Flirtation. Part 11

He removed one hand from the bar to push his jacket back, just far enough to show her he had a gun inside there. She felt light-headed and closed her eyes. What had she gotten herself into? She slid from the stool, the strange man's hand like a vise around her arm, and walked slowly behind him.

In a last-ditch attempt, she mouthed the word help help to anyone whose eye she could catch, and was gratified to see someone-maybe the man who had catcalled her when she entered the bar-stand up, eye the man ahead of her suspiciously and step forward with a few of his very large friends. to anyone whose eye she could catch, and was gratified to see someone-maybe the man who had catcalled her when she entered the bar-stand up, eye the man ahead of her suspiciously and step forward with a few of his very large friends.

"Hey, mister. Seems like maybe the lady doesn't feel like leaving with you tonight." The big man laughed, looking down at her with a leer. She ground her teeth and smiled at him, unsure whether she was leaping from the pan into the fire, but was willing to take her chances.

The man who held her stopped, took a deep breath and turned, facing the large men with as much of a good ol' boy smile as he could muster.

"Now, sir," he said, dragging Charlotte up hard against him so she could feel the b.u.t.t of the gun through his jacket. "This here is my wife, and I'm set to take her home. What would you think if you found your woman, dressed like this, in the middle of the night, in this kind of place? Doesn't a man have a right to come get her?"

The big man pinched his chin and thought. Charlotte started to speak up, but her captor twisted her wrist painfully and her words just came out on a groan. Her plan was failing, she could see by the look in the redneck guy's eyes. This wasn't a liberal guy-he'd surely think a man had a perfect right to drag "his woman" from the bar. No sooner had she thought it and the pa.s.sel of men backed off, muttering things about not interfering in private matters between a man and a woman.

"Nice try, sweetheart."

The tall man pulled her forward again, and she resisted, but stopped when he shot her a deadly look. They walked through the door, and through the parking lot. She started to shake with fear.

Suddenly the man's grip on her wrist loosened, and he fell backward with a grunt. As her kidnapper crumpled to the dirt, she looked up and stared into cold, angry green eyes.

EJ BENT TO THE GROUND BENT TO THE GROUND, patting the unconscious man down, taking his gun and his wallet, before returning his attention to Charlotte. Without a word, he took her by the shoulders, pus.h.i.+ng her toward his car, and she gasped, moving like a marionette being pushed and dragged from place to place.

But EJ wasn't feeling too gentle at the moment, his anger and the fear he'd felt when he saw her being dragged out into the parking lot consuming him. Whoever the guy was, he was carrying some serious firepower, and EJ didn't want to think of what could have happened to her. He was surprised when she whirled on him.

"Stop pus.h.i.+ng me! What right do you have-" He cut her off, slapping his hand over her mouth to quiet her, and actually putting her in the seat of his car, arrest style, hand on head. She glared up at him, rebounding, and he leaned in close.

"Should I cuff you, princess? Because I'm more than willing."

She backed off and settled in with a resentful look, and he went around to his own side, satisfied that she wasn't going to take off on him again. If she did, he'd catch her before she got too far, and this time he would cuff her.

Pulling away from the parking lot in a spray of dust and gravel, they drove down the highway toward the city, silent until he pulled over, comfortable with the distance between them and the roadhouse, unsure of his next move. He knew Ian expected him back, but this wasn't about Ian. What happened next depended on Charlotte.

Putting the car in Park, he turned and pinned Charlotte with his stare, hardening his heart to her desperate eyes, the pulse he saw hammering frantically in her throat.

"You said you weren't guilty of anything, Charlotte-so why did you take off?"

"I knew you were going to bring me in, and that would have been time lost in finding Ronny."

"That bar was one of his hangouts?"

She nodded, looking down at her hands, where her fingers played with the ragged ends of the shortened dressed. Her voice was subdued when she spoke.

"I should have known. I should have seen it, his cards have indicated some trouble, but I never thought of something like this. I could have helped him."

She thought she was responsible for what trouble her brother was in? EJ sat back in disbelief, processing the information, but realizing it was consistent with what he knew about her so far. It sounded like she'd do just about anything for Ronny, including putting herself in the path of danger.

"Who was the guy dragging you out?"

"I don't know. He said we had a mutual friend, and he was bringing me to meet him."

"He has your brother?"

"He said no-they wanted me."

EJ sighed, leaning forward, turning her toward him and planting his large hands on her shoulders, shaking her lightly.

"What's happened to your brother is not your fault, Charlotte. In fact, it's starting to look to me like it could be quite the opposite. I know you think you can see things in the cards, but there's no way you could have seen something like this coming. Ronny is obviously involved with some very dangerous people, and it looks like he's involved you, too."

