Dangerous Attraction: Part Two (Aegis Group) (8 page)

Mason knocked on the door, followed by a woman in a white coat with a tablet and a folder of papers.

“Doc’s here to see ya, gimp.”

“Fuck you, too, Mason,” Ethan said. His jaw went a bit slack when Mason moved. “Sorry about that, Doc.”

“It’s okay.” She laughed and pulled up a seat.

Travis tuned out for most of their discussion. Bliss was still heavily on his mind. She didn’t need him in her life. He was too much trouble, his schedule haphazard, and the likelihood that one day he’d come home in a body bag was high. It was a price too high to ask any woman to pay. Most of all someone with their history. But he couldn’t deny that if anyone asked him what Santa could bring him today, it would be Bliss, in a smile and nothing else.

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9.

D
aniel dropped the tool belt onto the bed. The right uniform, and no one cared what he was up to. Just went to show how stupid people were. The lot of them were only good for one thing: dying.

He checked the camera feed he set up that morning. The camera didn’t tell him more than who came and went at the FBI cabin headquarters, but at least he knew when certain members were there.

Bliss hadn’t set foot out of the building since she went in. He’d seen her through a few windows, enough to know the FBI hadn’t spirited her away somewhere else. They were making this easy for him.

By the end of the year he’d have Wendy and Bliss all to himself. And then he could get started. No one would find them, because they were all going to die.

Bliss clutched a pillow to her chest and tried to focus on the Christmas Day parade on the television. The FBI apparently didn’t know how to take a day off and were already discussing routes of escape Daniel could have taken. Try as she might, their voices were the only thing she could focus on.

“Everyone take a half-hour,” Ryan Brooks announced. Frustration vibrated through his voice. She couldn’t blame him—she was frustrated they hadn’t caught Daniel, too.

“Hey, Bliss?”

She looked up at the red-headed woman. There was something just a little off about her, but Bliss liked people who were different.

“I’m going to run out to pick up a few things. I didn’t pack enough clothes for this trip. Need anything?”

“Sure, whatever you can grab, I’d appreciate it.”

“Want to make a list? I know Travis said he had a bag for you, but...”

“Yeah, I think he got most of my dirty clothes in there.” Plus a few things...she couldn’t fathom how he’d grabbed those.

“Here. Write down your sizes. I can’t promise I’ll get anything fashionable, but at least you’ll have something else to wear.”

“You don’t have to do that.” Bliss chewed her lip. Her money and credit cards were still at home. It was the one thing she wished Travis would have grabbed.

Jade sat on the sofa next to her, holding her phone with both hands.

“I don’t have to, but I want to. Just write up a list. Plus, we can’t promise when you’ll be able to go home. You could be living out of that bag for a while.”

“Thank you.” Bliss jotted down a few things and hastily added a last item with an asterisk by it.

“No problem. If you’re up to it, I’d like to ask you a few questions later.”

Bliss nodded. Inwardly she cringed. She was the only living person who could divulge first-person information. Last she’d heard, Don was still out cold, in a medically induced coma to allow some of his injuries to heal and improve his chances.

Jade left without another comment. The other people were all over the house, making calls, putting together a sandwich, or talking in pairs. Since Travis and Mason had left to see about Ethan’s surgery more people had arrived. A few spoke to her, but most ignored her.

“Hey, Bliss?” Connor called to her from the kitchen.

She groaned to herself and got up. The guy was nice, but she was about done with him. The only person she wanted to talk to was Travis. Or her family. But they were out of the question.

“What’s kicking?” she asked, glancing at the three agents.

Connor, Benjamin, and Dmitri, if her memory was to be trusted. Granted, it wasn’t hard to pick them out of the crowd. Connor had the accent, Benjamin was often the only black man in the room, and she hadn’t quite figured out Dmitri’s ethnicity, but she was pretty sure it included both Russian and Latin heritage. The trio was pretty funny after-hours. She’d enjoyed their banter after dinner last night, though the nightmares had returned later. At least then she’d had Travis.

“Thought you’d like to put in a call to your family.” Dmitri handed her the cordless house phone, his kind smile putting her at ease.

