Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Gunfire roared in Tanner’s ears. Scotty went down in front of him. Night vision goggles painted the scene in a surreal, green haze.
The enemy had come out of nowhere, mouth a snarl of hatred and fear. Hands pointing a rifle. The black circle of the barrel stared like an inhuman eye.
The guy’s body convulsed as the bullets hit him. Skinny arms and legs flailed, then stilled, limp and lifeless.
In Tanner’s ear piece, his chief was yelling orders to their right flank team. An explosion rocked a nearby building.
Scotty was on the ground. Tanner turned his teammate over and saw blood gushing from a ragged hole in his neck. He tugged the NVGs off Scotty’s head, and his teammate’s eyes rolled back.
Tanner grabbed for the gauze in his kit. He had to stop the bleeding. “Stay with me, okay? Stay—”
He woke up curled in a fetal position, covers twisted around his feet. His limbs trembled, still half trapped inside his nightmarish memories.
Fuck. He couldn’t get any air. Panic was overwhelming him. He forced his lungs to relax enough to take a breath.
Then a tiny pop came from below. He knew that sound. Someone was on the stairs.
Tanner jumped to his feet.
His bedroom was the only space up here, more of a loft than anything, and he had no door. No protection. His instincts screamed, Danger. They’re coming. Get ready.
Then he heard his name.
“Tanner?”
It was Faith. He leaped down the steps, grabbed her around the waist, and hauled her back up.
He pressed her up against the wall, covering her body with his.
His lips whispered against her ear. “Stay quiet. We can’t let them hear us.
” It had to be her ex-husband. And the other one, Kyle, who’d hurt her last night. They’d followed her here.
Faith tensed, hands gripping his arms. He wore only a pair of sleep shorts, and his bare chest was slick with sweat. Her breasts rose and fell as she breathed.
Everything else was silent except his pulse pounding in his ears.
He needed a weapon. He had to protect her.
“I need my gun.”
He tried to move toward the stairs, but Faith wouldn’t let go of him. “Wait, are you sure anyone’s outside? I heard a noise, but I thought it came from up here. Did something fall?” She pointed. “Was it that?”
His alarm clock lay on the floor. Tanner blinked. He remembered hearing Faith on the stairs, her voice. But then…
He grabbed his phone and opened his Bennett Security app. The cameras on his front and back door didn’t show a thing. Same with the sides of the house.
Nobody’s there, the rational part of his brain said. You’ve been feinting at shadows.
Fuck. This was bad. He shook his head, trying to clear away the last remnants of his nightmare.
That night in Afghanistan. The worst night.
The images remained vivid in his memory. Shooting the hostile who hadn’t been older than fifteen. Then watching Scotty bleeding out, unable to do a thing to stop it. The things that happened after…
He bent to pick up the clock and set it on his nightstand. Three in the morning.
“I think you’re right. I’m sorry.”
Thank god his weapon was locked in the safe downstairs, where he always left it. And this was why, so he couldn’t wake up confused and grab it without thinking. He tasted bile at the back of his throat.
How was he supposed to explain this to Faith?
His bedside lamp was on, just as he’d left it. He rarely slept more than an hour at a time, but even that would’ve been impossible in pure darkness.
Tanner sat on the edge of his bed, pulling himself together. When he looked up at her, she had her arms crossed, shoulders tight. Her nipples poked at her thin T-shirt.
He huffed a laugh. As if there was anything funny about this. “I was having a nightmare, and I guess I knocked over the clock. I think my brain didn’t wake up with the rest of me.”
“When I saw your light on, I thought you were still up. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I must’ve fallen asleep with the lamp on.” Like it was some mistake. But no way was he telling her he needed a nightlight.
“It’s okay. Maybe we’re both stressed about what happened earlier?”
“That must be it.”
“I’m glad it’s not just me.” She walked over and sat beside him on the mattress.
His awareness perked up again, but this time it was in attention to her. Faith’s hair was loose, hiding part of her face. Without thinking, he swept it back over her shoulder, fingertips brushing her neck. She exhaled with a small sigh.
That sound went straight to his dick.
He recalled how he’d been pressed up against her body just minutes ago, their chests separated by only the fabric of her shirt…
Nope. Bad brain. Think of the ice-cold Pacific. Pretend you’re swimming five miles in January.
Noah had made it clear that he liked her. His friend. Noah, his brother, whom he cared about and would never betray.
He could not get hard right now in front of her. In these shorts, there wouldn’t be any hiding it.
“I don’t think I can sleep any more tonight,” she said.
