Chapter Eleven
Ivy had just finished typing emails to the homeowners of her inspections for the day, apologizing that she was going to have to cancel, when the doorbell rang.
She jumped up, knowing that Jess and Ash had keys and would just come in when they were done with their morning walk.
She bounced up on her toes and checked the peephole.
Jude stood on the other side of the door, his hair mussed and features drawn with exhaustion.
She slid open the dead bolt and opened the door.
His expression softened when their eyes met, a look of relief washing over his face.
“Come in,” she said stepping back to give him space to enter the condo. “Are you okay? What happened?”
Jude stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind him.
He relocked the door and then turned to face her.
His face was ravaged, and her heart squeezed.
He’d gone from hiking through the woods to safety, to bringing her to the field office to be interviewed, then out again after the phone call she’d received.
“Why don’t we go sit down?” he suggested. There was something skirting the edges of his voice that made a sick feeling twist inside her belly. He walked into the living room and waited for her to sit before moving into the space next to her. “Where’s Ash and Jess?”
“They went for a walk. They should be back soon.” She clutched her hands together, bracing for whatever he was going to tell her.
“Okay.” He scrubbed his hand over his face, and she noticed the dark circles beneath his pale eyes. “You mentioned earlier that you’ve never worked with this particular Realtor before, correct?”
“That’s right. She said that she’d gotten my name from a real estate convention last year. I was there, so I didn’t think anything of it. Were you able to find her? Why was she calling me?”
Jude cleared his throat and leveled his gaze at her. “We went to her office first and found nothing amiss. Her home was outside of San Diego in Coronado. We found her there, but she was deceased when we arrived.”
Ivy gasped. “Oh my God. What happened?”
“Looks like a homicide.”
She clapped her hand over her mouth. “Is it my fault? Was she calling me for help?” None of the past forty-eight hours seemed real. Had she been the last person to hear the real estate agent’s dying breaths? Pressure built in her chest until she swayed slightly.
“Breathe.” Jude’s sharp words had her sucking in air, then coughing.
A shudder swept through her body as she thought of the pretty young woman’s picture on her email signature. Her heart thudded, and she stared up at Jude’s battle-hardened face, searching for answers.
“This isn’t your fault,” he growled. “She may have had more to do with those men’s plans than what I had originally suspected.
I thought that maybe, like you, she’d had been hired for the real estate alone.
We now have reason to believe she might’ve been part of the plan.
I don’t think it was her who called you last night.
At first glance, it looks like she died much earlier in the day. ”
“So…” Her voice quaked as her mind ran through all the horrible possibilities. “Who was it then?”
“I have a theory,” he said scrubbing one hand over his face. “But it’s only that.”
“Will you tell me? I’m sure any of the possibilities going through my mind right now are just as horrific.” She hated the breathless tremble in her voice but couldn’t help it.
“I don’t want to lie to you, Ivy.” He paused, looking her over before resting a large hand on her knee. “Your truck was found in the garage of her home.”
Bile burned in the back of her throat. “You said she was murdered. Does that mean I’m a suspect?”
“No.” He shook his head. “We reported your truck stolen and you have a solid alibi because you weren’t out of my sight yesterday.
You were also seen by my team and Agent Levine.
What it does mean is that it’s possible one of the men who entered the estate, or both, drove your truck to the real estate agent’s home.
Maybe she was upset they took it and threatened to call the cops.
Maybe she realized she was in too deep with their scheme.
Regardless, she was murdered. What she’d been holding for the men was then cleared out of her house. ”
Her heart rate sped up. “What do you think she was holding?”
His expression darkened. “Children. The ones referenced in the audio recording.”
The breath whooshed out of her lungs. She wasn’t sure how Jude performed his job, day in and day out, pushing the horrors he saw to the dark recesses of his mind.
“My team is reviewing residential street cameras to see if we can identify another vehicle that might’ve picked up the men.
There may be other holding sites that they were looking to merge into one operation, but they won’t risk going back to the estate you inspected.
I fucked up telling you to answer that call Ivy and as a result, you’re in more danger now than you were before. ”
“Don’t say that. None of this is your fault.” She leaned closer to him, leveling her gaze. The last thing Jude needed was to take more blame for things he couldn’t control. “The fault lies with the men who did this, not you. Who do you think was on the other end of that call?”
