Winter Heat Read online

  “Nothing to report, eh?” he asked, looking between the two of us curiously. “Well, that’s a hell of a good thing to hear in this kind of situation.” His expression darkened, and there was a sharp pang in my chest as I waited for what he was about to say. I knew what was coming next.

  “I’m sorry that I don’t have happier news for you, Miss Jones, but we’re no closer to catching Jack Nelson than we were when we first started looking. He’s a slippery bastard, to be sure. It is believed that he was spotted in New Jersey, but by the time we got to the alleged location, the area was clear. I don’t want you to worry though. We’ve got all our best men on this case. You’re perfectly safe while the manhunt continues as long as you follow the rules and listen to Marshal Sullivan. Hell, you’ve got the best marshal in the whole damn service as your own personal bodyguard. You’re safer than the president right now.”

  I looked over at Liam, unsurprised by the smug look he was wearing. Yeah, I’m sure he was the best bodyguard a girl could ask for- if being a bodyguard entailed just making snarky comments while growling and watching golf, he was practically Kevin Costner. I turned back to McIntyre and nodded. “So I assume we’re going to be here for more than one week, then?” I asked.

  “It’s hard to tell. The way things are going, yes. But you never know- we could catch him tomorrow, and then you could be back home on the first flight out of New Hampshire in the morning.” McIntyre gave me a friendly smile that came off a little patronizing. “For now, though, just think of this as a relaxing vacation, fully funded by the Justice Department.”

  I nodded politely, thinking, “Fat chance.” Worrying constantly about one’s personal safety isn’t exactly what I’d consider a relaxing vacation.

  “Well, if we’ve both got nothing to report, I’ll let you get back to your day, sir,” Liam said. “I’ll contact you immediately if our situation changes.”

  McIntyre nodded. “Likewise. Till then.” He did some sort of salute, then the screen on the tablet went black.

  I slumped in my chair, the full weight of what McIntyre had said dawning on me. No closer to catching Jack Nelson than when they’d started. Spotted in New Jersey. If the intel the US Marshals had was right, Jack had pledged to find me- and he was coming closer and closer.

  “Hey,” Liam said, wrenching me from my downward spiral into despair with a hand on my shoulder. “You’re with me. You’re safe. You heard what he said, I’m the best bodyguard in the service.”

  I placed my hand over his and gave him a wobbly smile. “I’ll never be able to live with you now that he’s inflated your ego so high.” Liam chuckled, squeezing my shoulder. I heaved a great sigh as I patted his hand twice, then maneuvered my legs so that I was hugging my knees. “I can’t help but feel that this whole situation is my fault.”

  Liam stared at me blankly. “What? How could this possibly be your fault?”

  “Well, for starters, I was a criminal defense lawyer. My job was literally to keep people out of jail,” I said. Liam didn’t have to say anything- his expression told me exactly what he thought of criminal defense lawyers. Most law enforcement officials thought they were scum, and Liam didn’t seem to be any different. “I wasn’t in it for the money, though.” Liam’s lips pursed skeptically. “I wasn’t,” I insisted. “I went into it with the intention of keeping innocent men and women out of jail. I wanted to make the Justice Department truly just, for once. When I met Jack Nelson, he had me totally convinced of his innocence. He said he had been framed by the police because a gay man is always an easy scapegoat. I either had too big of a bleeding heart to see through his lies, or he was just that great of a liar. Who knows? All I know is, if I’d never taken Jack’s case, he never would’ve broken out of prison, promising to exact his revenge on the bitch who promised him he’d never see the inside of a jail cell.”

  Liam grunted softly. “With all due respect, Kelsey Jones, you’re an idiot.” I whipped my head up from where it was resting on my knees and looked at him. “You’re being too hard on yourself. If it weren’t you defending Jack Nelson, it’d be some other person he could prey on.” I considered Liam’s point, but must not have looked convinced. “It’s true. You have to see that,” Liam said, rubbing my shoulder.

  “Yeah, but would that person have been as gullible as I was? Would they have eaten up his tale of injustice as I did, so hungry to be a champion for the downtrodden that they couldn’t see when they were being played?” I asked, feeling thoroughly sorry for myself now.

