Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Something was wrong with Tyler.
As they stood on their neighbor’s porch, Esme cast a quick glance Tyler’s way. He’d bounded down the stairs fast enough after his phone call. He’d dressed in jeans and a gray shirt. Black boots covered his feet. A baseball cap—one that he’d turned around backwards—rested on his head. He’d barely spoken to her as they made their way to their mystery neighbor’s house.
But she could feel tension boiling off him.
He pounded on the neighbor’s door. Not some friendly little rap. More like he was trying to beat the door down.
“Uh, Tyler?” She sent him a nervous smile. “We’re trying to make a good impression, remember? Friendly couple and all that? Maybe don’t try so hard to break down the man’s door.”
His gaze glittered at her. His face was completely impassive, and goosebumps rose on her arms, even though the day was plenty warm.
Something had happened during the course of that phone call. Something that had changed the way Tyler looked at her. Because the fury in his eyes? It unnerved her. “Tyler…”
The door flew open. A gruff, male voice demanded, “What in the hell is happening out here?”
Her head swung back around. A tall, black-haired bear of a guy stood in the doorway. He pretty much filled the doorway. His shoulders nearly touched the wood on either side of him. His shirt was covered in paint splotches and his jeans were, too. His hazel eyes swept both Esme and Tyler suspiciously.
She shoved up her plate of croissants. “Hi, neighbor.” She tried a bright smile. He did not smile in return. “I’m…” Uh, oh . Was she Esme or Elizabeth? Hadn’t they bounced both names around the previous day? But when the big crowd had been gathered at the grocery store, she was pretty sure Tyler had called her?—
“This is my wife, Esme,” Tyler said, a hint of possession in his voice. “And I’m Tyler. She baked.”
The bear squinted at her. “Baked what?”
“Chocolate chip croissants,” Esme told him with the tiniest bit of pride. She really loved her croissants. The recipe had been passed down from her grand-mère . The plate was right in front of their neighbor, yet he made no move to take her offering. “We’re, ah, new to the town.” Now she started to ramble. “Clay told me that you were new, too. So I thought it would be great for my husband and I to come and say hello.” He still hadn’t taken the plate. “Hello,” she said.
One dark eyebrow quirked.
“Oh, for shit’s sake,” Tyler fumed. “Step back and act like you’re inviting us in. Let’s get this crap over with. I have other things to do.”
What ?
But the other man stepped back. He waved them inside. And Esme realized that… dammit, Clay set me up. Something she could almost admire.
Once they were inside the house, Tyler kicked the door shut behind them. “Any sign of watchers?”
She just stood there, clutching her plate, as her eyes swung between the two men. Two men who were obviously not strangers.
“Nothing out of the ordinary.” Their neighbor crossed his arms over his impressive chest. “It’s a quiet street. No cars came by last night that shouldn’t be here. As far as I know, the cover is holding, and all is well. Though why in the hell you two are on my doorstep, I have no clue.”
“I was being neighborly,” Esme mumbled. She kept right on holding her croissants. She’d spent so much time carefully preparing them.
“Clay wanted her to meet you. Prick told her to come by and say hello. She goes nowhere without me.” Tyler peeked out a curtain. “You getting the security feed okay over here?”
“Perfectly.” The stranger turned and headed toward the room on the right.
Curious, Esme followed him. She drew up short in the doorway, though, when she saw the massive computer setup inside. Lots of monitors. And on those monitors, she could see lots of images focusing on her safe house. All exterior shots. “You don’t, um…happen to have cameras in the house, do you?” She looked away from the monitors and found the neighbor’s intent gaze on her. “Because that could be awkward.” In so many ways.
“Outside only,” he assured her.
Great. Provided, of course, she could believe him.
“So whatever you and Tyler are doing— or did, all night long— that’s your business.” His hazel eyes were on Esme’s throat and on the faint mark that she could suddenly feel burning. “But there is undercover work, there is carrying on a pretense…and there is taking the cover way, way too far.”
