Bare Witness (4 page)

“You’re right. That’s what I was saying. At first, I thought you were just in it for the money, but now…”

“Now?”

“I’m not so sure.”

“Good.”

“You like saying that, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Why?”

“I have the feeling not many men get the better of you, Justine.”

“You didn’t get the better of me,” she said, her feisty spirit sparking again.

Nigel leaned forward on his desk, resting his elbows on the blotter. “I got the very best of you, Justine.”

“How do you figure?”

Her spark and her spirit turned him on like nothing else could. Each new thing he learned about this woman showed him that she was as multifaceted as a diamond, and just as rare. There was so much more to Justine O’Neill than just bodyguard.

“By your own words. You don’t kiss your clients, yet you did kiss me.”

She shook her head and licked her lips. Those tempting lips that he’d kissed once and longed to have under his again.

“You are impossible.”

But he’d heard that before. His tenacity often pissed off people in the business world, and though his board was happy with his results, he knew there were times when a lot of people wished he’d just back down.

“Not really. I just go after what I want.”

She leaned forward, coming closer to him than she had since the moment their embrace had ended.

“You don’t want me, Nigel.”

“Let me be the judge of that.”

She shook her head. “I’m not what you think I am.”

“I think you’re a virago.”

Justine leaned forward on his desk. “That word has two meanings.”

“I know. I don’t use words if I’m unclear on what they mean.”

“I don’t find either offensive,” she said.

Nigel wanted to laugh. Most women would be bothered by having it implied that she or her behavior was violent. But he’d meant that she was strong and brave. She might well be the bravest woman he knew.

And it wasn’t just because she handled weapons with the same ease most women applied their lipstick. Or the fact that he knew that physically, she could and would defend him and his daughter. Or even the quick wit that showed him she was more than just a killer with a gun who’d been hired to do a job.

Her braveness came from the fact that he’d shaken her when he’d kissed her, and she was still sitting across from him. In his experience, most women didn’t have staying power when faced with something that wasn’t comfortable for them.

His own mother had left, rather than stay and raise a boy who’d grown taller than she was. She turned into a stranger, and as he looked at the pixie-featured bodyguard, he realized he wanted her as a woman because she wasn’t one to run away.

J
ustine spent the rest of the flight on the BlackBerry, communicating with Sam and the team and pretending that Nigel hadn’t shaken everything she’d believed about herself and men. She knew it wasn’t every man who could affect her this way. Just Nigel, and that was what bothered her. She didn’t want him to be different from other men.

She wanted to continue distrusting him the way she did all men. Even Sam didn’t get her total trust. But Nigel was different. And she couldn’t help glancing over at him when she thought he wasn’t watching.

“Do you like my dad?”

Justine glanced to the aisle where Piper was standing, watching her with those too-old eyes of hers. Justine shrugged. “My job is to protect you and your dad, not like you.”

“Why are you watching him?”

“He’s not like most men I’ve met.”

Piper smiled. “He’s better, right?”

Justine had to smile at the little girl. There was such pride in her voice and such…hero worship when she looked at her dad. Piper thought her father was Superman. And Justine was glad for that. Little girls should have daddies who were better than superheroes.

“You think?”

“Yes. And you do, too.”

“I do?”

“Yes, you do.”

Those wise eyes narrowed on her, and Justine wondered how a kid who wasn’t even ten could have such insight into human nature.

“I don’t think he’s better or worse than any man,” Justine said at last. “He’s just different from what I’m used to.”

“What’s your daddy like?” Piper asked.

And Justine felt her heart lurch a bit. She never talked about Jackson Conrad or Millie. Never talked about her family. No one ever asked. She just lived her life and did her job, and that was the extent of it. She’d become this bit of nothingness that was simply her job.

“Justine?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you have a dad?”

“He died when I was eight.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“Me, too. He wasn’t anything like your dad, but he was the best dad for me.”

Piper sat down in the seat across from Justine and tipped her head to the side, her concentration intent as she watched her. Those eyes that were so like Nigel’s and yet so unique were studying her, but this time Justine knew that Piper had switched from the little girl to the artist. She had the same deep concentration that Justine had when she was working. She could shut off the real world and fall into a world where life was just about the target and the job.

She reached for her handgun, fingered the butt of her gun, and felt soothed by it, almost could smell the Old Spice after- shave her father used to wear. In her mind she heard his advice, the only thing he said to her and her sister every night.

“Vigilance is key.”

Justine pushed to her feet as Piper got out a sketchbook and pencil. She paced the aisle, watching for dangers in a place where she knew there weren’t any. But her father had instilled in her the need to always be on her guard. Something she’d forgotten only once. But then Franklin Baron had reminded her of it with his betrayal.