"You don't understand." She spat the words, pulling away from him, unsure what to think about anything. "He's my brother. I know he's had a hard time. I should have paid more attention, I should have-"

"This has gotten really serious, darlin'. It's bigger than you and your brother. A cop was shot, and the people who are standing at his bedside are going to want to know why. You're the only one who we know is connected right now-" he held his hand up to stem her objection "-I said connected, not guilty. But they'll want someone's head. And I would rather it not be yours."

She blinked, looking at him warily. "You don't think I'm guilty?"

EJ was quiet for several moments, sifting through his confusing thoughts, his anger subsiding. He listened to his gut, which had served him well so far.

"No, I don't think you are guilty. But I think your brother is in this up to his neck, and I'm going to find out why. There are apparently some very bad people after him-why they came out shooting tonight, I have no idea. A message, I guess."

"Or maybe they were trying to keep us from finding something."

"Like what?"

She shrugged, but he realized she could be right. The entire episode could have been a distraction, to keep them out of the house. Perhaps whoever had trashed Charlotte's home hadn't had a chance to look through Ronny's place, and had been trying to keep them out. But by shooting a cop, they had made the house inaccessible to everyone-unless there was a dirty cop on their payroll. Things just weren't adding up.

"We need to go back to the house." Charlotte's voice was resolute.

"No, that's not an option. The cops have been all over it-if there's something to find, they'll find it. I've got to report the incident at the roadhouse, and get this ID to Sarah and Ian. Then we have to find someplace to stay, to lay low until we know something about what's going on."

"Where?"

"I have some ideas."

Without another word, he pulled back out onto the pitch-dark highway, and drove east.

CHARLOTTE WASN'T SURE where she was when she woke up, but it smelled nice. And it was warm. And solid. She snuggled in closer, feeling safe and...Wait. where she was when she woke up, but it smelled nice. And it was warm. And solid. She snuggled in closer, feeling safe and...Wait.

The feeling of her world being tipped seriously out of balance returned, and she sat up sharply in the bed, looking around the strange room. Listening to the chirping sounds of creatures outside the screened windows, she could swear she heard ocean surf. It was all peaceful, but unfamiliar.

Then, looking down, she saw the source of the warm comfort she'd awakened to. EJ.

Her hand flew to her chest, only to find it stalled halfway-he'd cuffed cuffed her, the other link attached to his own wrist. She knew without feeling that she was naked-she wasn't wearing the silky lace gown any longer. her, the other link attached to his own wrist. She knew without feeling that she was naked-she wasn't wearing the silky lace gown any longer.

Reflexively, she pulled the sheet up around her with her other hand, and then looked down at the man sleeping beside her; EJ was still fully clothed and sleeping on top of the covers. The events of the previous hours came rus.h.i.+ng back, and she sighed, her body sinking back into the lush pillows. She guessed after what had happened between them the previous evening, being naked with the man wasn't a big deal. And she almost couldn't blame him for handcuffing her. Almost.

"Are you okay?" EJ's hushed whisper drifted softly through the darkness, though he hadn't moved a muscle. She turned her head and saw he still lay in the same position with his eyes shut. She wondered if she'd imagined him speaking, but then he turned his head to her, just looking across the pillows in the darkness.

"I'm naked." The bald statement escaped before she could think, and she looked away. "And I'm in handcuffs."

"I didn't think you'd be comfortable sleeping in the dress. It was getting pretty ratty. And you were completely pa.s.sed out by the time we got here. But I didn't want to take any chances on you waking up and taking off again."

"I wouldn't have."

"Sure you wouldn't." His voice conveyed his doubt. "But this way I could get some peaceful shut-eye, too."

Not too peaceful, she thought, spotting the shadow of his gun on the nightstand.

"Thanks, I guess. I can't believe I was sleeping so soundly I didn't even realize you'd undressed me." She blew out a breath, looking back in his direction. "Where is 'here'?"

"My sister's summer house. We're about two hours up the sh.o.r.e, in a.s.sateague."

"In Maryland?"

"Yeah. It was the only place I could think of to disappear for a while on short notice."

"I still don't understand why we need to disappear. Did you hear anything about that officer? Is he okay?"

"I checked in a few hours ago, and he was critical but stable. He hasn't regained consciousness yet, but they're hoping for the best."

"Does he have a family?"

"He's not married, but he does have a family. Parents, siblings."

"Who was the man who tried to grab me? Do you know?"

"They're running his license. We'll know soon."

She mumbled something unintelligible, an irrational sense of guilt and sadness clogging her throat, blocking any response. She'd lived through dark times before, but she'd thought all of that was in the past. Now a man had almost died, her brother was missing, her home was destroyed, and she was...what? A suspect? A target?

EJ had said he believed her, that he was protecting her, but how could she know for sure? He obviously didn't trust her, but she supposed she'd brought that on herself. If he hadn't shown up when he did, who knew what could have happened to her if that man had gotten her in his car? She could be dead in a ditch by the side of the road by now, too.