She slapped down the plate on the desk that waited in the middle of what was…a study? An observation room? Whatever. Esme could feel flames in her cheeks. He didn’t see anything. Stay focused. You are okay. He’s just making judgy comments.
“You’re not usually one to cross a line, Tyler.” The neighbor’s attention had shifted to a glowering Tyler. “This case getting personal for you?”
Say yes. The thought just flew through her mind. She wanted him to say?—
“There is absolutely nothing personal happening between me and Esme.” Tyler looked straight at her as he made that ice-cold announcement. Then his stare flickered toward the neighbor. “Don’t worry about me, buddy. I haven’t been compromised. I will not be. I know how to work a case.”
Esme automatically glanced down at her chest. Just to make sure there wasn’t a knife sticking out of it. But, nope, there wasn’t. It just felt as if Tyler had picked up a knife and stabbed her right in her brittle heart.
Hearing those savage words come out of his mouth hurt. The pain was much deeper than she’d expected. She considered pasting a big, fake smile on her face. Tossing out something about how nothing was ever personal for her, either.
But she was just too tired. Too done. She was so tired of pretending that nothing mattered. Especially when too much did matter to her.
I need to get away and get myself together .
“I know we haven’t exchanged names,” Esme said with very careful politeness as she focused on the neighbor. “Though it is obvious you know exactly who I am.”
“Esme Laurent.”
Her head inclined toward him. “In the flesh.” Her hands twisted in front of her. “Do you mind if I use your restroom for a moment?”
“Down the hall to the right.”
“Thanks so much.” She backed away. Turned on her heel. Absolutely refused to hurry. Her steps were slow and certain. And as soon as she entered the bathroom, she shut the door with the softest of clicks.
Esme looked into the mirror.
Just as a teardrop slid down her cheek. A real one this time. Not the dramatic tears that she could so effortlessly fake. Real tears.
That was why she’d wanted to slip away from the men. It was fine for the world to see her fake tears. Fake tears didn’t matter.
But real ones?
No one got to see those. No one but her.
That bastard Tyler had just broken her heart.
I said it wouldn’t matter. I told him it wouldn’t. She’d said they could have sex and nothing would change.
Just another lie. The bitter truth was that Tyler had mattered to her for a very long time. Only now it was apparent that she would never matter to him. As for the things he’d said the previous night— can’t trust them. They weren’t real. In the heat of the moment, men often said things they didn’t mean. She didn’t belong to Tyler.
He didn’t belong to her.
Nothing personal.
“I mean, you could have called.”
Tyler thrust back his shoulders as he faced off with Kane Harte. “Is that shit supposed to be funny?”
“No, it’s just the polite dictates of a well-meaning society. Haven’t you heard? Dropping by unannounced is a real pain in the ass for most people. So you call, first.”
Tyler grunted. He also edged close to the hallway so he could look for Esme.
“Got to say, that was a dick move.”
“Dropping by unannounced?” The dude was harping. “You’ll get over it. You had to make contact with Esme sooner or later.”
“I’m not talking about your unexpected visit. I’m talking about the way you just broke that woman’s heart.”
Tyler swung around in a flash. “Bullshit.” He hadn’t broken anything. He would never break Esme. Never.
Kane let out a low whistle. “Ten to one odds say she is crying in the bathroom. You were staring straight at her when you carved out her heart. I mean, are you seriously this clueless with women? You can’t be. Or can you be?”
Tyler didn’t waste more words with Kane. Instead, he stalked to the bathroom. Pounded on the door.
“Occupied!” Esme called out.
He damn well knew it was occupied. “Open up.”
“No. I am busy.”
Was she crying? Didn’t sound like it but unease slithered down his spine. “Open. Up.”
“Busy!” Esme shouted back. And there was a definite sniff.
Oh, fuck. Oh, no. “ Are you crying? ”
He heard the sound of the sink running. He gripped the doorframe fiercely and waited for the door to open. To open…
You can’t kick down the door. She’s not crying. You didn’t break her heart.
The door opened. There was water on Esme’s cheeks.