  “I have to ask,” Liam said hesitantly. “How exactly didn’t you realize he was guilty? I’ve seen interviews with that guy, and he’s clearly a psychopath.”

  I shrugged. “It’s like I said. He is very convincing. I have a feeling he knew exactly which weakness to prey upon- my need to be a white knight for the underdogs. He presented himself as a gay man being framed by a bigoted police force that just wanted an easy target, when in reality he was a sadistic asshole that hates women who also happens to be gay. What’s funny is the police didn’t even know he was gay until after he’d been arrested. He’d been in the closet his entire life, and only came out for his trial. He must’ve thought it would be a good defense.”

  I took a big sip of coffee and looked back at Liam, whose brows were furrowed. I rolled my eyes. “Okay, I’m done feeling sorry for myself. Sorry for boring you.”

  “I find it fascinating, actually,” Liam said. “I’ve hated every defense lawyer I’ve ever met, but you are the exception.”

  “Thanks, I guess,” I said. “I don’t even practice criminal law anymore. I switched to real estate law. It’s boring as all get-out, but after what I’m going through, boring is probably a good thing.”

  Liam nodded thoughtfully. “Plus, now I’m allowed to like you.” He grinned at me and I shook my head, not able to stop myself from grinning back.

  “What about you?” I asked. “What’s your story? Have you always wanted to be a US Marshal?”

  “Nope,” he said. “I was in the recruiter’s office the day after I graduated high school, enlisting in the Army. I grew up poor in Portsmouth and had always known the military was my ticket out. So I did four years in the Army, went to college, then decided I wanted to be poor my whole life, so I joined the Marshals.” Liam chuckled and I smiled. “No, I’m kidding. It isn’t about the money for me, either, though. It’s like you said- keeping the justice system just. I’m doing my part by helping innocent people like yourself stay safe.” He inclined his head towards me. “Even when they’re too stubborn for their own good and don’t know how to keep themselves safe.”

  I stretched out on my chair. “Oh, please. I know how to keep myself safe. Befriending a local shop owner who has no idea who I am doesn’t exactly place me in the line of danger. I doubt Daisy is secretly in cahoots with a serial killer.”

  “You never know. One of the hallmarks of a sociopath is the ability to seem completely normal,” Liam said.

  “True, but I can’t live my life in fear, assuming that every person I meet is out to get me. If we’re going to be here for a month or so, I don’t want to be cooped up in this cabin with no social stimulation besides you,” I said, sliding off my stool.

  “Oh, I don’t stimulate you enough?” Liam teased.

  “You know what I mean,” I said. Liam’s face took on a stern expression, and I decided to get out of there before he started another lecture on safety. Unfortunately, Liam just followed me into the bathroom instead of staying in the kitchen.

  “Listen, you can’t take McIntyre too seriously when he tells you to think of this as a vacation. He was just trying to put you at ease,” Liam said. “I’ll be straight with you. This is anything but a vacation. Do you even understand the point of witness protection? I can’t protect you if you’re off gallivanting all around town.”

  I snorted. “Gallivanting? This town is like one square mile, there’s barely room to prance, let alone gallivant.”

  Liam crossed his arms acr
oss his chest, emphasizing the way that his shirt clung to his pecs. I suspected he did this on purpose to distract me and shut me up. “You know what I mean. You’re not making my job easy for me.”

  “Fortunately, it’s not my responsibility to make your job easy for you. All I have to do is hang out with you. By the way, I want to go to that dance next Saturday.”

  “Not a chance.” Liam snorted.

  “I’ll just go without you and people will start whispering about whether or not our marriage is okay.” I crossed my own arms over my chest. Liam didn’t even spare a glance downwards.

  “I’ll just tie you to the bed so you can’t leave.” Liam leaned into me with a triumphant grin.

  I waggled my eyebrows, challenging him. “Careful, I might like it.”

  Heat flared in Liam’s eyes. He leaned away from me. “Good to know,” he whispered. I tried to keep impassive, to hide the arousal that must’ve been written in bold Sharpie all across my face. “We’re not going to a public event that the whole town will be attending. That’s literally the opposite of laying low.”

