Red Zone (13 page)

She leaned her head against the vehicle’s headrest, closing her eyes. Seeing Gage with that woman at the bar had thrown her. She’d seen the pictures that first day, knew he got around. Of course he did. He was good-looking and a popular athlete. When she’d seen the evidence of it right in front of her face, she’d felt a surge of anger toward the other woman, which was crazy. She had no claim on him. No real one, anyway. 

That thought made her even more uncomfortable. The man was part of her job. She’d protect him, as she was supposed to, and then go back to Knoxville, back to her apartment, and live her life just as she had before. Nothing would change. It would be for the best. 

Reaching into her bag, she took out her e-reader. She still had at least twenty minutes before Gage would be finished, and she needed something to distract her. The last thing she wanted to do was spend the time analyzing all the strange emotions he brought out in her. But even as she began reading her newest crime novel, Rebecca knew she couldn’t keep avoiding him. One way or another, she was going to have to figure out a way to work with Gage. Somehow. 

It wasn’t until a half hour later that she noticed guys slowly beginning to trickle out to the parking lot. Gage emerged about five minutes later with Zach, Kenny, and two other guys she didn’t know. He was freshly showered, his dark brown hair slicked back, and wearing a pair of jeans, a grey T-shirt, and a black leather jacket. His gait was confident. He stood out from the others without even trying. She felt her body temperature rise with every step he took toward her. It made no sense! 

Once they reached the rows of vehicles, he said good-bye to the others and closed the remaining distance between them. Rebecca didn’t turn away, but she kept her gaze at chest level, refusing to look at his face. She didn’t need to see that cocky grin of his letting her know once again that he could read her like a book, that he knew she was feeling that indescribable pull toward him.

Opening the back door, he threw his duffle bag down on the seat before getting behind the wheel. She turned in her seat to face straight ahead. 

“Hi,” he said. 

Keep it professional.
“How was your practice? Anything out of the ordinary happen?”

There was a long pause. “No.” 

An uncomfortable silence filled the space. She needed to fix this between them. They had to work together for the near future. “Good,” she muttered, pushing past the lump in her throat. “I met with Hansen. He was able to recover the bullets from last night and a partial footprint. He’s sending everything to the lab.”

“So what happens now?” he said, starting the vehicle.

“We wait.” It wasn’t the best news to deliver, but it was honest. He nodded, and pulled out onto the street. They drove for a few miles before he took an unplanned detour. “Where are you going?”

“I’m taking you out to dinner.”

There was no question or request in his tone. He was telling her, not asking her. “There’s food at your house.”

“And at my house, I have no guarantee that you won’t run and hide again.” 

Rebecca turned in her seat to look out the window and hide her blush. She should have known he wouldn’t let her continue to avoid him. Still, the fact that he was forcing her into a situation where there was no easy escape made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and her stomach queasy. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Even as the words left her lips, she wished she could take them back. Lying wasn’t like her. This—whatever this was with him—was making her act not like herself. 

He chuckled. “Sure you don’t.”  

Before she could figure out something to say that would make him change directions and turn the SUV around, they pulled up to the restaurant. 

He’d known what Rebecca’s response to their going out to eat would be. That was exactly why he’d not mentioned it before they’d left the stadium. The last thing he needed was for her to have time to weasel her way out of it. Or try, at least. 

The restaurant he’d chosen was casual, but nice enough that he’d be able to get them a semiprivate booth in the back. They needed to talk, and the last thing he wanted was to be hounded by fans wanting pictures and autographs. Home would have been a preferable option to have a conversation like this, but he couldn’t trust her not to run. He may not be a therapist, but he knew enough about body language to know she was running scared. 

When he parked in front of the restaurant, he peered at her out of the corner of his eye. She was looking out the window at the restaurant and biting her bottom lip again. Her hands were clenched into fists as they lay on either side of her legs. A part of him loved that he had her off balance. The
why
of it had him confused. At the bar, she’d met him push for push, until he’d returned to the table with their dinner.

Getting out of the vehicle, he walked to the parking meter and deposited enough money to last them for the next two hours. Then he went to the passenger side and opened Rebecca’s door for her. She remained seated, staring up at him for several moments before ignoring the hand he held out for her and exiting on her own. 

Once she was clear, Gage closed the door behind her, took her hand in his, and began walking toward the restaurant entrance before she could protest. It was a good thing, too. By the time they’d reached the hostess stand, her neatly trimmed nails were digging into his skin, displaying her displeasure. 

He was glad to see some of her fight back. It was certainly better than that ‘broken little girl’ look he’d seen since the previous night. His only response to her show of aggression was to give her hand a firm squeeze and wink at her after expressing their needs to the hostess. 

As they followed the restaurant employee to their booth, Rebecca’s hand held firm to his. She tried shifting it a few times, but he wouldn’t let her. Given what she’d done in the past, he was willing to bet she was trying to do that pressure point thing to his wrist again. No. He liked her hand just where it was for the time being. 

Reaching their table, he thanked the young lady and reluctantly released Rebecca’s hand. “After you,” he said, smiling. 

She scowled but slid into the booth.

He sat down and moved to sit next to her. She scooted further, putting more space between them, space he quickly removed by following her. “Not going to get away from me tonight, beautiful.”

With her game face on, she met his stare. “I don’t know what it is you think you know, but I’m not trying to do anything other than my job,” she hissed low enough not to be overheard. 

Unfortunately, the server came to take their drink orders, and he couldn’t answer her right away. Once the man was gone, Gage angled his body to face her. “What happened last night?”

