No Reason to Run (7 page)

Chapter 13

Shane climbed behind
the driver’s seat while he thought out his next actions. With one last look at
the devastation behind them, he pulled out of his parking spot and left the
destroyed bus station. Obviously, they wouldn’t be leaving by bus tonight. He
could offer to purchase her plane tickets to fly out but if the option hadn’t
occurred to her, he wasn’t bringing it up.

Using the driver
side controls, he cracked all the windows to help dispel the smell of smoke. A
check in the rearview mirror showed Chloe hanging on to her worn stuffed
animal. Her tiny fist knotted tightly on the bear’s arm. She must have
forgotten it in the car.

Brody did a good job
and there was no sign of blood on her face. Poor kid looked done for. Shane
navigated through the mid-morning traffic and considered his question. “What
made you use the code? Did the guy act suspicious?”

Olivia’s arms were
wrapped around her waist, her knees bent in the seat. If she curled any
tighter, she’d be one tight ball. He stretched his arm out and took hold of her
hand, uncurling the fingers. She chewed her bottom lip for a second and then
turned her blue eyes in his direction. “Chloe’s bear. We would have been on the
bus or getting snacks at the coffee cart but she left the bear in your car.”

Her voice held a
dazed lost sound. The fingers in his hand quivered as if from a chill and clung
to his fiercely.

Shane’s gut
tightened when he envisioned what could have happened if not for a child’s toy.
He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles in a soothing gesture. One more time he
had to ask. “Nothing to do with your texts, right?”

Her head jerked to
the side. She paled even more if possible. “N-no. This…he wouldn’t.” He let her
stew on the thought needing her to think it all the way through. He didn’t have
long. Her shoulders straightened. “No. It wasn’t him.”

The words held a
ring of truth. No doubt present. Continuing to rub her fingers, Shane nodded.
“Okay.”

But the bastard
calling her would need to be neutralized, too. Maybe the bus incident was
coincidental but with Shane’s experience he didn’t believe in coincidences. As
soon as he got home, he’d start checking her background. He couldn’t afford to
be detached any more. He bet if he checked the bag she lugged around he’d find
her ID. It would be a simple matter from there to track her identity and where
she hailed from. If trouble came to Harmony, Shane planned on being fully prepared
to handle it.

When he arrived at
his house less than thirty minutes later, they were both knocked out. Olivia’s
fingers slackened the moment she fell asleep freeing his hand. He brushed it
over her hair now. The same sense of rage from earlier returned. Muscles flexed
and he had to lock down his anger. A sick fuck almost took away her innocent
life. As a soldier he’d hardened his heart to the things people did for some
lost cause or misguided notions of retribution.

He tried to do that
now and couldn’t. It didn’t make sense considering she’d been in his life for
less than twenty-four hours. Yesterday’s madness he could explain away as
curiosity but his feelings today had no easy answer. He traced a path from her
hair to her lightly arched brows. She frowned but didn’t awaken. Shane had yet
to discover why she appealed to him on such a visceral level.

The kid snuffled in
the back. A look over his shoulder revealed she’d slumped over in the seatbelt,
her head at an awkward angle. Once again, he was taking them to his house but
this time he had a plan. 

***

Deciding to use the
same guest room as the night before was easiest. It required some skill but
Shane got Chloe settled in the bed with her mother snuggled next to her and
placed the bear in the bed next to them.

He lifted the green
comforter and tucked it in around Olivia’s shoulders. Her eyes opened. Fear
rapidly replaced by confusion. Shane dropped to one knee and ran a finger down
her cheek. His right leg throbbed and he’d pay later for the pressure he put on
it today. “It’s okay. Just brought you both back to the house.”

Her head twisted and
he knew the moment she spotted her daughter beside her. Relief lessoned some of
the fear in her pretty blues. Both of them reeked of smoke but Shane didn’t
care. He’d toss the sheets and covers in the wash later.

His brow creased as
she struggled to rise to her elbows. Not happening. He let his caressing finger
turn to a firm hand and pushed back against her shoulder. “Stay and rest.”

“I’m not tired,” she
protested.

Shane battled a grin
at the fuzzy look in her eyes. “You probably haven’t had a decent night sleep
in…” He paused and watched her.

“Two days.”

“Right, then the
excitement and accident at the bus station. Your body is telling you something.
Rest.”

She stared hard but
it had no effect on him. Finally sensing his determination, she fell back on
the bed. “Look, Shane. We appreciate you helping us.”

He remained silent,
sensing a but.

“But Chloe and I can
make it on our own.”

He knew that was
coming. Shane prepared what he’d say during the drive back to his house. He’d
hoped to let her nap and then have a heart-to-heart discussion. Since she
seemed determined to have the conversation at this minute he wouldn’t hold
back. He held a hand up to stop her. “Listen to what I have to say before going
on. You need help and I’m in a position to offer. Your cell phone went off
several times and you got four more of those texts.”