  “By now, Daisy will have told the entire town about us. It’ll be even more conspicuous if we don’t go than if we just go,” I said. “Face it, the cat is out of the bag. You might as well give in.”

  I grinned widely as Liam appeared to consider this. I knew the moment he saw the logic in my argument, but he just didn’t want to admit he was wrong. “I’m going to shower now and give you time to digest,” I said, turning away from him. Liam grunted and stomped away, and I closed the bathroom door behind me.

  Score one for me.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Spending time with Liam had taught me one thing- watching golf on television is an excellent way to help me fall asleep. It was as if Liam wanted me to run away from the cabin with the amount of time we spent watching people putt balls into a hole. He didn’t share custody of the remote either. It always sat firmly in his lap, and I wasn’t about to go reaching for it there.

  During a particularly dull golf game (redundant, I know) on Friday, I was lying on the floor in front of the couch Liam was sitting on. I stared up at the ceiling, counting the cracks, and decided to ask Liam for a favor.

  “Liam?”

  “Yes, Agnes?” Liam had taken to calling me Agnes every time he addressed me. He said it was for consistency with our aliases. I suspected it was because he liked to annoy me.

  “Can I ask you a favor?” I turned onto my side and rested my head on my hand, looking up at him.

  “You can ask. No guarantee that I’ll grant it.” I frowned, and he sighed. “What is it, Agnes?”

  I ignored his use of my cover name and pressed on. There were bigger fish to fry in this battle. "Can I call my sister?" I watched Liam's eyebrows knit together, and I knew his answer before he spoke.

  “Kelsey,” he started. Uh-oh. "You know that doing so places you and your sister in danger. What if Jack is monitoring her calls and traces it back here? Or worse, what if he tortures her to get you to come out of hiding? I'm sorry, it's just not a good idea." To his credit, Liam honestly did look sorry.

  “What do you think Jack is, an NCIS agent? He's a fugitive. I doubt he has phone call tracing technology with him, packed into his little duffel bag along with deodorant and toothpaste." I pouted, hitting Liam with the hardest lower lip and big eyes combo that I had in my arsenal. "Anna is my best friend and the mother of my two nephews. She's got to be worried about me after not hearing from me for a couple of weeks. I just want to let her know that I'm okay." Liam still looked uncertain, so I cajoled more. "Please. Please, please, please. Do it for my poor nephews, who are lost in this world without the guidance of their aunt." I hoped I hadn't overplayed my hand with that one.

  Liam pursed his lips. “I’ll see what I can do. No guarantees though.”

  I squealed and jumped up onto the couch. I wrapped my arms around Liam in a grateful hug. “All right, calm down,” he grumbled, giving my back an awkward pat before gently prying me off of him. “I said no guarantees. I most likely won’t be able to get permission to do this anyway. I have to try to get a secured connection, and that requires paperwork and permission from my superiors at the home office. There’s a huge chance this request will get denied.”

  “Still, it’s nice of you to try,” I said, grinning up at him. “Want me to grab your laptop so you can send an email, or is this more of a phone call kind of thing?”

  “Patience, woman," Liam said. "These things take time. I'll send the email in a couple of minutes." I could wait a couple of minutes. I kept my face impassive, not wanting my impatience to show. "I was going to see if you wanted to go into town and grab a coffee at Daisy's."

  “You were?" I asked, startled. "Since when do you want to go into town? You're always griping about how unsafe it is."

  “Well, I've noticed you've been bored lately. The agency has fully vetted Daisy, and I know you like talking with her. We'd be fine to pop into her shop for a few minutes."

  “Thank you, Liam," I said. He was right- I was bored. I'd probably be a little more stimulated if he did anything besides watch golf, though. Both efforts to get Liam to play a board game with me had been met with polite refusal, and I hadn't tried to get him to play since. We had a couple of glasses of wine and light conversation here and there, but we spent the bulk of our time on the couch watching television. Even my efforts to go outside and play in the snow had been met with protests of it being too cold out. I think Liam just didn't want me outside in the open where I could be snatched, which I couldn't really argue with. So, currently, my main pastime was lying on the living room floor and counting ceiling tiles, which is why the chance to talk to Daisy and the possibility of talking to my sister were so thrilling. A break in the monotony! A sense of normalcy!

