Meeting Danger (Danger #1) (22 page)

He squeezed her closer and kissed the top of her head. “I’m so glad you’re here. I hope
you
know that.”

Sliding a hand down her bare hip, he teased her, stroking up and down until goose bumps formed on her skin. Her eyes widened when he caught her gaze, and he leaned closer to nip gently at her lower lip. She kissed him back, pressing her body completely against his, and they spend the next half hour making love.

“I wish I could stay in bed with you all day,” Camden whispered afterward. “Unfortunately, I have that deadline for my project.”

As Autumn moved out of his arms, he forced himself out of the bed with a sigh. He looked down at her after he stood up. “Why don’t you move your things in here?”

He’d voiced the question without giving it any thought, but when her mouth dropped open, it became clear that he should have.

He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have just sprung that on you.”

“No.” She swallowed hard. “It’s just . . . I didn’t expect anything after last night. Are you sure?”

“Completely.”

She blinked a few times before nodding. “Then I’d love to.”

The next evening, Camden glanced at his watch. He still had a few minutes before he needed to leave to pick up Autumn from the library. A new message had come in from the administrative team at Phoenix. As he clicked on it, a mug shot appeared on the screen.

Camden stared at the picture. Although the name listed was Wade Aaronson, it had to be Autumn’s brother. Like her, he was blond, although his hair was darker than Autumn’s, and his eyes were small and close together. His features were sharper, reminding Camden of a weasel, and the expression he was wearing seemed knowing and calculating.

Frowning, Camden clicked on the attached file with the Saint Louis police department. His gaze narrowed as he scanned the page. Wade had a record and it wasn’t a short one; he’d been arrested several times. Most of the arrests were for theft, and one was for illegal gambling.

Camden sat back, tapping a pen against his desk as he considered the ramifications. What would happen now that Wade had been located? He wasn’t in jail at the moment, and Autumn would probably be excited to be reunited with her brother, even if he was a felon.

The last thing Camden wanted was for Autumn to leave. Could he convince her that this was her home now?

He spent the next few seconds studying the screen. A theory was beginning to form, and it wasn’t a pretty one. He did an Internet search for the number of the Saint Louis police department and picked up the phone.

“Officer Rivera handled the case, and he’s on leave,” a dispatcher told him.

“Is your chief available?”

There was a pause. “Where did you say you were calling from?”

Camden provided his name and task force badge number, saying again that he was from DC.

“One moment . . .”

The line was silent for a full minute before a loud voice boomed out, “West.”

Camden explained who he was. “Chief West, I was hoping to get a little more detail from Officer Rivera, but was just told he’s on leave.”

“He’s out on disability till next month.”

“Is there a way I can speak with him before he gets back?”

“It’s pretty remote out where he’s staying with family in Montana, but give me your number. I can give it a try.”

Camden provided his number before ending the call and grabbing his car keys.

When he arrived at the library, Autumn was just walking outside. He kissed her, trying to put the past hour out of his mind.

“How did it go tonight?”

“Great. Beverly gave me booklets to start studying for the GED.”

“See that? You’re already working on your high school diploma.”

“Equivalency.” She grinned. “But I’m still excited, even if I don’t understand it all yet. And math . . . oh my gosh. I have so much catching up to do!”

“You’ll get there,” he said as he reached out to tug at a strand of her hair. “But don’t ask me to help you with math.”

She smiled. “How much longer do you think it’ll be before I can get a license?”

“A little more practice and you’ll be ready as far as driving goes. It’s the written portion we need to think about.”

Autumn’s lips parted in surprise. “I didn’t realize there was a written part.”

“It’s not written exactly. It’s a multiple-choice test. But you’ll want to get a little more comfortable with reading before you attempt taking it. And we’ll need to work on getting you familiar with road signs and traffic rules.”

She frowned. “Right.”

He gave her a reassuring smile. “You’ll be able to take it in no time.”

