Chapter 9
Mitch stepped under the hot spray and exhaled slowly, letting the water loosen the tension riding high in his shoulders and the soreness in his ribs. They still ached, the tight bandage barely keeping the pain at bay, but it was nothing compared to the heaviness in his chest.
Izzy.
He hadn’t expected her to get under his skin so fast. But there she was, tugging at him with every word, every look, every damn breath she took.
Last night, she’d curled up in his guest bed like she finally let herself exhale.
This morning, she stood in his kitchen like she belonged there. Like this was normal.
He hadn’t realized how much he missed normal until now.
His heart ached again, and he resisted the urge to rethink his past and the mistakes he'd made, but he failed. The relationships he could have had but chose to ignore because he didn't want to be tied down. His life in the military had been filled with friends and occasional one-nighters. That was less messy. Less anchoring. He could put in for a transfer when he wanted. If a great job assignment came his way, he took it without having to clear it with someone else. He'd liked it that way. But now, it seemed lonely and self-centered. He’d met women in his life he thought he could make a life with, but then he’d hear of a friend divorcing, or a bad breakup, especially in the military, transfers happened on the regular. Shit happened, and frankly, the things they saw changed a person. He never wanted to bring that shit home to someone else. His father used to say, “A strong man deals with his shit on his own. You don’t bring shit home to your family.” In Mitch’s mind, it was simply easier not to have a family.
His brothers, Dakin and Austin, had a marriage and a divorce each.
He’d talked them through the harsh times, and he always thought – that’s not for me.
He turned off the water, dried off quickly, and tugged on jeans and a fresh T-shirt.
His movements were stiff, and the rib wrap dug into his side, but the adrenaline of the morning and the coming work dulled the edge.
Rayburn was near. That meant things were about to escalate, and he needed to be ready.
When he stepped back into the main room, Izzy was already dressed and waiting by the door.
Her hair was pulled into a loose bun, and a purse was slung over one shoulder.
Her eyes met his, and there was a flicker of hesitation, concern, maybe, but she didn’t voice it.
And he realized just how strong this woman was.
Sure, she'd shed a few tears. Who wouldn't? But here she stood, knowing someone was after her and still more worried about her customers than herself.
She wasn't self-centered. He didn't deserve to be with someone as good as she was. They were polar opposites.
She said, “You sure you’re okay to do this today?”
He grabbed his keys from the drawer near the door and offered her a small smile. “I’ve done worse with less.”
“That’s not comforting,” she muttered.
He chuckled. “Come on. Jayson’s meeting us there. We’ll get it done fast.”
They rode in silence for a few blocks. Mitch kept his eyes moving, scanning every alley, every driveway, every unfamiliar car.
Izzy did the same. Rayburn's rap sheet said he had experience. If he’d been at Sadie’s last night, he might be watching for another opportunity.
Mitch hoped by leaving Izzy's van at the shop, Rayburn would think she was there and make a mistake or question where she was and hang around, which would be a mistake.
Either way, it gave Mitch a slight edge. Never pass up an edge.
When they pulled up to Petal Pushers, Jayson was already there. He leaned against his work van with a coffee in hand and a tool belt slung low on his hips. He was watching the town square across the street from Petal Pushers.
“Hey, boss,” Jayson called out. “Got everything we need right here.”
“Morning.” Mitch climbed out, moving slower than he liked. “Let’s make it quick. Cameras first, then sensors. Full perimeter. Inside and out.”
Izzy came to stand at Mitch's side. "Izzy, this is Jayson. He's the man I told you about who can find minutiae in anything, including people. He’s also one of my installers and very good at his job."
Izzy's smile was brilliant. "It's nice to meet you." She held her hand out to shake Jayson's.
Jayson grinned as he shook Izzy's hand. "Nice to meet you, too. Mitch has mentioned you."
Izzy's head turned to his. Their eyes locked and her lips turned up in a beguiling smile. "You have?"
Mitch shrugged. "In passing."