An encroaching feeling of helplessness and desperation surrounded her, she almost forgot EJ's presence, until she felt a rustling of the blankets as his weight s.h.i.+fted on the bed, and the room became bathed in soft light when he clicked on a bedside lamp. She squeezed back tears, gripping the blankets in a painfully tight grasp.

"Charlotte."

She looked at him, swallowing at how handsome he was, tousled by sleep, his clothes completely rumpled, his gaze sleepy but filled with great concern. He held out his hand to her, and she released her grip on the blanket to take it, unsure of what he was offering, but needing the connection. His warm fingers ma.s.saged hers, the metal of the cuffs clinking together. His voice was soothing, and his gaze never wandered from her face.

"This is in no way your fault. You have to believe that."

She took a deep breath, and nodded. Deep down, she still felt she should have noticed something, should have had some sense of what was going on with Ronny, but she also acknowledged that her brother was an adult man, and she didn't control his actions.

"I know, I guess, on some level, that that's true. But I can't help but feel...bad."

"I know. You have every right in the world to feel that way." His voice lowered. "C'mere, darlin'. Let me hold on to you for a little while."

Her heart tripped a little faster, and she kept the blanket hitched up as she scooted over closer to him, breathing in the wonderful scent she'd awakened to.

Images of making love with him in the car flashed in front of her eyes. It felt like a dream, like it had happened years ago rather than just hours, but her body dampened in response to the memory and his nearness. It was unusual, but undeniable, that she wanted him so much. So she sat up a little and tucked in underneath the arm he stretched out for her. G.o.d, he felt so good. She cuddled her cheek down into the intersection of chest and shoulder, sighing.

"Better?"

She nodded, loving the feel of the hard muscles of his chest underneath of his s.h.i.+rt as she snuggled closer. Her fingers slid in between the b.u.t.tons, touching his skin, and she thought she heard him catch his breath before he grasped her seeking fingers in his other hand.

"Just rest easy, darlin'. Relax, think good thoughts."

She felt him kiss her hair as he moved her fingers gently back to a less sensuous position and melted under the sweetness of the caress. She sniffled, tears welling up again, but she pushed them back and felt EJ's arms tighten around her, the one solid thing in her world, and she held on tight.

"It's going to work out, Charlotte. Things will be okay."

"It's just gotten so complicated so quickly, I feel like I can hardly keep track of what's going on."

He reached down and tipped her chin up, looking deeply into her eyes. "I'll keep you safe. I promise that."

"It's not me I'm so worried about. Ronny is out there somewhere, involved in G.o.d knows what. That poor officer is in the hospital, and Phoebe could lose her job over me. And then there are all the other people I have responsibilities to. I am supposed to be reading cards tomorrow, and walking dogs, and instead here I am, and everything is falling apart."

"Who's Phoebe?"

"Oh, she's the girl at the thrift shop who lent me the dress. She said her boss wouldn't be back for a few days, so no one would know if I got it back there this morning-undamaged, of course. I know I shouldn't have borrowed it. I knew it then, but I wanted to look like the kind of woman you expected me to be."

His eyebrows crunched in the middle, the ends of his gorgeous mouth turning down. "What do you think I expected?"

She sat up a little, the sheet not quite covering the fullness of her cleavage as she did so.

"Someone sophisticated and well put together. Someone who wasn't going to show up at the best restaurant in Norfolk in discount clothing."

To his credit, he looked surprised as she elaborated, and she reached up, touching his face.

"Really, EJ, I've seen who you are, how you live. The kind of family you come from. You are so elegant and refined, so gentlemanly. And I don't even know how to order off a fancy menu. Even though you're a cop, none of that other stuff goes away." She took a deep breath, looking down at her fingers wrapped around the edge of the sheet, before going on.

"Now that you know who I am, and all the trouble that's surrounding me, are you really all that interested in me anymore? I have no family except a brother who's probably a criminal, I live in a cheap little apartment that's been completely ruined, and I wear borrowed clothes and don't have an education or a real job. Not exactly your type."

He pulled back, mild surprise turning to something stronger, and she tugged the sheet up, suddenly uncomfortable.

"EJ?"

He blinked, his voice quiet when he spoke. "I didn't realize I came off as such a sn.o.b."

Her hand flew to her mouth, causing her to drop the sheet again, and she shook her head emphatically. "No, I didn't mean that! I just meant...I don't know exactly, but it was more about me than you. Just that I'm not...I'm-"

He leaned in, his eyes intense, and though he didn't touch her, she felt like squirming. "What? What are you, Charlotte? Not good enough for me? So sure that I'm going to turn my back the moment you don't wear designer clothes?"

His lips thinned, and she realized she'd actually hurt him, and was stunned by the fact.

"What a woman wears is not high on my list of necessities, though you did look stunning in that dress. But here's a news flash: you look stunning out of it, too. You're s.e.xy, soft and entirely too concerned about others and not nearly concerned enough about yourself, from what I can tell. And though there have been times when you have been scarily perceptive, especially with those cards of yours, there are other times, like now, when you can't see past your nose."