  “I'll go brush my teeth and get dressed, then we can go," I said. "Should I wear flats or boots, you think? I should probably wear something other than yoga pants." "Don't get too fancy," Liam said. "We're only going for coffee, not a daylong excursion. Plus, you look nice in yoga pants." He winked at me.

  “Every guy thinks girls look good in yoga pants. That doesn't make it acceptable public clothing. I need to be at least presentable to the general public." I hopped up and jetted to the bathroom. I checked my reflection and winced. I needed to brush my hair and throw on some mascara as well. I brushed my teeth lightning fast, ran a brush through the tangled mess of my hair, and hurried to my bedroom closet, but wound up keeping the yoga pants.

  I walked back to the front door where my parka was hanging and pulled it on while I slid into my heavy winter boots. "Ready!" I chirped, smiling at Liam, excited as always to go outdoors.

  He rolled his eyes at me, but pulled his coat on and ushered me out the front door. He stopped before shutting the door, checking to make sure his gun was holstered and loaded, then nodded at me to head to the truck.

  "Do you want to walk?" I asked. "We've been cooped up for so long that I think even my yoga pants are getting tight on me."

  “You’re not getting fat,” Liam said with an eye roll. “But, sure, we can walk. Just be careful.”

  I stepped out into the road, where the light reflecting off the snow was blinding. I pulled my sunglasses out of my pocket and slid them on. I looked over at Liam, who was pulling on his aviators, and I led the way.

  We were silent on the walk over, and Liam was tense, steadily checking our surroundings as if Jack were going to be lying in wait in a snowbank on the side of the road. I didn't criticize Liam for being silly mostly because I didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. So I kept my mouth shut, and we walked in silence.

  Ten minutes later, we were stomping the snow off our boots in the cozy foyer of Daisy's coffee shop. There was a warm fire going in that gorgeous fireplace nook, and there were a few people scattered throughout the store, chatting on fluffy armchairs and love seats. I spotted an empty love seat near the fireplace, and I bee-lined for it.

  I'd j
ust finished placing my coat on the back of the love seat when Daisy appeared in front of us. "Agnes, Amos! Oh my gosh, it's so nice to see you guys!" She pulled me into a hug, and I squeezed back. She moved on as if to hug Liam, but faltered at his scowl. She cleared her throat, recovering, and smiled brilliantly at us.

  “Hey, Daisy, how's it going?" I smiled at her, patting the seat on the couch next to me. She continued to stand despite my invitation.

  “It's going pretty well. We're pretty busy this morning though. Otherwise, I'd sit and visit with you for hours. What can I get for you guys?"

  “I’ll have a pumpkin latte,” I said. “Biggest one you’ve got, with lots of whipped cream, please.”

  “Coffee, black,” Liam said.

  Daisy nodded and walked back to the espresso bar to make our drinks for us. Liam sat up straight on the farthest side of the couch from me, surveying our surroundings vigilantly.

  “Relax, Amos,” I said in a low voice. “There’s only one entrance to this coffee shop, and we’re facing it. If Jack Nelson walks into this coffee shop in the middle of Langdon Falls, we’ll know.”

  “Relaxing is what gets people killed, Agnes. You should be grateful that I’m doing my job,” Liam growled.

  “Well, you’re sticking out like a sore thumb,” I whispered. “Thank you,” I said at normal volume, taking the proffered coffees from Daisy and setting them on the coffee table. Daisy propped herself on my armrest, looking around at her coffee shop with satisfaction.

  “All, I have a few minutes to spare,” she said breathlessly. “What have you guys been up to? How’s your week been?”

  “Uneventful," I said truthfully. "Endless amounts of golf on TV." Liam frowned at me, and I shrugged. "It's been downright boring if I'm honest."

  “I know just the thing to break your boredom!" Daisy said. "The Winter Ball is tomorrow night, and you guys are still in town, which must mean that you’ve decided to stay for it. Am I right?”

  I grinned, and Liam frowned. “Yes,” I said at the same time Liam was saying, “No.”