“I doubt I will, either. I don’t sleep much in general.”
“Why?”
“Don’t know. Just how I am.” He was so full of shit.
“We might as well be awake together.”
“It would be silly not to.” He grinned, and he only had to fake it part way. “Want to go for a morning swim?” That would take care of his rebellious nether regions. His balls would be trying to disappear into his abdomen.
She shivered. “Absolutely not. I’ve had enough discomfort for one twenty-four-hour period.”
“That’s true. You have.”
She glanced at the mattress. “Could we lie down? Would that be weird?”
Shit. Lying next to her in his bed wasn’t going to help his body behave. But Faith needed comfort. He would never deny her that.
“If it makes you feel better, who cares if it’s weird?” They were two friends, seeking solace in closeness. Platonic closeness. And he could use some comfort, too. Having her in his room made him feel more awake by the minute. The nightmare was fading away like foam on an ocean wave.
Faith crawled across the mattress and settled onto one of his pillows. Then she reached down and pulled the covers up to her waist.
Tanner got in beside her, careful not to touch any part of her. He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling.
“I sent a text to Sylvie and Ethan before bed.” Faith adjusted the pillow under her head. “But I don’t know if they’ve read it. I feel so awful. Kyle went into their house because of me. What if they get back and find something’s missing that I didn’t realize?”
“We’ll get it figured out. I promise, they’ll be a lot more concerned about you.”
“But…” She breathed like she was trying not to cry. “I feel like I brought this to their door.”
“It’s not your fault. You know that, right?”
“Yeah. But knowing and feeling are different.”
True words. “If you remotely think that guy could come back, maybe we should arrange a bodyguard detail for you. Or a car to keep surveillance on the house.”
“I’ll think about it. I just want Jon to leave town. I was finally doing better before this happened.”
That sentence spoke directly to his soul. It was exactly how he felt. Tanner put his hand on top of the blanket, palm up. He didn’t want to reach for her and force the contact. But he was hoping.
She brought her hand out, too, resting it against his.
“If Jon doesn’t go back to Texas,” she said in a whisper, “maybe I should.”
“Do you want to go back?”
She hesitated. He turned his head to look at her. Faith was biting her lip, which only drew his attention to her mouth.
“Sometimes. No place is all good or all bad. No person either. There are a lot of things I miss about home.”
“Like what?”
“My family. Open spaces. Rolling hills, and the sound of wind rustling the leaves. Line dancing on ladies’ night with my friends.”
“Line dancing, huh?”
“It was really popular when I was in school. Don’t laugh.”
“I wouldn’t. I’m a country boy. I can boot scoot.”
A smile broke across her face, like the first rays of the sun coming up. “I thought you grew up here in California.”
“California’s got plenty of farm country. Where do you think all that produce comes from? Or all those happy cows?”
“When you say it like that, it’s obvious. What’re your favorite things from home?”
“Mom’s tomato soup. Her cranberry French toast at Christmas. Playing chess with my dad and drinking beers with my siblings.” His fingers shifted against hers. “Foggy mornings when it feels like the rest of the world doesn’t exist, and everything’s quiet.”
“That sounds nice. I wish I could see it.”
I wish I could show you, he thought. He wished a lot of things.
Faith’s eyes closed. Tanner looked at the ceiling and listened to her regular breathing until he drifted off too.
“Tanner, could you be a dear and hold my shopping bags?”
Mrs. Zhang had a home in West Oaks, and whenever she visited from Hong Kong—every month or so—she arranged for a team of local bodyguards.
Usually, she preferred Tanner to escort her around.
She seemed to think it was hilarious to make her six-five bodyguard carry around pink shopping bags or look after her pampered Lhasa Apso.
“Of course, ma’am.”
Today, they’d made the trek into L.A. to shop in Beverly Hills. Mrs. Zhang had stopped at every boutique on Robertson Boulevard, inching her way toward The Ivy, where she’d be stopping for lunch.
There was constant activity around them, but it didn’t rile Tanner’s nerves. He was in bodyguard mode, scanning for threats. His suit, earpiece, and matching scowl gave off the kind of don’t-fuck-with-me vibes that made people steer clear.
Periodically, he passed her purchases over to the other bodyguard working with him—who, today, was unfortunately Leon Kozinski.
“Seriously, more?” the guy muttered. “Why should I carry all this shit?”
“Because this stuff looks better on you. Watch out for the glitter.”
He’d resolved not to let Kozinski bug him anymore. Tanner wasn’t going out for captain, but he could at least set a good example for the more recent hires.