Jayson chuckled. “I'll get to work.”
Inside the shop, Izzy immediately went to work.
She started gathering debris and glass from the floor near the back door.
The water had largely evaporated, but there were small puddles here and there.
The humidity in the air was thick, though it wasn't much less humid outside.
Mitch watched her for a moment. She moved like she needed the distraction, like stillness might swallow her whole.
But she focused on her work, tossing the glass into a wastebasket and checking on the plants.
She began moving them into sections within the building with purpose, and he admired how she cared for her plants and how she knew what needed to be done.
After admiring her for a moment, he set to work with Jayson, and together they began drilling, wiring, and mounting cameras. Each new angle covered blind spots Mitch had mentally mapped out the day he first walked through the shop.
The sweat dripped from his temples. While Izzy had the air-conditioning on in the building, the humidity clung to him. That and the occasional tug and pull in his ribs. Often it shot a sharp pain through him as he bent or twisted in the wrong way. His teeth clenched together more than once.
As they finished mounting the last interior camera, Mitch caught movement outside the shop window.
A man stood across the street looking at this building.
He had a ball cap pulled low over his eyes.
His hands were in his pockets. He wore a black t-shirt and jeans.
Black tennis shoes. That was an unusual color this time of year, and especially when it was so ungodly hot out.
But the staring is what caught his attention.
His gut tensed. He glanced around to see where Izzy was in the shop. There wasn't any way that man could see in from that distance.
“Mitch?” Izzy’s voice was soft behind him.
He didn’t answer right away. He watched the man for a beat longer until the guy turned and walked off toward the post office. It could’ve been nothing. But his instincts screamed otherwise.
He turned to her. “Stay inside. Lock the front door.”
She frowned. “Why? Did you see something?”
“Maybe. Let's be cautious.”
Jayson reappeared from the back. “That’s it. Everything’s live. You’ll get alerts on the app. Same log-in we talked about this morning.”
“Good work,” Mitch said. “Grab the spare unit from the truck and wire the window sensors. I’ll finish up here.”
Jayson nodded and headed out.
Mitch turned back to Izzy, lowering his voice. “This isn’t just about covering ground anymore. It’s about closing in. He may be watching us, Izzy.”
Her breath caught. "I still don't understand."
“I don’t either. But we’re going to find out.”
He stepped closer, lowering his voice further. “I need you to trust me. Completely. If I tell you to leave, you leave. If I say we stay low, we do. I don’t want anything happening to you because I underestimated this guy.”
She nodded once. “I trust you.”
The words sank into him deeper than he expected. That kind of trust was earned, not given. And she was offering it freely.
A moment passed between them, quiet, heavy with something unspoken. He enjoyed staring into her eyes. The color of fresh grass was his new favorite color. Her throat constricted as she swallowed. He wanted to lean in and kiss her.
Then the front door chimed.
Mitch spun, body tense, hand instinctively going to his waistband.
But it was just a deliveryman. Floral supply drop. Routine.
Izzy greeted him. "Hi, Noah. Thank you for making this delivery on such short notice. Can you bring it around back?"
"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you had some damage."
"Yeah." Her voice was softer than normal, and he watched to make sure she wasn't going to cry. She didn't. She smiled at the delivery driver, signed the receipt, and handed him the clipboard. "I'll meet you back there and make room for this shipment."
"Sounds good. I'll be there in a minute."
Mitch didn’t relax until the guy left. Even then, he was coming back in.
Izzy seemed to know this guy, so it wasn't Rayburn disguising himself. He'd still be watching every move, though. People could be bought, he knew that from past experience. He’d had a job once as a security detail for a politician. It was a temporary, easy gig. Follow this guy around on the campaign trail and make sure no one got too close. Easy. Until it wasn’t.
Turned out, the person organizing the campaign stops was paid a hefty sum to share the routes and hotels where the hopeful congressman was staying.
He was shot as he exited the hotel one morning, and Mitch never saw it coming. He’d never make that mistake again.