She gave him a playful punch to the arm. “You’ll keep an eye on her, all right. Both of them.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m serious, Dani.”
“And that’s why you’ve been exiled out here. To get over this serious phase and let the Cole we all know and love come back.”
“You’ll have to get used to the new Cole. The old one is never coming back.” He tweaked her nose. “I saw too much in Iraq for that to happen.”
“That’s a given, but the new Cole could still stand to laugh and smile a little more often.”
He’d tried that. For two years. But it was hard to be lighthearted when his buddy was buried in the ground because of him.
From the corner of his eye, Cole saw Alyssa enter the room and he swiveled to face her.
“A smile like the cute one you have on your face right now,” Dani whispered.
“Cute?” Cole groaned and watched Alyssa make her way across the open space. His assessment on the beach was right on target. She was gorgeous and regal-looking. Perfect posture. Slender, yet curvy in Dani’s clothes. Her shoulder-length hair falling in soft waves framed her face.
“Wow. You clean up nice,” Dani said to Alyssa while nudging Cole in the shoulder. He checked to see if his mouth was hanging open.
It wasn’t, but he didn’t know why not.
A man would need to be half-dead not to respond to this amazing-looking woman. And the way his heart was picking up speed proved he wasn’t half-dead by any measure.
So what? He was just being a man. That’s all there was to this. At least that’s what he was telling himself. And would keep telling himself to get through this investigation without falling for her. No woman deserved to be saddled with his baggage. Especially not a woman who had her own share of problems.
But that didn’t mean he’d leave her to fend for herself. He wouldn’t let anyone get to her. Especially not the two-faced killer Nolan Saunders.
* * *
Alyssa shifted on the heated leather seat of Cole’s SUV. She hugged the plastic bag holding her running gear in her arms and her car key snug in her palm. Cole and Dani had just walked her through the steps they’d take in their investigation, and she couldn’t be more impressed with their skills.
Still, while they’d talked she’d kept her eyes on the road, watching for Nolan’s police vehicle. She hoped he hadn’t discovered her part in tonight’s chase, but if he hadn’t she couldn’t help but believe it was only a matter of time before he did. He was a good investigator. The best, Todd had said many times. She felt her discovery was imminent.
“You’re awfully quiet, Alyssa,” Dani said from the backseat. “Do you have any questions about our plan?”
“Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help resolve this?” Alyssa swiveled toward Dani but met Cole’s gaze as he sat behind the wheel.
He spent a long moment studying her before turning back to the road. “Just go about life as normal unless I tell you otherwise.”
Normal, right! “I don’t know if I can do this, Cole.” She worked hard to keep her tone level even though she felt panic trying to elevate it. “I don’t think I can even look at Nolan again, much less pretend he’s the same man I once thought he was.”
Dani leaned forward. “Is it likely you’ll see him often in the next few days?”
Alyssa nodded. “We talk every day. In fact, if my lights are on tonight, it wouldn’t be unusual for him to stop in when he gets home.”
“I doubt he’ll be home soon,” Dani said. “Since his mystery eavesdropper got away, he’s likely meeting with his men to do damage control.”
“I suppose,” Alyssa replied, but she didn’t take much comfort from Dani’s statement. “But what about tomorrow? He’s bound to want to talk me. Especially after his announcement last week.”
“What announcement?” The intensity of Cole’s gaze unsettled Alyssa even more.
“He hinted at us becoming more than friends and he’s waiting for me to give him the green light on a relationship. Not that I ever intended to pursue anything with him, but I couldn’t think of a good way to let him down.”
“Hopefully his feelings for you won’t complicate things,” Cole said.
Hoping the same thing, Alyssa sighed and returned her focus to the window. The heavily forested roadside disappeared, signaling their arrival in the city limits.
Retail establishments lined both sides of the highway. Once they turned off and headed into the downtown area the shops sat closer together and antique street lamps cut through the fog and spilled over the brick streets.
Cole slowed and tipped his head at a parking lot on the right. “Is this the lot?”
“Yes.”
He pulled into the main downtown parking lot, still filled with employees and diners’ cars. Even in the inclement winter months, the town’s population swelled with tourists seeking off-season rates. Several couples hurried through the drizzle to their vehicles, but there was no sign of Nolan.
“Which car is yours?”
“The blue SUV. Third car from the building.”
Cole pulled up behind her car and left his vehicle idling. Dani popped open her door and slid out. She was going to drive Cole’s car while Cole rode with Alyssa, making sure she got home safely. She stood outside Alyssa’s door, watchful and searching, her hand on the handle.
Alyssa looked at Cole, once again thankful for his expertise. “Are you sure you don’t mind driving me home?”
“I don’t mind in the least.” He smiled, his dimple winking at her.
She could sit and stare at his smile all night. There was something special about how his face lit up, yet it seemed like he didn’t share a smile with just anyone, making her feel special. How she could go from fearing Nolan in one second to melting at a smile the next was beyond her. She forced herself to look away and push open her door.
Alyssa started to slide out and Dani stepped into her path, keeping her in the car. “We’ll wait for Cole to check out your car.”
He searched every conceivable hiding space while walking around Alyssa’s SUV. He held himself with a confidence she was beginning to realize was part of who this man was. He opened the driver’s-side door and checked the interior. Then, still standing, he reached in, started the engine and stepped back. Odd.
“I’ve never seen anyone start a car like that,” Alyssa commented more to herself than to Dani.
“It’s a safer way to do it if someone has tampered with your vehicle.”
Alyssa’s gaze flew to Dani’s. “Is that even possible? You said it was unlikely that Nolan knew it was me.”
“It is unlikely but not impossible.” Dani smiled, but her hand drifted to the weapon she had holstered on her belt, negating the smile. “Once you get to know Cole, you’ll learn that he’s thorough and doesn’t take chances.”
“So you think this is overkill?”
“I do, but then I never had to see what he’s seen as a member of an elite squad during two tours of duty.” Dani sighed and it carried the weight of the world.
Alyssa wanted to ask her about it, but Cole came over to them. He stopped in front of his sister but continued to scan the area. “We’re good to go. You’ll follow us?”
“Yes,” Dani answered.
Surprised, Alyssa looked at Dani. “I thought you were going back home, but now that you mention it, Cole will need a ride