When they reached his SUV and were buckling up inside, she asked, “Did you get a lot done on your project?”

“I did.”

Guilt crept in as Camden looked over his shoulder and pulled away from the curb. He knew he should tell Autumn right away about what he’d learned about Wade, but he wasn’t even certain that it was Wade since the last names didn’t match. But the guy was the right age and had former addresses in Chicago, one of which matched the address Autumn had given him. It was a pretty sure bet that this was who he’d been looking for.

Yet something still held him back . . .

“How’s it going?” she asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“It’s on track, but I’ll probably be up for a while tonight.”

As he drove them home, he was lost in his head, going through the pros and cons of coming clean with Autumn before doing more research. By the time they pulled into his driveway, he’d convinced himself that he was justified in holding off. He’d wait and see if the Saint Louis police called back before telling Autumn what he’d learned.

“Camden, are you okay?”

“Huh?”

They’d arrived home, but he’d been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t made a move to get out of the car.

“Are you worried about your project?”

“A little, yeah. I should probably get back to it.”

In truth, it was almost finished—a good thing considering he couldn’t get the e-mail he’d received out of his mind.

“Want me to make you some coffee?” she asked as they walked inside.

“That would be great. Uh, listen, Autumn . . .”

“Yes?”

Camden forced his guilt aside as she gazed at him, her blue eyes so guileless and trusting. He had to protect her, no matter what, and doing that meant sticking to the decision he’d made.

He shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

The next day, Autumn set her notebook down and glanced at Camden’s laptop. Deciding he wouldn’t mind if she used it for her assignment while he was in town buying groceries, she walked over. She’d watched both Camden and Beverly use the Internet. She’d even seen Butch use it. Since her reading skills had improved dramatically, she should be able to do this.
Right?

She sat down and jiggled the mouse. She was about to click on the browser icon as she’d seen Camden do when she noticed a document icon labeled W
ADE
. Recognizing her brother’s first name, she clicked on that instead.

When the page opened, she read it and then read it again, biting down hard on her lip. It was a copy of an e-mail. The words were basic, so she had no trouble getting the gist of what this was.

Wade Aaronson

Age: 27

Address: 763 Stone Street, Apartment 3E, Saint Louis, Missouri

Autumn read the page for a third time, and when she scrolled down to see a photo, she began to shake. The features that stared back at her were older than she remembered, but this was definitely her brother.

Camden had found Wade. When? And why in the world hadn’t he told her?

Just yesterday she’d asked him how the search was going. But all he’d said was that there was no news. He definitely hadn’t mentioned this file.

She scanned the page again and her gaze zeroed in on the phone number listed below the address in Saint Louis. With trembling hands, she picked up the phone and dialed the number.

There were two short rings before the singsong voice of a recorded message came on, stating that the number was out of service.

Autumn hung up the phone and squeezed her eyes shut. Her head pounded as the thoughts inside it rushed around at a dizzying speed. She forced herself up and retrieved a piece of paper and pen from the kitchen. Carefully, she copied Wade’s address before tucking the paper inside her pocket.

A band tightened around her head, filling it with pressure as she moved to the couch and took a seat. The minutes ticked by with the pain inside her head intensifying. By the time Camden’s car pulled up, she was cradling her head in her hands.

He walked inside with a frown. “Are you okay, Autumn? What is it?”

She sucked in a breath, trying to fill her lungs as she looked up at him. “I was using your computer and . . . I saw the information on my brother.”

Had she jumped to the wrong conclusion? Maybe there was an innocent explanation for all of this. But as Camden glanced away, not meeting her eyes, she knew her first instinct had been correct. He had purposely kept the file hidden from her. Her insides knotted at the betrayal.

“Just yesterday, you told me you hadn’t found anything.” She hated the pathetic quiver that had come into her voice. “Why?”

Camden opened his mouth and closed it again.

In a whisper, she repeated the question. “Why?”

He blinked hard before sitting down on the edge of the sofa with a heavy sigh. “I was going to tell you.”