Olivia pushed up
until she was sitting upright. “You had no business going through my phone.”

“Princess, those
messages shouldn’t be taken lightly. Whoever this guy is to you, he’s
escalating.” Shane resisted the urge to answer the phone one time and warn the
bastard to stand down.

“He’s upset but he
wouldn’t really hurt us.”

Shane rose to his
feet in frustration. Could she be that blind? “You have no money, no car and
nowhere to go. You’re running on empty with a kid and if not for him, you
wouldn’t have been at a bus station that got bombed.” He waved a hand at the
sleeping Chloe. “If you don’t think that’s hurting you, lady, you’re confused
as hell.”

He expected tears,
maybe a good cry. Instead, she leaped from the bed like a wild hellion, fist
planted on her hips. “I’m not confused. I know what I’m doing.”

Shane snorted and
folded his arms over his chest to resist the unchecked desire to grab her.
“Really?” Her nipples were budding in the tight tank again.

Her defiant chin
lifted. “Really.”

Shane rocked back on
his heels. He could push it. No way she’d match him in this battle. Yet,
something kept him from launching a full scale attack. He changed tactics. “Let
me help. I’ve got the resources. A guy who does what he’s doing is a loose
cannon, Olivia. This is how stalkers begin their obsession.”

“He’s my
ex-husband.” She snapped, eyes flashing.

Her answer made it
worst. How could she not see that? Ex-spouses were potentially more dangerous
because they felt a sense of entitlement and had a general knowledge of the
person’s habits.

“Is he Chloe’s dad
as well?” He wondered if she actually had custody. It explained a lot if she
ran to keep her child.

Her head nodded
slowly and she swayed on her feet. His arms moved instantly, a curse escaping.
The soft feel of her flesh beneath his fingers had him wavering. The simplest
thing to do would be to give her money and she and the kid could take their
chances.

He lifted her in his
arms and placed her back in the bed. Of course, he wasn’t interested in simple.
Never had been. “We’ll continue this when you’re at full strength and can argue
with me. Otherwise, I have you at a disadvantage.”

A slow smile bloomed
on her face even as her eyes lowered. “Ass.”

Shane lingered a
moment longer waiting for her eyes to close and the rhythmic breathing to join
the slight snores coming from the other side of the bed. The kid made a lot of
noise in sleep. Much more than she did when awake.

Chapter 14

Shane glared at the
information he’d accessed on his computer and grumbled at the man on the phone.
“Don’t want the how’s and why’s. Just be here.” Her name was Olivia O’Donnell
and she was ex-wife to Senator Brian O’Donnell. No wonder she didn’t want to
tell him.

“Shit, man, I hate
flying and to be there by tonight means I’m hopping a four hour non-stop flight
if I’m lucky.”

Shane cursed at the
information scrolling on his screen and tapped on his laptop to access more
files. They’d been divorced for a while, the marriage not lasting long after
the birth of their daughter. “Not hearing anything I care about yet, Vik.”

“Maybe a lay over
which involves two plane rides.” The whine evident in the voice meant nothing
to Shane.

“Four hours, no
more. I want you here before evening.”

A heavy sigh and
then agreement. “Got it, boss.”

The more Shane read,
the angrier he got. This just became a level one priority. Her high profile
situation warranted his best. Shane wasted no time making his next call. The
phone was answered immediately.

“Mitchell? What’s
up, man? We spoke two days ago.”

Shane pushed away
from his desk and massaged the back of his neck. “Right. I know you recently
finished an assignment and I promised you time off but something’s happened and
I need you in Harmony.”

The loud booming
laughter came over the phone. “You’re shitting me, right? What could possibly
happen in Harmony requiring the skills you’ve beat into me?”

A relieved smile
creased Shane’s face. The question was as good as a yes. “We’ll talk when you
get here. How long will it take you?”

The response caused
the muscles of his stomach to loosen. “Couple hours give or take. I’m close to
your neck of the woods over in Sterling anyway and can drive up.”

“Excellent. See you
when you arrive. Vik’s heading this way too.”

“Shit, man, you
bringing in the big boys. Anything going on I need to know beforehand?”

Shane wasn’t certain
and preferred to be ready for anything. “We’ll find out. I knew you two were
free and wanted to play it safe. I’ll shoot you the preliminaries in your
email.” Because he was pretty sure Olivia had no idea about her ex-husband’s
maneuvers to find her. An alarm beeped to his right. A glance at the monitors revealed
Olivia and Chloe walking into his kitchen. “Later, Striker.” He got to his feet
and took the stairs two at a time. They’d only slept for an hour.

The look Olivia cast
over her shoulder when he entered the kitchen showed surprise and something
else. Relief?

