Slim To None (Cedar Tree #1) (11 page)

"Kara is twenty-four. She still lives and works in Boston." She smiled at the older woman. "Luckily she has a great job and fantastic friends, so she is quite settled there. She was happy for me when I decided to move here."

"Oh yeah, two months ago, right?"

A little surprised by the information Dana had on her, she quipped, "So I guess I shouldn't be telling Gus any of my deep dark secrets then, should I?" Making Dana laugh.

"I think he's a little sweet on you. He's actually been filling me in on a lot of details of this case, which is extremely unusual. Normally I have to pry information out of him by force, but not this time. Anything to do with you he seems eager to share with me." Dana confessed with a wink, causing that awful blotchy blush to creep back up on Emma's face.

"Ahhh -" Dana studied her,  "So that's how it is!"

"That's how what is?" Gus asked, walking in.

Great. Wondering exactly how much of that he heard, Emma tried for diversion.

"I'm tired, so I think I'm going down for a nap."

"You okay? Here, I'll give you a hand." Gus pulled her up from the couch, wrapping his arm firmly around her waist.

"Need a hand there, Boss?" Dana teased, with a half-smile playing on her lips.

"I've got it, Dana. Thanks." Gus snapped, stopping Emma in her tracks.

"You know, it was on my lips to say - I'm not an invalid - but we all know that would be a lie, now wouldn't we? Anyway, can we tone down the damsel in distress rescue? And I'm. Right. Here. There's no need to talk around me. Geeze." With that she turned around, leaving Gus standing there, too stunned too move. She could hear Dana howling with laughter, saying, "Oooo, can we keep her? You just got told! I wish you could see your face right now. Damn, where's my camera!"

It didn't surprise her when only minutes later after hearing low voices replace the raucous laughter from the living room, the bedroom door opened and Gus walked in, a sheepish look on his face. "Sorry 'bout that." He grumbled, looking at his boots. "I just don't want you to overdo anything." 

Emma stood in front of him, letting her hand stroke the stubble on his jaw, down his neck, coming to rest over his heart. Leaning in, she put her cheek on his chest and slid her arms around his waist, breathing in deep and letting all the stress out of her body on the exhale. The heat of his body soothed her and the steady beat of his heart made her feel secure. Slowly she felt his arms come up around her, one grabbing her firmly around her waist anchoring her, and the other stroking up her spine gently, but firmly. She felt his big hand slip under her hair and grab the back of her head - his fingers speared through her curls. So safe. 

"If I could, I would stop time, − right here in this moment." Emma whispered into his shirt, earning a slight squeeze from his arms. Leaning back a little she looked into his eyes.

"Thank you for caring for me, Gus. Honestly. , I appreciate it, but it pisses me off when people talk over me like I'm not in the room. It sets me off. I guess too many times lying in a hospital bed or on an examining table while medical staff discusses you as if you are a specimen instead of a living, breathing person has done that to me."

A small smile played up at the corners of Gus's mouth, and the lines at the corner of his eyes slowly deepened.

"You're right you know." She could feel his voice rumble deeply from his chest. "I do care for you." His dark brown eyes held her gaze for a moment before pulling her in and planting a quick kiss on her lips.

"Now, lets get you in bed for  that nap while I organize these guys and get them on their way. Caleb and Katie should be arriving at the motel at some point too, and it would be nice if things were set up so they can hit the ground running."

Emma's ears picked up the names for the other two members of the team. "Caleb and Katie?" She asked pointedly, looking at Gus with her eyebrows raised, seeing him wince. Ouch. So her guess was on the money.

Sitting down on the side of the bed, she started undressing, having decided to simply ignore Gus, ignore the awkward situation, and have a well-deserved nap before losing her shit. 

"Shit, Peach. I never even thought -" Emma cut him off when she stuck her hand in his face.

"You know, I'm really, really tired, so why don't you go do your thing with your team and I'll just go have my nap."

"Just let me explain something." Gus started.

"Not now. Please. Just... I need a nap now." Emma rolled herself under the covers and turned her back on him, closing her eyes and willing those dang silly tears away.

"Just so you know, we are not done yet." She heard him say.