Clenching her hands into fists in her lap, she choked out, “When?”

“Soon.”

Autumn shook her head in disbelief. What kind of an answer was that? She’d trusted Camden, and what had he done? Kept things from her. It was something Butch would have done.

“You knew how badly I wanted to find him.”

Camden closed his eyes briefly, as if what she’d just said had cut into him. He reached for her hand but she jerked away.

“Just listen to me, Autumn. Wade has a criminal record, but that’s not all that concerns me. He’s a gambler and . . .” He raked a hand through his hair. “I wanted to find out more before I said anything to you, plus I wanted to be sure that this was the right guy. That’s why I didn’t tell you.”

“You could have just shown me the picture!” she cried out.

“You’re right,” he admitted. “I could have. But there’s more.”

He stood and began to pace as Autumn twisted her hands in her lap.

“You said you wondered why your brother left you with Butch. Well, I think I know the reason.” When he stopped pacing, his eyes were filled with what looked like a mixture of fury and pity as he met her gaze. “I think your brother had gambling debts with Butch, and that Butch forgave those debts in exchange for you.”

The pounding inside Autumn’s skull picked up with a vengeance. She shook her head, not wanting to process what Camden had just said.

“What?” she whispered. Bile rose in her throat when he repeated his words, and she swallowed it down. “No.”

“I’m sorry, Autumn.”

Horror and anger mixed together. She glared at Camden before standing on trembling legs. “You’re wrong! What you’re saying—Wade would never do something like that!”

“Autumn . . .”

She backed away from him, holding up her hands in warning. “Don’t!”

Camden stopped moving. His chest was heaving as he stood in place. “Autumn—”

But she didn’t stay to hear his next words. Instead, she bolted from the room and ran up the stairs. Inside the guest room, she threw herself onto the bed and curled into a fetal position, trying hard to manage the waves of pain crashing around inside her head.

Would Camden follow her up here? She needed some time to calm down. Time to think. She wouldn’t be able to face him.

But as the minutes ticked by, the house remained silent and she remained alone.

• • •

It was hours later when Camden finally knocked on the door. Autumn was still lying on the bed, curled into as tight a ball as she could manage. The pain inside her head had eased, but not by much.

As Camden opened the door, he looked ashamed. “I’m very sorry, Autumn. It was wrong of me to keep that information to myself.” He took a step forward. “Are you hungry? I can—”

“I’m not hungry,” she whispered before sitting up to face him. “Why? Why did you do it?”

“To protect you.”

She shook her head. “That wasn’t protecting me.”

When Camden didn’t respond, her anger bubbled up. Before she knew it, the awful thoughts she’d been having tumbled out of her mouth. “I thought you were different from Butch, but you’re not. You’re just as controlling as he is.”

Camden grimaced. “Autumn—”

She lay back down and squeezed her eyes shut. Her voice was flat to her own ears as she whispered, “I want to be alone now.”

Seconds passed before the floorboards creaked. Camden quietly closed the door as he left the room.

Autumn rolled over, chastising herself. What she’d said wasn’t true; Camden wasn’t like Butch. In his mind, Camden had probably thought he was protecting her.

But for him to think that about Wade? How could he believe her own brother would sell her? The very thought made her want to throw up.

She pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to rub the pain away. There was a reason Wade had left her with Butch, but it wasn’t what Camden thought. It was just as Wade had said—he’d been unable to support them both. And had he known what kind of man Butch was, he never would have left her with him.

For the hundredth time, she prayed that the pressure inside her head would ease. It had been such a reprieve since she’d been staying with Camden, two whole weeks without these awful headaches. It was more than disheartening to experience them again when she’d hoped they were gone for good.

Autumn looked toward the open closet and spotted the borrowed duffel bag she’d put away after their trip to Allentown.

She’d waited five years to see her brother. And now that she knew where Wade was, she had to go to him.

She sat up slowly and began planning how she’d get to Missouri.