“I splashed a little cold water on my face. I was feeling a bit sleepy. Thought it would wake me up.” Her smile dipped toward him as she waved one hand. “Are you having some sort of emergency? Please, go right ahead and take the bathroom, I’m done.”
He didn’t move. “You weren’t crying.”
“You’re in my way.”
“You…wouldn’t run away to cry.”
Her eyes rolled. “Tell me more about what I would and would not do. So sexy.”
“You’re fucking Jorlan.”
Her mouth dropped open.
Wait. Shit. He had not meant to say those words right then. Absolutely not. But… I am not in control. Ever since Gray had made his big reveal, rage and jealousy had been twisting in Tyler’s gut. He’d intended to wait until he and Esme were alone again, until he’d cooled the hell down, and then he’d planned to carefully question her about her involvement with a man who was as freaking deranged and diabolical as they come.
But…here they were.
Her mouth snapped closed. Her nostrils flared. A jerky nod, and then, “The phone call.” A long exhale. “Had to be Grayson calling. Let me guess, he had some new intel to share? Intel about moi? ”
“Esme.”
“I believe I warned you before about that old saying. Don’t you recall? I specifically told you that if you were smart, you’d believe absolutely nothing that you hear and only about half of…” She stopped. “Screw it. You know the rest. But at the first whisper of a rumor, you go all in and believe exactly whatever BS Grayson is spouting. So annoying. Get out of my way. I’m not in the mood to be trapped by a jerk and held prisoner in a bathroom of all places.”
Slowly, he backed away.
Her spine was straight, her chin was up, and she did not deign to glance his way as Esme made her way back to the front of the house and to a waiting and clearly curious Kane. Even though Tyler followed her every step of the way.
Esme extended her hand to their neighbor. “I don’t believe I caught your name.”
“Kane.” His hand swallowed hers in a brief shake.
Her hand fell back to her side. “And, Kane, I’m to assume that you’re on my protection detail, too?” Her head angled to the side. “Another U.S. Marshal? Or are you part of Tyler’s former Marine crew?”
“Why don’t you tell me?” Kane’s eyes assessed her. “Because I think you have already figured it out, haven’t you?”
“Semper Fi,” she murmured.
“All day long.”
Finally, finally , Esme glanced back at Tyler. “He was already in place? Before we came here, he was already in Asylum? How is that possible?”
“Kane moved to town about a month ago. He’s in between jobs, and Clay had always tried to get us all to come visit this area. Said the fishing was fantastic.” The guy used to brag about his catches in the bay for hours on end.
“In between jobs…” Esme seemed to taste those words. He r focus shifted back to Kane. “Will you tell me what sort of jobs you normally do?”
Kane shoved his hands into his pockets. “Afraid that intel is classified, ma’am.”
“Of course. It would be, wouldn’t it?”
“But you can rest assured that I know how to watch Tyler’s six and yours. No one is gonna slip up on you while you’re in that safe house down the road.”
Tyler knew he needed to speak. “I was aware that Kane was here. Hell, he’s the main reason I decided to bring you to Asylum. Knew he would be here. Knew Clay was here. I had a ready-made operation in place. Besides, Kane is practically a one-man security team. Even better at ass-kicking than I am.”
“Stop.” Kane rolled back his massive shoulders. “You’ll make me blush.”
Nothing made that prick blush. “I trust him with my life,” Tyler added. A grim truth.
“And with mine?” Esme inquired in an emotionless voice. Then she brushed away the question. “Don’t worry, you don’t actually need to answer that. Besides, I am quite aware of Kane Harte’s impressive talents.”
Tyler tensed. Kane hadn’t given Esme his last name.
“He was with you in Paris.” She turned away from Kane and headed back toward the front of the house. “Pulled out a young mother and her son. Carried them both to safety. Incredibly brave.”
“How the fuck does she know that?” Kane fired softly. “You tell her? You don’t usually share our secrets.”
Tyler shook his head. He hadn’t told her. Esme had just been doing her research.
“Figured you would turn up, sooner or later. Just didn’t expect to see you this morning. Since you are notoriously camera-averse, it took me a moment to connect the dots with you. But when you gave me your name, everything clicked. A reporter caught your name at the sight of the explosion in Paris. First name only, of course. I read your name in the paper and never forgot you.”