She glanced at the pre-dialed screen and back at him.

“Seriously?” She’d accepted that wasn’t going to happen.

“Go for it. Keep it short, okay?” Connor patted her shoulder, and the three men moved out of the kitchen, giving her a bit of privacy.

She hit dial and pressed the phone to her face.

It rang once, twice—

“Hello?”

Bliss clapped her hand over her mouth. Her mother’s voice was the best thing ever.

“Bliss? Is that you?”

“Yes, Mom, it’s me,” she managed to get out.

“Oh honey, it’s so good to hear your voice.”

“Hello? She there?” Her father’s voice was distant, which probably meant he’d picked up another phone, and now she’d have to strain to hear them both. She didn’t care. She got to hear their voices.

“Hi, Dad. Merry Christmas.”

“Oh, Bliss, baby, we wish you were here.”

“Me, too, Dad.” She put her back to the fridge and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Are you okay? They wouldn’t say a lot about what happened.” That was her mother. Always the worrier.

“I’m fine. Just some bruises, a few scratches. I’m okay.” It wasn’t the outward injuries she was concerned about. “Are Wendy and the baby okay? Grayson with them?”

Her dad blew out a breath. She could imagine him sitting down and squinting at the ceiling. He always did that whenever someone asked him a question. “Last we heard from them, yes. The officers won’t let us talk to them much, but we had a check-in last night. They were good. Worried about you.”

“When can you come home?” her mother asked.

“I don’t know. No one’s told me much of anything.”

The front door opened, and she glanced at the entry. Travis stepped through the door. She held her breath as he scanned the room and spotted her. Her heart did a little flip and she waved.

“They’re telling us we need to get off the phone.” Her mother harrumphed.

“I’m being taken care of, Mom. Love you guys.”

“We love you,” her parents said in unison.

Their words were an auditory hug, something she needed so very badly. Bliss hung up the phone and swiped her hands across her cheeks. Being away from her family on Christmas sucked. Given the circumstances, it was even worse.

“Hey.” Travis filled her vision, blocking off the rest of the room.

“Christ, make some noise, would you?” She chuckled. It was good to have him near again. He wouldn’t always be there, but for now she needed him.

“Sorry. Eaten yet?”

“No.”

“I grabbed some stuff. There wasn’t a lot open.”

“Thanks. How’s Ethan?”

“Grouchy, so that means he’s good.”

“Good. They want me to talk about Daniel.”

“Are you ready for that?”

She shrugged.

“If you aren’t, they’ll understand.”

“But if I don’t, we might not find him.”

“They might not find him even with your input.”

“I know they want you to go out and help with the search, but do you think you could stick around for a little while and...I don’t know, just be here for that?” She wrapped her arms around herself.

Travis wrapped her in a hug and kissed her brow.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

She could face the nightmares with him by her side. She knew she could. But what would happen when he was gone?

Travis grabbed a soda at random and a chocolate bar one of the officers had offered up. Bliss’ tears were stuck on repeat in his mind, and he could still hear her trembling voice as she recounted every agonizing moment they’d been apart. He wanted to make all kinds of promises like she’d never be afraid again, that he’d never leave her, but those were irrational.

What she needed now was time to pull herself together. Sweets were one good tool to help combat the drop in blood sugar.

Jade entered the kitchen, her gaze on him. “She’s upstairs. Give her a few.”

He nodded. Words were out of his power now. All he wanted to do was punch something. Preferably Daniel Campbell, but he’d settle for the punching bag downstairs.

“You aren’t any use to her if you can’t be calm.” Jade pitched her voice low, for their ears alone.

“I am calm.”

“I tried talking to her, but she wasn’t interested.”

“I imagine she’s pretty talked out.” He couldn’t deny the satisfaction that it was him she turned to. “What’s next for her?”

“We’re looking into protective custody.”

“Permanently?” If she went into something like Witness Protection, he’d never see her again.

“Hopefully not. Daniel can’t have that many backup plans, and having been thwarted twice, he’s going to start splintering soon. We’ve notified the entire region to be on the lookout for his signatures.” She shook her head. “I don’t remember the last time we had a killer with two clear signatures like this. It’s highly uncommon.”