“Mr. Mitchell.” Or
something close since it sounded like mitter mitell. Chloe ran to him and
wrapped her arms around his leg. This he hadn’t expected.

Shane looked down at
the little girl hugging him. At least, he thought she was hugging him. She squirmed
around his legs. He watched Olivia’s mouth curl down in a frown. Was she
worried he’d kick the kid away? He wasn’t cruel.

Shane pat the top of
Chloe’s head awkwardly. “Hey, kid.”

She grinned up at
him before going back to her mother’s side, dragging her one-armed bear over
his tiled floor.

****

Olivia slid her
hands into the pockets of her hoodie to hide their fidgeting. She’d jumped in
the shower with Chloe as soon as her eyes opened, unable to bear the smell of
smoke on both of them. Surprise at Chloe’s spontaneous gesture toward Shane
made worry churn in her stomach. Chloe never approached strange men in
affection. Her daughter’s seeming attachment to their rescuer would need to be
addressed later.

She didn’t know what
to do next. Getting to North Carolina by bus was out of the question and she
had no intention of asking him to lend her more money for airfare. Speaking of,
she dug in her pockets for the cash he’d given her earlier. “I spent money for
the tickets but the rest is here.”

Her explanation met
silence. Awkward seconds whittled by but he made no effort to take the money
from her. Finally, his gray eyes narrowed and she knew she wouldn’t like
whatever came out of his mouth next.

“You and I have a
lot to talk about, Mrs. O’Donnell.”

Olivia felt the
blood drain from her face. Her hand fell limply to her side. How? Her mind
wondered. She’d been careful every step of the way.

His head cocked to
the side. “Do you think the kid will want to watch cartoons in the family room
again while we talk?”

Olivia’s lips were
numb. No words came to mind but she managed to nod her head. If he knew her
name what else did he know? Did this mean Brian would find her as easily?
Thoughts muddled, she followed behind him with Chloe in tow. The room was no
less impressive than when she’d seen it earlier.

Chloe hopped up on
the sofa with no assistance this time as Shane turned on the million switches
to activate the elaborate electronic set-up. Cartoons blared loudly. Her
daughter waved at both of them with enthusiasm undeterred by their departure.

Olivia stopped in
the hallway but he continued on to a partially opened door. He glanced over his
shoulder at her his face expressionless. “I’ve armed the house and have
monitors in the basement. The minute she moves from the couch we’ll see her.”

She hesitated unsure
if she should blithely follow him into a basement that could double as his
dungeon.

The corners of his
eyes crinkled reading her mind again, she believed. “You can trust me,
princess.”

Trust.
The
word in itself wasn’t as dangerous as the action it required from the necessary
parties involved. Her mind and heart battled with the choice presented. Part of
her desperately wanted to trust Shane and yet she knew better. Hadn’t she
learned her lesson with Brian? Nonetheless, Olivia steeled her resolve and
followed him into the basement.

Not knowing what to
expect, she used the opportunity to survey her surroundings. Her first
impression was of the overall size. It could double as a whole separate house.
Or maybe it appeared that way because it lacked the fully furnished look of the
upper levels. Thick gray carpet cushioned her tennis shoe clad feet with each
step. Shane stopped near a sturdy black desk with four monitors, a laptop and
two keyboards. One of the monitors had a screen split into four sections
showing different views of the house.

She watched as he
sat in the comfortable looking leather seat, his fingers nimble on one of the
keyboards. No fancy office chair for him. He should have looked incongruous
amongst the technological set-up. Instead, he looked competent and able. Like
someone she could trust.

Still wearing the
dark denim jeans from earlier, he’d changed into a black tee shirt with the
words silence is golden printed in white block letters on the back. Dark hair
curled over the edge of his collar.

“Here she is.”

Shaking herself,
Olivia studied the screen he pointed to. Stepping closer, the image of Chloe
sitting on the sofa and waving her chubby hands in the air met her gaze. In
addition to the one of Chloe, there was one showing the empty hallway and upper
staircase, the kitchen and the front entry. The last gave a clear view of the
driveway and walkway leading to the front door.

She allowed this to
sink in. “You have cameras all over your home?”

He spun to face her,
his back to the monitors. “It’s part of my security set-up. I can change angles
and views to show any room in my house at any given time.”

Her throat clogged.
“Are you in some kind of trouble? Only people with something to hide do this.”
She waved at the screens. Her heart picked up its beat to pound against her
chest. How could she have been wrong about him?

Shane leaned against
the desk, his elbows propped behind him. His gaze raked over her from head to
toe. She shivered and pushed her hands back into the pockets of her top. The
crinkle of the bills in her hand a reminder. “I’m not in trouble. As my card
implies, my business is in security and recovery.” He came to his feet slowly
and approached her.

Olivia forced her
limbs not to shake in sheer terror. “Security?” It explained a lot and left her
with a ton more questions. People in security asked questions and poked their
noses in places where they didn’t belong. Of all the cars she could have snuck
in. One more sign that she wasn’t cut out for the criminal life.