She walked by Nigel’s work desk, pretending she didn’t notice him or the spicy clean scent of his aftershave. On her return trip, his hand snaked out and clamped down on her wrist. She twisted her hand in his grip and reversed the hold so that he was her captive. He did the same thing, and she had the feeling they were well matched in this. Were they physical equals?

She doubted it. Even with her training in hand-to-hand combat and street fighting, he had brute strength on his side, and that could never be discounted.

She raised one eyebrow at him and tugged on her hand. He let her go immediately.

“I’d like a word with you,” he said quietly, his voice almost a soundless whisper.

“About?” she asked, answering in the same low voice.

“My daughter. Is she bothering you?”

“No, not at all.”

“What were you talking about?”

“Fathers. Why?”

Nigel sat back in his chair and saying nothing more, Justine started to move past him. “I do the best I can.”

His softly muttered words made her realize that he had a few doubts about himself. That vulnerability—admitting that he had it—struck her. She put both hands on his desk and leaned forward, coming closer to him than she knew he expected. His eyes widened.

“You do better than most men,” Justine said. “She’s a good kid and very…”

Justine wasn’t a woman with a big vocabulary, and somehow calling Piper wise for her age didn’t strike her as the right thing to say. “You are doing a good job with her. She’s safe, and that’s all that really matters.”

Nigel laughed a bit at that. “Safety is important. That’s why I hired you.”

“I’m good at my job.”

“That’s obvious.”

Justine straightened to walk away, but he stopped her again, putting his hand on her arm this time, not grabbing her. His fingers feathered over the exposed skin of her wrist, and she felt a tiny shiver slide up her arm. She glanced back down at him. His eyes were narrowed as he looked at his big hand on her arm.

“Thank you for being so good at your job.”

It was the one thing she’d always had, and she realized that while the restlessness inside of her wanted something else, this was really all she could ever be. This job, this thing she’d become to survive. And for the first time since she’d learned that Baron Industries was their client, she was glad of it.

The rest of the flight was smooth, but Nigel was distracted and restless. Ha! He was horny and he couldn’t concentrate on anything except the way Justine had felt in his arms. He wanted her back there again.

But not now. He had a factory to open, and another matter to take care of deep in the jungle, that no one, save Jenkins, knew about. Usually the excitement of doing the odd jobs he did for the government kept him on his toes. But this one had gotten out of hand and the office he worked for had suggested he hire Liberty Investigations. He had the odd feeling that his identity had been compromised.

He’d almost left Piper at home. For the first time since her mother’s death, he’d thought about separating the two of them. But in the end, he still felt that his daughter would be safer with him in the Amazon Basin than tucked away in their home in the States.

Jenkins’s injury had shaken him. He liked the work he did for the government because it was usually pretty straightforward, and it gave him a thrill to be doing something with a hint of danger involved.

But the price of that thrill was more than he realized when he’d visited Jenkins in the hospital, and found the man barely conscious.

His mobile phone rang and he glanced at the caller ID before answering it. It was Derrick Baron. Nigel was half tempted to let it go to voicemail, but he didn’t.

“This is Nigel.”

“It’s Derrick. We have a situation in the office.”

“I have confidence you can handle it.”

Derrick cleared his throat and Nigel waited to see what the other man was going to say.

“I…um…I already did handle it.”

“Good. Are there any problems that need my attention?”

“No. Not yet. But I wanted to make you aware—

“Derrick.”

“Yes?”

“I trust you. You are the one I put in charge. Whatever decisions you make, I know you have the best interests of Baron in mind.”

Nigel heard Derrick exhale. “I do. Thanks, Nigel.”

“No problem.”

Nigel hung up the phone and focused on work. Justine moved about the cabin in that vigilant way of hers. She stopped once in a while to talk to Constance or Piper, but for the most part, she remained focused on her job. Considering that was what he was paying her for, he knew he had no reason to be annoyed.

But he was.

He knew that the annoyance was basic, a simple masculine instinct that made him want to demand her attention. To have her fixated on him the way he was on her. Even though he was pretending not to be.

He actually felt the layers of civilization peeling away each time he watched her pace past his desk. With each trip she made up and down the aisle, he felt his skin tighten until he had balled his hands into fists to keep from reaching for her again.

Justine stopped in front of him, and for just a moment, he thought about picking her up and carrying her to the bedroom at the back of the plane.

“Can we speak privately?”

“Yes,” he said.

Piper and Constance were seated in the front of the plane, and he gestured to the captain’s chair next to his desk.

“I mean in the bedroom.”

He arched one eyebrow at her. “Sure.”

Nigel followed Justine as she walked down the aisle and into the plush room. Piper’s favorite stuffed bunny was sitting on the pillow.

“I’d like to go over a few things before we land.”

“Yes?”