Ignoring him, she forcibly slowed down her breathing until heard him leave and close the door behind him. Just a minute ago she had felt safe in his arms, oblivious to emotional or physical threats ...now, all those insecurities came washing over her again. The thought of sharing space with his convenient fuck buddy was a bit too much for her emotions right now, even if she couldn't quite pin down where they were at at this point. The fact that it was someone he worked with stung as well. She wasn’t just someone he saw once in a blue moon. Did she mean more than he had implied?

Too tired to think anymore, she willed her spinning thoughts away. That's when she heard the door open back up, footsteps approaching the bed and felt him leaning in behind her, whispering.

"Couldn't leave it at that. I'll let you sleep, but not without telling you this. I fucked up. Caleb and Katie are independent contractors who specialize in personal security, and occasionally, we will hire them on as part of investigative teams. Calling them in was a routine move for me, and I didn't consider the implications this time. I blindsided you and that's the last thing I wanted to do." Kissing the shell of her ear, he said, "We okay?"

Taking in a deep breath, she forced herself to detach from the slightly nauseous feeling in her stomach,

Emma responded lightly, "Sure thing. We've only known each other for what? Three, four days?" Forcing out a chuckle, she finished. "Just fun and games, right?"

She could feel his growl behind her. 

"Fuck no, woman." He bit out. "You know it, and I know it. We'll sort it, but now is not the time. You're exhausted and I have a team to set up. So, when I say 'sort it', I mean I'll have myself up in your face, and under your skin and into your body so deep, you won't be able to doubt my intentions." Those last words sent a full body shiver down to her toes and had her turning her head, seeking out his eyes. She found them burning with heat and determination into hers.

"Now. Once more. Are. We. Okay?"

"We're okay." She said so softly, the air barely passed her lips. But he heard her and latched onto her mouth with a fierce intensity that left no room for doubt. With one last brush of his lips on her forehead, he pulled back.

"You sleep. I'll be in the living room."

The warm feeling of security at least partially returned,  as she rolled back over, closed her eyes and promptly fell asleep.

––––––––

"A
re you sure you're up to this?" Gus asked Emma, as he turned his truck towards town. The rest of the team had arrived and he had briefed them all on the case and the events to date. He then sent them off to the motel to set up camp there. They were supposed to grab something to eat at Arlene's after and bring something over for him and Emma. He hadn't heard a peep out of her since leaving her bedroom. She must've been worn out. Of course neither of them got much sleep in the hospital, and he could feel it too. Then, not thirty minutes after everyone took off, she had come out. When she found out they would all be at the diner, she insisted on going too.

"You were just released this morning. Don't you think you should take it easy today?" He tried again, after she ignored his first attempts to keep her home.

Turning to him, Emma raised an eyebrow and said, "I'm fine! I need to go see Arlene because I haven't seen her all day. I know she is worried, and I won't be able to skip out another day − trust me. I may be a little bruised and battered, but it's better for me to move around than to sit still. I'll just seize up if I do. Besides -" She continued with a satisfied smirk on her face, "I have a strong man who is able to pick me up and carry me off if something happens." 

"Smartass." Shaking his head at her, he couldn't stop the smile forming at the corner of his mouth. "Fine, we'll eat there, so you can talk to your BFF and let her know you're alive, and then we go home."

Home. Funny how that came out so naturally. Huh. He never really got too attached to things or places, not even to people. Sure, he had some friends and would socialize from time to time, but nothing or no one he would crave being with. He could see himself craving Emma though. Too soon... too complicated right now. He best just go with the flow and focus on this damn case ‘cause it had gotten the best of him so far. Fuck, he even dropped the ball and let Emma get hurt on his watch. He needed his team to help him stay on track.

Pulling into the parking space at the diner, Emma put her hand on his arm to stop him when he was about to get out of the truck. He turned to look at her.

"Does er... have you... ? What I mean to say is, did you say anything to Katie? About you and me? Well... I don't really know what there is to say or what this all means, but I don't want it to get awkward in there."

Shifting in his seat, he cupped her face in his hand.

