29. Paul
29
Paul
P aul wasn’t a particularly light sleeper, but his life was rather tense at the moment, so he didn’t rest as soundly as normal. Harper, on the other hand, had the most fitful night of sleep he could’ve imagined. Granted, he’d only slept beside her one other time, so his only frame of reference was limited. She tossed and turned like a goddamn acrobat all night. A few times she woke with a start but refused to admit it had been a bad dream.
Either way, morning came way too soon. He would’ve stayed in bed for hours if he had the choice, but he had shit to do if he wanted to get to the bottom of this. Putting it off wasn’t an option. The goal was to ensure Harper’s safety so she could go back to North Carolina and her life.
Beside him, with her back to him, cocooned in the blankets, she seemed to have finally found peace in her sleep. He did his best to gingerly exit the bed without disturbing her.
Thankfully, she continued to snore softly after he stood. Tiptoeing unnecessarily, he slowly exited the room and carefully shut the door. Harper had been through a lot. The last thing Paul wanted was to wake her.
After doing his business in the bathroom, he headed to the kitchen and popped a pod into the coffee maker. While the scent of caffeine filled the air, he ducked into the camera room and scanned through the videos of the property.
Nothing.
Good.
He’d lost whoever had followed them the previous evening. With a new day full of challenges ahead of them, he sighed and exited the security room. From his pocket, he pulled out his phone: 8:37 a.m. It was time to get the day started. He dialed his cousin’s number.
“Hello?” Sam, the youngest in the family, answered far too cheerily for that hour.
“Hey, I need a favor. What do you have on your calendar today?” Paul asked as he headed to the kitchen.
“Just a lunch with the police chief,” he said.
Sam had a very particular set of skills that the family needed. He was a schmoozer who greased the wheels and allowed them to operate in Oklahoma. With a gift for gab and a good eye for scandal, he knew everything about everyone in the local political scene—which allowed for excellent blackmail opportunities.
It also meant that Sam was probably the least criminal of all of them. He didn’t usually get his hands dirty, so he wouldn’t be too caught up in their current situation.
“Can you stop by the house?” Paul asked as he pulled out a carton of eggs, some cheese, peppers, onions, and ham. “I have to run out, and I need you to keep a guest company.”
“This about what happened last night?” Sam asked.
As Paul laid the items out on the counter, he checked the single-cup coffee brewer and found it had stopped dripping. Taking the mug in hand, he brought it to his lips and inhaled the divine aroma before taking the first boiling sip of black coffee.
“Yeah,” he finally answered. “I just don’t want her alone.”
“What time?”
Paul put the mug down and collected the items needed to make an omelet. “After your lunch date will be fine. She won’t be alone too long that way.”
“Sure.”
After a few more pleasantries, he ended the call and set to making breakfast for himself and Harper.
Harper
There was nothing more magical than waking to the smell of bacon frying. Harper’s lids fluttered open as the scent filled her nostrils. A night filled with flashes of the bullet burrowing into her father’s head had kept her from getting any semblance of meaningful sleep. Dragging her ass out of bed wasn’t high on her list of things to do. Unfortunately, her bladder had other ideas.
She disentangled herself from the duvet and stumbled out of the bed. The reality that it wasn’t all a dream settled heavily in her gut. Sitting on the toilet, she rested her chin in her hand and her elbow on her thigh as she let out a heavy sigh. She’d have to spend another day in hiding from the people who wanted her dead. Her return to North Carolina, and her job, was further delayed. If it happened at all.
At this point, she wasn’t even sure she could still be a prosecutor. Her life had gotten so much more complicated than it needed to be. It was one thing to be connected to crime by blood. It was another thing entirely to have witnessed murders and not reported them. That was her biggest problem. She had no intention of going to the police about any of this. Too many people who went out of their way to protect her would get caught in the crossfire.
Right and wrong were far grayer than the law would allow.
After washing her hands and face, she exited the small bathroom and made her way to the kitchen. There was no use focusing on the things she couldn’t change. All she could do was continue on—but in what direction? She hadn’t a clue, but she’d figure it out.
In the kitchen, sun beamed through the windows. Birds chirped, welcoming a glorious new day. Paul stood by the sink, scrubbing a large pan in quite the domestic display.
“Good morning,” she greeted as she entered.
Turning, he paused his movements. As his gaze swept up and down her wearing nothing but a long T-shirt and panties, the corner of his mouth curved upward into an approving half smile. “Morning.”
“Did I smell bacon?” she asked.
Using the sponge in his hand, Paul pointed behind him. “I made you a western omelet and some bacon. Well, more like western scrambled eggs. I can never get them to flip right.”
The way this man, a certified gun for hire, took care of her made her heart swell with appreciation. Sure, he’d sought the bounty on her head, but in the end, he decided to protect her. Because of her history with him, honestly, none of this was out of character. The cooking, though, that was a delightful surprise.
“That’s a lot of food,” she commented as she scanned the table where he’d laid out the meal. “Usually, I’m a coffee and yogurt kind of person.”
He shook his head. “You need your strength.”
She rolled her eyes and took a seat at the table. What he’d made smelled absolutely divine. “I’m fine.”
When her stomach rumbled, he arched a brow at her.
“I mean, since you went to all this trouble, I will eat. I’m just saying you didn’t have to.”
He returned his focus to the sink. “I’m leaving in twenty minutes, after my shower. I called my cousin Sam to come hang out with you.”
As she poked at her eggs with the fork, she peered up at him. “I thought you said I’d be alone.”
After drying the pan, he reached for a pod of coffee from the box on the counter. “You didn’t seem thrilled with that idea, and it probably wasn’t a good one, to be honest.”
She nodded and stuffed some western scrambled eggs into her mouth. Covering it, she asked, “Do I know Sam?”
“Sort of,” Paul said as he placed a mug under the spout of the coffee maker and pushed the button. “He worked at the laundromat back then too. Not sure you saw him much, though.”
From his pocket, he pulled out his phone and approached Harper. He tapped the screen a few times and then offered it to her.
“This is Sam.”
Harper narrowed her eyes and scanned the picture on the screen. He was a lean guy, with short, well-styled brown hair and sharp brown eyes. The ghost of a beard decorated his chin. It was like one of those purposeful five-o’clock shadows men wore. He was only slightly familiar, but she was grateful for the reference.
“So, he’s on his way?” she asked.
Tucking the phone back into his pocket, Paul shook his head again. “No. He’ll be by after lunch. So, you’ll only have an hour or two by yourself.”
She didn’t like the sound of that. Unease crawled up her spine and swirled around in her chest.
“But remember,” he said as he hooked a finger under her chin, drawing her focus back to him. “You can always hide in the storm shelter if you want, and it won’t be too long. You’re safe here.”
Swallowing hard, she did her best to believe him. Even nodding, because if she said the words, she’d be lying. It didn’t feel right to be left alone in this house by herself—there were too many variables—but she trusted Paul. If he thought it was a good idea, she’d have to go with it.
What other choice did she have?
He cupped her cheek and stroked her bottom lip with his thumb before placing a reassuring peck on her forehead. “I have to take a shower. Your coffee will be ready in a minute. There’s milk in the refrigerator and some sugar in the cabinet if you need it.”