“I’m not sure what you’re referring to, Mr.—Gage. A lot of things happened last night.” 

He reached up to brush a loose hair from her face. She leaned away, but he persisted. “Is it that you don’t like being attracted to me? Is that the problem?”

“I’m not—”

“Have you decided what you’d like to order?” the server asked, interrupting them.

Gage didn’t turn his gaze away from Rebecca. “We’ll both have a burger and fries.”

“Did you want everything on those?” he asked, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere surrounding his two customers. 

“On the side, please.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll put your order right in.”

As soon as he was gone, Gage picked up where they’d left off. “You can deny it all you want, Rebecca, but we both know the truth,” he said, his fingers trailing down the side of her neck, shoulder, and arm. When his hand met hers, he clasped it between both of his. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, you know.”

She didn’t say anything for a long time. Given the look on her face, he wasn’t even sure if she’d answer. Finally, however, he saw her push her shoulders back in the way she always did, as if preparing for battle. “Yes. I
am
attracted to you. You’re a good-looking man. That doesn’t change the fact that I’m here in a professional capacity, not a personal one. It wouldn’t be wise to cross boundaries, nor do I have any desire to do so.” Her eyes blazed with determination. She wanted to believe what she was saying, but he’d felt how she responded to his kiss. 

Edging closer, he brought up his right hand to cup the back of her neck, tilting her head slightly. The rush of energy he always felt near her was as intense as it had been at the bar. He moved his fingers gently along the back of her neck as he leaned in. “You may wish you didn’t have any desire, beautiful, but you do. It’s in your eyes. It’s in the way your breathing accelerates when I touch you. Nothing is stopping you but you.” 

Any other words from both of them were cut off as his lips made contact with hers. Unlike before, there was no resistance, not even at the beginning. She wanted this as much as he did. 

Before he knew what was happening, he was completely lost in their kiss. Her lips were soft and warm . . . welcoming. His hand at the base of her neck moved to angle her head in an effort to deepen the kiss. Unfortunately, his attempt to leave her breathless was derailed by their server returning with their meals. 

Straightening in his seat, he thanked the server and glanced over at Rebecca. Her gaze was locked on her plate, her chest moving up and down at a rapid pace. He could tell she was trying to calm down. She looked vulnerable again, and for whatever reason, he felt the need to provide comfort. 

“Hey,” he said to get her attention. When she looked up, he reached out and touched the side of her face. “There’s nothing wrong with desire. It’s perfectly natural. And in case you haven’t noticed, I’m attracted to you, as well.”

Unfortunately, she didn’t answer. Her only reaction was a blank stare before turning her attention back to her meal. 

Chapter 12

It wasn’t until the following morning, while checking in with her partner, that it hit her Gage had ordered her dinner for her. As soon as it did, she wanted to run out of her room and make it perfectly clear that she didn’t appreciate his chauvinistic display of caveman behavior. She was perfectly capable of ordering her own food and making any other decisions in her life that needed making. 

After hanging up the phone, she stood and marched to the door to do just that. By the time she reached the bottom of the stairs, she was poised to attack, ready to put him in his place and make him wish he’d never met her. He wasn’t in the kitchen or anywhere else she could see, so she stalked to the basement stairs ready to do battle. The lights were out, and she started to lose steam when she couldn’t locate him. 

It took her another five minutes of searching before she caught a glimpse of red outside on the back patio and followed it. There, Gage sat on a lounge chair with his head bowed, shoulders slumped. Something in his posture sent a prickle up her spine. 

He glanced up when she opened the door and stepped out into the cool November air. His eyes were haunted. “What’s happened?” 

He picked up an envelope she hadn’t seen lying on the ground next to him, and then he held it out to her. It was the same kind of envelope the other pictures had arrived in, the same barely legible handwriting on the front. Before she looked inside, she already had a pretty good idea of what she’d find.

She motioned for him to lay it down on the small cocktail table beside him. “I’ll be right back.” Before he could say another word, she went back into the house and up to her room. She hadn’t brought a lot with her, but she rarely went anywhere without a pair of latex gloves. 

When she returned to the patio, Gage was sitting exactly where she’d left him. “How was it delivered?” she asked, pulling the gloves tight over her small hands. 

“The mailman found it at the gate.” He had a defeated expression on his face, one she’d not seen from him before. 

“So he touched it.”

Gage frowned. “Of course he touched it.”

“Did he touch the others, too?” she asked, pausing before she picked up the envelope to examine it more closely.

“Yeah, I guess.”

When she first picked up the envelope, she noticed it was a little thicker than the others had been. “We’re going to want his fingerprints. I’m sure they’re already on file, but it will be easier getting them directly from him, if he’s willing. It’ll take a while to get anything back from the lab, but we might as well have his ready to be eliminated.” She gently opened the envelope and removed the small stack of pictures. 

As she flipped through the photographs, she was filled with too many emotions to name. Every single one of them had been taken on Monday night at the bar. Someone had been there taking pictures of them, and she’d missed them. How could she not have noticed? 

The pictures were taken from all different angles throughout the night. Some were of them sitting at the table with Zach and Kenny. There were even some with Angie. Seeing her again brought another surge of anger. Not wanting to try and analyze her feelings over the woman again at that exact moment, Rebecca focused on the details. Some of the pictures were blurry, while others were crystal clear. Most of the pictures looked to have been taken by a camera with the ability to zoom in. That would’ve taken time to focus the picture. She would have seen that.