The mental rambling
released her fear in the form of humor. It started with a snicker that turned
into a full blown chuckle. All under his careful scrutiny. She guessed that her
behavior bordered on insanity to him.

Inches separated
them when he stopped his approach. “We’ll talk about me later. Why don’t you
start at the beginning of your problems and this time don’t leave anything
out.”

She gave up. Nothing
worked the way she planned anyway. “Fine, but remember you asked.”

He nodded still
freaking her out with his unblinking stare. Olivia cleared her throat and
sought to calm her nerves. “Can we sit?”

When he walked away
to grab a chair from the corner, the sight of his firm buttocks lovingly
caressed by his worn denim provided her a moment of enjoyment. A brief
distraction from the story he wanted her to tell. His return trip across the
room enhanced that enjoyment. Power radiated from his muscled form. Grace in
his every agile step.

Olivia ran a hand
through her hair wishing things were different. The ease with which he carried
the chair while his forearms flexed warmed her when the show of strength should
have frightened her. The wide chest that could comfortably cradle a woman’s
head in sleep due taunted her. His body in itself gave the appearance of being
a honed weapon.

But what held her
mesmerized the most were his eyes. She had enough experience in their brief
acquaintance to judge them as his most daunting feature. Gray windows that
could freeze over like a car windshield in a winter storm or blank out like now
as if they were a piece of smooth slate.

With a twirl of his
thick wrist, he sat the chair next to her and kicked his leather office chair
close but at an angle. The chair didn’t so much as squeak when he lowered his
weight down. Legs braced apart and elbows to his knees, he stared at her a look
of expectation on his face.

Olivia heaved a sigh
of annoyance and sat down. He wasn’t going to cut her a break. Their knees
bumped lightly but she ignored the sizzling contact. The seated arrangement
provided her an unobstructed view of Chloe on his computer monitor.

Her heart jumped
before settling down to its normal rhythm. A husky breath escaped on an exhale.
She could keep her eye on her daughter while they spoke. The care in the
seemingly incidental gesture reassured her. He might look like the most
dangerous man she’d ever met but his actions spoke of someone different. She
hoped his telling actions meant her initial impression of him wasn’t off.

Clearing her mind,
she focused on the beginning. Sharing her story with a complete stranger went
against her instincts but perhaps it was time. Every action in her life was
done without asking for help from others. But this experience didn’t compare.
She had Chloe to think about. Brian’s actions to this point exceeded what she’d
ever expected from her urbane ex. “How much did you find out?”

He snorted. “Nice
try, princess. You walk me through why Senator O’Donnell has you rabbit scared
and I’ll share what I managed to dig up.”

His flippant
response revved her tension and nerves back up on the scale to level ten.
Emotions from the past few days crashed over her causing the breath to lock in
her chest. Visions of the bombing at the bus station flashed across her eyes.
The memory of the expression on the cart attendant’s face right before
everything went up in flames.

“Easy. Take a deep
breath and let it out.”

Olivia flinched at
the rough hand touching her jaw. She blinked rapidly but Shane’s face wavered.
The attendant’s face imposed himself over her view of Shane. Her stomach
prepared to send her breakfast back in the wrong direction. The world spun on
its axis and black spots floated in front of her. The ripping pain in her chest
expanded. A giant snake constricted her air flow.

“Whoa. Hang on.”

Hands grasped her
shoulders and she felt her body dragged across the space between them. Firm
thighs shifted beneath her own as she was pulled onto his lap. Her head landed
none too gently on the chest she’d admired. “Stay with me and breathe.”

Pain morphed into a
sharp, burning sensation. Her chest freaking hurt. She couldn’t draw air into
her lungs. Broken cries filled the room. Shane shook her firmly. “Breathe,
goddammit. I’m right here, princess. Nothing’s gonna happen to you.”

Olivia jerked in his
hold and realized the low keening sound came from her lips. Sweat broke out on
her forehead but her arms were too weak to lift and wipe. “Help me.” Her lips
were numb but she managed the words.

“Shit.” His curse
sounded from a distance. Her ears filled with cotton. His fingers grazed her
shoulders as he adjusted his hold. She felt him cup her jaw and turn her face
toward his. Up close she could see his tan flesh but the image distorted as her
vision continued to fade in and out. Lips touched hers. Soft, firm pressure. A
tongue, wet and persistent along the seam of her lips.

Olivia gasped and
his mouth shifted its angle on hers. Air rushed in. She took another frantic
breath and his tongue used the opportunity to slip in and tease along hers.
Silky, soft strokes encouraging a response. Locked muscles in her chest
released, she curved her body further into his and returned his probing touch.
Breath rattled in her chest but she could breathe. Panic receded as desire took
its place.