“One of the men from the estate.” He sighed. “I think they took the real estate agent’s phone, found your number, and called hoping you’d pick up.”
“Why? They didn’t even say anything.”
“They didn’t need to. They were confirming that you were alive.
If you didn’t pick up, they might’ve assumed you were hit by one of their shots or wiped away in the landslide.
That’s why I fucked up and doing so has put a target on your back.
They’ll see you as a loose end that needs to be taken care of, and you’ll need increased security until we can eliminate the threat. ”
“Beyond staying with Jess and Ash?” A tingle of fear swept through her.
She’d worked hard to build her business and a life where she had independence.
Ash was her twin, her best friend, and although he was currently employed, she wanted to ensure they both had what they needed in the future.
It was hard to believe that choosing to work on one home inspection now threatened everything she’d built.
“Yeah, babe, beyond staying with Jess and Ash,” he said gruffly.
Hearing the endearment come from Jude’s lips sent a thrill spiraling through her. “Do you think they’re in danger, too?”
“Is there anything linking your brother to the business?”
She paused, thinking through Jude’s question. “No, but we have lived together for a long time and receive mail to the same P.O. box.”
Jude glanced down at his hands, then back to her.
“I was touched with how they welcomed me last night. I wouldn’t want to take any chances with their safety.
For now, we can put a security detail on the condo complex.
If they sense anything is off, even slightly, I’ll have them moved, along with Jess’s parents, to a secure location.
I’m telling you this now so you can prepare Ash.
You’re going to need to cancel your inspections for the coming week. I don’t see any way around that.”
She drew up her knees and locked her arms around them, desperately wanting to feel secure when everything seemed to be crumbling around her. “So, I can stay here, too?”
“You’re the one they’ll be looking for.”
“Me being here will put Ash and Jess in danger.” She glanced down at her hands, then back to Jude. She hated the guilt burning in his gaze.
“Yes,” he said and raked his hand through his short hair. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking of how beautiful the dark strands contrasted with his light grayish-blue eyes. “You’ll stay with me.”
“With you?” She couldn’t mask the surprise in her voice if she tried.
“I have an apartment with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. It has full-time security. You’ll be safe there while we determine the threat and shut down whatever operation is going on.”
She stared at him for a moment, then nodded her head in agreement. “Okay.”
“That’s it? Just, okay?”
“You’re the law-enforcement expert. I trust you and I know how much you covet your own space. I’m grateful that you’re letting me stay with you, even if I do feel like a burden.”
“I don’t want your gratitude. I also don’t want you to feel like you’re a burden.
I was…harsh yesterday. Hoping to make you feel like I was only protecting you because I needed you safe for your testimony.
That was bullshit. I have the recording, which is pure gold, and while it would make a stronger case for you to identify the men and their voices, I don’t need you for that.
” She stared up at him, waiting for him to continue. “But I do need you safe.”
“Why?” she asked.
He reached out and cradled the side of her face.
His rough hands were just as gentle as she remembered.
“For me.” Silence ballooned in the space around them, and he rubbed his thumb over her cheek.
Butterflies flapped in her belly. He was leaning so close, she could smell the lingering soap on his skin.
His pulse jumped at the base of his neck, and she wanted nothing more than to cover it with her lips and suck the sensitive skin to leave her mark on him.
“I don’t know what it is about you,” he murmured, leaning in closer.
His eyes dropped to her lips, and when he brought his gaze back to hers, his pupils were blown out, the endless black depths eclipsing the mist of his irises.
He moved his hand from her cheek to the back of her neck.
“I have nothing to offer you, but I can’t seem to stop wanting this. ”
She framed his face, taking him with her as she leaned back, letting the couch swallow her up.
A groan slid from his mouth the moment their lips touched.
She slid her tongue against his, moving her hands to grip his shirt, afraid he might change his mind and disappear.
She explored his mouth, nipping his bottom lip and memorized the way he tasted.
Dark, masculine, and something else that was all his own.
He gave her more of his weight, so the hard lines of his body were pressed into her.
The sound of the key sliding in the lock had them jumping apart.
She sat up quickly, smoothing her shirt, as Ash and Jess entered, hand in hand.