He still felt unnerved by the episode a few nights ago when Faith had stayed over.
His nightmares didn’t usually trigger such vivid flashbacks, and he was pissed at himself for making Faith witness it.
He’d been redoubling his meditation and mindfulness efforts.
A couple of times, he’d almost called the therapist he’d used to see.
But that would’ve been an admission that he’d fully regressed to the same shitty place he’d been years ago.
This time around, he could handle it on his own.
Finally, it was time for Mrs. Zhang’s lunch reservation. Once she was seated, Tanner turned to Kozinski. “I’ll be back in fifteen.” He was going to take a quick break to meet his friend Sean, the detective with the LAPD Gang and Narcotics Division. “But I’ll be on the comm if anything comes up.”
“Yeah, go. I got this.”
Tanner walked half a block down to a coffee shop. It had white subway tile on the walls and way too many indoor plants draped over every surface.
Sean was in line. He gave Tanner a quick hug. “This place isn’t my usual speed. Are those prices in dollars? American dollars?”
“It’s my treat. I appreciate this.”
“If you’re paying, then I’ll get a ten-dollar cookie, too. Gotta say, I’m curious what they’re putting in that thing. Gold leaf? Magic mushrooms?”
“You could ask, but that’s not the fun way to find out.”
They took their drinks outside and stood by the curb to talk. “I got some info on the guy in that photo you sent me,” Sean said.
Tanner’s blood rose at the thought of the man who’d attacked Faith. Tanner had told Sean all about the assault and shared the video footage.
“I spoke to a friend at West Oaks P.D.,” Sean explained. “They ran his prints and found his record easy enough. Piece of shit named Kyle Spaulding. He’s been inside for assault in Texas. Suspected of a lot more, but the witnesses have a tendency to clam up.”
“What about drugs?”
“Possession of marijuana with intent. But according to everyone I asked here in L.A., he’s not known to work for any of the cartels who currently run things in this region.”
“Is he just a street dealer?”
“Possible, but if he’s low-level, why the stuff with these deliveries? It would suggest he’s got more of a role.”
“Huh.” Faith had been convinced Jon was back into dealing. “If not drugs, then what’s it about?”
“Could be some sort of financial scam. You wouldn’t believe the sleazy schemes people come up with to make a few bucks.”
No matter what, Jon had no good reason to be connected to someone like Spaulding, and no justification for bringing Faith into it.
“But here’s the thing,” Sean went on. “Even if someone gets lucky and picks Spaulding up, he’s only looking at a misdemeanor assault charge in West Oaks. He’d be out on bail in no time.”
“Are you serious? What about burglary? He invaded her home.”
“Burglary would require intent to commit a felony when he entered the house. From what you’ve told me, there’s only weak evidence of that. He’ll probably claim he was looking for his property inside, since he was there for his alleged package.”
“After what he did to Faith? That’s bullshit.”
“That’s reality.” Sean took a bite of the cookie. “A mandatory restraining order will have issued, but that’ll just be one more misdemeanor if Kyle goes near her again. As for her ex, there’s basically nothing to suggest Jon Townsend has committed a crime.”
So the police were doing nothing. Not what Tanner wanted to hear.
“Has her ex bothered her again?” Sean asked. “If he’s harassing her, Faith could make a complaint with West Oaks P.D.”
“Faith hasn’t mentioned anything. I’ve texted with her. I’m closer to Faith’s roommate Sylvie, my coworker, and she hasn’t seen him around either.”
Sylvie had called him up the day after the incident. Most of the time, Sylvie was a badass who kept her cool under the direst of situations. Except maybe when she’d first met her boyfriend, Nic.
But when it came to Faith, she’d once again been in mama-bear mode. Could Faith really be in danger? Sylvie had asked. Should I talk to Max about arranging a safe house?
Tanner had already thought about that. But Faith’s life had been disrupted enough. He’d joked about being her bodyguard, but she didn’t actually seem to want protection. If she preferred to stay put, they needed to respect her choice.
But had he been worrying about her? Of course. It was nagging at him like so much else.
Tanner hoped Jon took Faith’s advice and went back to Texas.
“This cookie’s actually pretty good.” Sean broke off a piece. “Want some?”
“No, thanks.” Tanner’s stomach was too unsettled.
“How’ve you been feeling?”
He didn’t want to talk about that. Probably should never have brought it up last time.
Tanner glanced down the block, where Kozinski was looking bored outside The Ivy’s luxe dining patio. “I’d better go, man. Break’s over. Thanks again.”