“I’ve just learned that the manifest of passengers has been sent ahead of us with our flight plan.”

“Is that a problem?” Nigel asked, knowing that with the heightened security measures that had been enacted since September 11, it was impossible to fly into any foreign country anonymously.

“It is if your enemies have any access to the immigration office.”

“What do you recommend?”

“I have a Kevlar vest for you and Constance to wear. I didn’t think to bring one small enough for Piper. But I called my partners and they will have one for her when we land in Lima.”

“Flying into Lima isn’t the most direct route,” Nigel said. With his private plane, he was used to flying to the exact location where he needed to be. Lima was a good day’s ride from Cusco. And from Cusco, it was half day’s drive in a Humvee to get to the factory.

“Safety is my concern, Nigel. Not directness. We’ll get you there in one piece.”

“I wasn’t complaining.”

“I know. I just…”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

But Nigel sensed it wasn’t nothing. He and Justine had crossed a line earlier. One that client and bodyguard should never cross. It didn’t matter that he was thinking about crossing it again. Right now, all that mattered was that Justine was shaken because of it.

And now he knew that he needed to pull back. His being distracted wasn’t a problem, because if he missed a detail at work no one would die. If Justine was distracted, there was a very good chance that she’d lose that vigilance she had—and that could mean Piper’s life.

“Is that all?”

She glanced at him with that tough-as-nails gaze of hers, shaking her head. “Put on the vest and make sure Constance does as well.”

He nodded and watched her leave the room.

Justine’s BlackBerry twittered as soon as she stepped out of the bedroom. She glanced at the caller ID screen before answering. The job, she thought, knowing that was what she needed to be concentrating on, instead of thinking about Nigel and that huge bed in the back room.

“What’s up, Anna?”

“Hello, Justine. I’ve been trying to find out more about the group of mercenaries who we believe are responsible for the attack on Jenkins, but so far I’ve gotten nowhere.” Anna said.

“What about Sam and his contacts?” Justine asked. Mercenaries weren’t the team’s favorite people to go up against. It was easier to deal with adversaries who were fighting for a cause or their beliefs, instead of someone who killed simply for money. Justine had no problem with killing to protect someone for a cause, but for money…that had always pissed her off.

Like you had no allegiance. She shook her head to clear it, as she realized Anna was saying something.

“Sam’s contacts are being quiet about this one. Other than saying they believe it was a group of mercenaries who attacked Jenkins, they’ve said little else,” Anna said.

“If Sam can’t get any info, that must mean there’s more to this than the environmental concerns of some local villagers,” Justine said.

“That’s my thought as well. I don’t like the variables we are dealing with. Bringing a kid into this situation is irresponsible. Is there any way you can talk him into sending the girl back to the States?”

“I doubt it.” Nigel had been adamant about keeping Piper with him. And she admired him for that, but like Anna, she knew that with the variables they would encounter on this mission, having a kid along was a complication they just didn’t need. Piper could tip the scales in the mercenaries’ favor so easily.

“Doesn’t he care about his daughter at all?” Anna asked.

Justine knew that Nigel did care very much for Piper. But she didn’t want to explain all that to Anna. “He cares a lot for her.”

“Well, then play on that,” Anna said.

“Do you know something you aren’t telling me?” Justine asked as she realized there was a real determination behind Anna’s desire to keep Piper from entering Peru.

“Nothing concrete, just some rumblings from my contacts, and…”

“What?”

“A feeling in my gut that the kid is a vulnerability.”

“A child’s entire existence is fragile,” Justine said, her mind drifting back to her own childhood for a second. She was caught between this conversation with Anna and her own past.

“True enough, but we aren’t usually responsible for a child. I don’t like it.” There was vehemence in Anna’s voice, and Justine remembered that her friend had been kidnapped when she was a young teenager.

“Is it bringing back memories of your kidnapping?”

“No,” Anna said. But there was a note in her voice that said otherwise. Justine wanted to find out more about the past that Anna rarely mentioned, but she didn’t like to talk about her own childhood, so she kept quiet.

“Can you get a Kevlar vest for the kid?” Justine asked.

“Charity is working on it. We’re going to try to get the head of immigration to process Nigel and his daughter into the country so that we can stay with them the entire time.”

“Good. I’ll contact you before we land so that I know where to direct them. Don’t forget to include the nanny—Constance Wareham.”

“I have her on the list. If there’re any flags for immigration, I’ll let you know.”

Justine heard the sound of Anna’s fingers moving over the keyboard as they spoke, and she knew that their other agent was checking on things at the same time. Talking to Anna was returning her sense of normalcy. Making her focus on the job again, and stop thinking about Nigel and how he’d felt when she’d landed on top of him. How he’d felt when she’d kissed him.