do next. Prepare the bed and the couch. She ripped into plastic bags and removed bedding and pillows, and by the time she had everything done, a rich smell wafted from the kitchen.

She wandered in and sat down at the tiny, circular table just as Coleton closed the oven.

He glanced at her. “It won’t be done for forty-five minutes.”

Aria pressed her lips together. Her stomach was clamoring for food.

Coleton noticed her look. “Want to start on salad now?”

“I would love to start on salad now,” she said, trying to keep the eagerness out of her voice.

Coleton chuckled and pulled a bowl out of the fridge, then handed her two different dressing choices. She chose vinaigrette and he put a plate in front of her. Aria piled it high, trying not to think about Coleton’s face when she’d said Ava was her twin sister. What could Ava had done to him?

She started eating and tried to remember her promise to let him tell her when he was ready. She didn’t think he would deliberately draw things out. But whatever had happened had obviously been difficult for him. Her mind raced. It couldn’t have been a romantic relationship because Ava was married to Jason now, right?

Aria shook her head and kept eating, and then the clock on the stove caught her attention. Almost seven.

“Damn,” she muttered and hurried into the living room to see if the ancient TV worked. She heard Coleton following her but was too busy to explain anything to him. Turning on the TV didn’t get her any sort of signal, and the box on the top made it look like it only caught local channels. She flipped through the buttons and finally figured out they had exactly three channels. At least they were clear.

All three were showing the news so she just settled on one and watched it intently. Wildfires in the south. The presidential debate was heating up. Christian ministers were refusing to marry gay couples. Then a picture of the Westwood Harbor Police Department filled the screen. She shushed Coleton even though he hadn’t said a word, and leaned forward, listening intently.

A grim-looking anchor woman talked quickly, the camera panning past her to the wreckage of Coleton’s car. She outlined what they knew, which was almost nothing, but then said what Aria had been waiting to hear. “The owner of the car has not been identified. All we have been told is that he was twenty-nine years old, a local resident, and was declared dead on the scene.”

Aria felt a smile break over her face.

“I’m dead?” Coleton asked, wonder in his voice.

“Yep,” she said firmly.

“Wow, that’s smart,” he responded, in that same dreamy manner.

“Don’t get too excited. Remember that a half a dozen people saw you in the office after the explosion. If your father really has a mole in the department he might already know that you aren’t really dead. But it was worth a try.”

Coleton’s eyes locked on hers, and she saw hope and optimism in them, despite her words.

In the kitchen the dinger dinged and Aria felt her mouth water instantly. She snapped off the TV and rushed back into the kitchen.

Coleton took the lasagna out of the oven and placed it on the table. “We really should let this rest for thirty minutes, but I’m not going to do that to you.”

“Thanks,” Aria said, watching his hands closely as he uncovered the lasagna and then spooned some out for her. She took a bite-sized piece on her fork and blew on it three times, then shoved it in her mouth, burning her tongue but unable to stop herself.

“Mmm,” she said around forkfuls, not caring that Coleton was watching her, his lasagna whole and untouched. “This is wonderful,” she gushed, meaning it. Frozen TV dinner lasagna couldn’t compare for a moment.

A smile grew on Coleton's face, and he finally dug into his piece, eating like this was nothing new - he got food this good every night. He probably did. He could cook, after all.

Aria finished her piece and dug into the pan for another one. She finished that one too and sat back, full to bursting, her thoughts returning straight to her sister now that her stomach was taken care of. Coleton’s eyes were hooded, contemplative. He ate in studious silence and when he finished his piece, he stood up immediately and washed their dishes.

“I’ll let this cool and put it in the fridge before I go to sleep,” he said in her direction, motioning to the pan of lasagna, then heading out of the room. Aria jumped up, meaning to beat him to the couch, but he was already there.

“I’ll sleep on the couch,” she said. “You take the bed.”

“Absolutely not,” Coleton replied firmly, his voice low and commanding, and Aria felt a shiver go down her spine. She ignored it and looked at his back as he sat down, still not looking at her.

Fine
, she thought. She’d be more comfortable on the bed anyway. She stalked down the hallway and flopped into bed, fully clothed, her gun still in its holster around her waist, her ears on full alert even as her eyes slipped closed. She fell into a light sleep quickly, her mind barely registering the baby crying in the unit next door.