"I don't owe Katie an explanation, nor would she owe me one. We had nothing. No relationship. Just occasional 'run- ins'."

That drew a snort from Emma and she tried to turn her head away, but he held her firm, forcing her to look at him.

"You and I have something. And even if we can't identify it just yet, it isn't nothing, and it isn't casual; it's something worth exploring the hell out of."

"I think so too." Emma said.

"Good. Glad we have that straightened out." He leaned in for a quick sweep of his mouth over her lips. "Now, I didn't have a chance to catch her alone, but I will make sure it is clear we are together. I promise it is not, nor will it be, an issue."

With one last brush of lips against her forehead, he got out, walked around the truck, grabbed her new purple walker and helped her down.

*****

A
rlene was almost running back and forth between tables when she spotted them coming in. "Ems. What the heck are you doing out of bed." She hollered across the diner. Okay. So much for not putting Emma on the spot.

"Would you hush, Arlene? I'm fine. I need to eat, don't I?" Emma snapped back, causing Gus to chuckle at the already almost familiar bickering of the two of them. Seb stuck his head around the hood and added his two cents.

"Hey Emma. Didn't think we'd see you up and about tonight?"

"I'm okay, Seb, and thanks for the food yesterday. That was sweet." Emma said with a smile. Interesting thought Gus. He spotted Arlene watching the exchange like a hawk and rolling her eyes at Emma calling Seb sweet. Could just be Arlene being ornery, but he didn't think so.

By the time they got to the table where his team had gathered, Emma had been stopped by half the patrons, having heard about her 'mishap' and wanting to know how she was doing. Of course her standard response was 'fine'. He wondered if she would still say that if the pain was killing her - probably.

"Hey guys, Dana, Neil - you've already met Emma. Katie, Caleb - meet Emma Young, reason we're all here in Cedar Tree."

Caleb, former ranger, was an excellent tracker and private investigator. He was a large man, dark and regal, in part due to his Native American ancestry. He rose out of his chair and shook Emma's hand.

"Pleased to meet you, Ma'am."

"Oh cripes, please. No Ma'ams! I know I'm no spring chicken, but that is not a title I deserve yet!" Emma laughed, squeezing a smile out of the stoic giant.

Next up was Katie, personal security expert and a P.I. as well, who also towered over Emma as she got up to introduce herself. Of course that's not hard to do, since Emma was pretty short. He could see the two women scrutinizing each other, but only pleasantries were exchanged.

"Let's order something. Have you guys ordered yet?" He glanced around the table.

"Yeah, just did." Caleb said, his eyes following Arlene around the tables. "Although I'm thinking your friend's got her hands full."

"Arlene will be okay. She's just grumpy ‘cause she's been worried, but she manages crowds twice this size and wouldn't break a sweat. The woman is impossible to fluster, except when it comes to me apparently..." Emma responded.

"So... uhm, how are you feeling?" Gus turned, curious to see Katie address Emma.

"I'm fine. Thanks for asking." Was her standard answer, delivered with a reserved little smile. Yep, this was awkward, obviously. Damn. He really should've thought this through.

"You were lucky then, very lucky there won't be any lasting effects. There won't be, will there?" Katie added quickly.

"Nope. Fortunately, I was blessed with a hard head, apparently, and enough padding to cushion my fall."

"Good. That's good."

Eager to break into the slightly uncomfortable exchange, Gus shoved a menu in front of Emma.

"Here, order up. Then we can get you up to speed and discuss our moves for the next few days. I'm tired of sitting like bait on a hook waiting for a fish to come by. I want to shake things up a little; make things happen before they happen to us."

With Seb working away at their orders in the kitchen, Gus filled Emma in on Neil's findings first. He had made some headway with the coded files from Emma's drop box they had sent him a few nights ago. Apparently, the combinations of numbers and letters looked to be dates and bank accounts, with two or three letters in each code he wasn't quite clear on yet. Emma suggested perhaps initials, since that's how she would always number her invoices - a combination of the date and the payee's initials. Gus was stunned when he looked at her. He knew he was a goner. Fucking smart too, he smiled. Reaching over, he grabbed the back of her head and pulling pulled her close, resting his forehead against hers.