“What do you think about the Killer Club connection?”

“What we’ve been able to dig up on his Internet activity is nothing like what we ran into in Oklahoma. I’m not convinced he’s connected.”

“Have you found others?” This was a can of worms. Travis couldn’t afford to think about it. Not when Bliss needed him.

“Some.” She nodded. “That clown that kept popping up for a while is a good suspect. Crimes like his are clear copycats, which seem to be that group’s MO. Daniel is...different. If there’s ever been someone like him, it’s a hell of a long time ago.”

“Back to Bliss, where will you move her?”

“Can’t tell you that. Unless you plan on going with her.” Jade’s left brow arched ever so slightly.

The idea was tempting, but he had a duty to Aegis he couldn’t turn his back on. They’d given him a life and opportunities when no one else would. He couldn’t leave them.

When he didn’t answer, Jade continued, “She’ll go back to Vegas under protection, probably put her up somewhere for a few days until long-term arrangements are made if we don’t find Daniel. Maybe you could stick around.”

“Maybe.”

Jade checked her phone. “You should go up now.”

He nodded and headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time. The need to be near Bliss was eating him up. He paused outside her door to knock, and then opened the door.

Bliss sat in the middle of the bed. Plastic bags were strewn around, and instead of jeans, she wore pajama pants and a knit hoodie. A single red and green bag sat in front of her, out of place and festive.

“Here.” He handed the soda to her and ripped open the candy bar.

She took the drink and chocolate he offered without comment.

“The sugar sometimes helps the chemical fallout.”

“Thank you.” She patted the bed next to her.

He sat and offered her another piece of the candy bar. She took that as well and pushed the bag toward him.

“Merry Christmas.”

He stared at the gift, a knot of panic lodged in his throat.

“I didn’t get you anything,” he said. When was the last time anyone had given him something for Christmas? Sure, he and Emma traded cards, usually with a gift certificate, but that was about it.

“It’s a gift. You don’t have to reciprocate. I just...wanted to do something for you. It’s a lame thank you, so you don’t have to keep it.”

He handed her the rest of the candy and carefully pulled out each individual piece of tissue paper. The scent of leather clung to the wrappings. What the hell? And where had she found the time? He peered at the black lump at the bottom of the bag.

“I have a receipt around here if you want to take them back,” Bliss said.

Travis reached in and pulled out a pair of black leather gloves. Not the cheap kind that would flake and peel with a little use, but the real deal.

“You said your hands were cold yesterday, and I just thought it might be something you could use.” She kept rambling on, tearing the candy wrapper into little pieces. “I’m sure you have gloves, but whatever.”

“Thank you.” He slipped his left hand into a glove. They were snug, just the way they were supposed to be. “I don’t think anyone has ever given me something this thoughtful.”

“You don’t have to—”

“I’m serious. I usually spend Christmas on the job or by myself. This is nice. You didn’t have to do this, Bliss.”

“I wanted to.” She wrapped her arms around her legs.

“Thank you.” He gestured to the bags. “What’s all this?”

“Jade got me a few things.”

“I got it all wrong, didn’t I?” He sighed and took the glove off, setting them carefully on the night stand.

“No, but you got a bunch of my dirty clothes.” She chuckled. “There’s a washer and dryer, but no detergent downstairs.”

“Figures.” He sighed and stretched out next to her, his back to the headboard.

“I kind of want to know how you decided what to pack.” She chuckled.

“There wasn’t a lot of thought to it. I grabbed things, threw them on the bed. I know I knocked some stuff over and just tossed it in, too.”

“Ah, that makes sense then.”

“What?”

“The bags.”

The way her smile made her eyes light up, he wanted to capture that memory for all time. He reached out and cupped her cheek, relishing her warmth, the kindness she showed him. Except now he was staring, and she’d said something.

“Sorry, what?”

“Nothing. Doesn’t matter.”

“It does. What did you say?”

“I was just saying that it made sense why you shoved some of my, ah, bags into the duffle.”

“Bags?” He had to think that one over for a moment. “The bags.”

Those bags.

“Yeah, that was kind of funny to find last night.”