If she’d had his name, then in Esme-speak, that meant she’d probably tried to dig up as many secrets on Kane as she could.
Esme paused in front of a bookshelf in the den. Tyler had thought she’d exit the house. Instead, she’d strolled into the den as cool-as-you-please and was poking around. “The two of you have certainly stayed in close contact over the years, and when it comes to his six, Kane is right. Tyler can trust you with his life. You’ve never let him down before.” Her fingers skimmed over the spines of the books. “Mind if I ask a favor of you, Kane? I know we just met, so feel free to deny me.”
“Who the hell is this woman?” Kane trailed beside Tyler as they closed in on Esme.
She straightened and turned to smile at him. Her double-dimple smile. The one that meant absolute trouble. Tyler knew this was the part where she would wrap Kane around her little finger. “It’s a really simple favor, I promise.”
Tyler slanted a glance at his friend. Sure enough, Kane now seemed blinded by her smile.
Her hands dropped to her sides. “If it ever comes down to a choice of saving me or saving Tyler, choose your friend, would you?”
What. The. Fuck? Tyler surged toward her.
“Easy enough to do.” She seemed so casual. “Tyler’s job is to protect me. To keep me alive. So how about you focus less on me, hmm, Kane? Can you do that? You focus on your friend. You make sure he lives and that the trouble chasing me doesn’t take him out.”
Kane studied her. Then glanced over at Tyler. He shook his head. “Did what she just say make you feel like absolute shit? Because it should. She’s worried about your fool ass, and you’re busy cutting out her heart.”
“He’s…not cutting out my heart.” Halting from Esme. “I think you’re confused.”
“No, I think I’m right as rain. Tyler is a dumbass, but I suspect you know plenty about him, don’t you? Like the fact that trust is damn near impossible for him because of what happened to his family. Hell, I’m pretty sure there are only a handful of people in this world that Tyler actually does trust, and I’m one of those fortunate few. When your whole world implodes on you, it changes who you are. Changes the way you look at people. You expect the worst. So that’s what you see.”
She edged right next to Tyler. Her arm brushed against his. That sweet scent of hers teased him. “Do you see the worst when you look at me?”
When he looked at her, Tyler saw everything that he wanted. Fuck. His teeth ground together.
“I will take that as a yes.” Her lips pulled down. “Of course. Well, c’est la vie .”
“Esme…”
“My bad. The old saying just slipped out. Luckily, only one of your team members heard me.” She nodded toward Kane. “Do me that favor, will you? In return, I’ll be forever in your debt. And try a croissant. Tastes divine.” She looked at her wrist. No watch was there. “Got to go. Schemes to hatch, you know. But it was great meeting you. Always nice to meet a true friend of Tyler’s.”
“Very interesting to meet you, too, Esme. ”
Esme ambled toward the door.
Nope. Tyler closed the distance between them in about three fast steps. His hand flew out and curled around her wrist. “Not so fast, sweetheart.” He felt the jump of her pulse beneath his touch.
Her head turned toward him. “As if I would dream of leaving without my twenty-four, seven protection.”
“We aren’t leaving. Not yet.” He shot a glance at Kane. “Gonna need to use your tech room for a bit. Make yourself scarce, would you?”
“Ah, you’re telling me to make myself scarce, in my own home?”
“Glad we understand each other.” Tyler used his grip on Esme’s wrist to tug her after him as he marched for the tech room. Tech room. Study. Whatever the hell Kane wanted to call the hub with all his screens and computers. Once inside, Tyler shut the door. And locked it.
Esme’s gaze lingered on the lock before she slowly shifted her attention to him. “Is there something I’m missing?”
“We’re not done here yet.”
“No? We’re not? Why? Did you want a private space so you could snarl at me about sleeping with Jorlan again?”
Fuck. A black wave of jealousy rose within him. “Did you?” Had Esme slept with that bastard? Want to break him into a thousand pieces.
“Did you just pull me in this room to grill me about past lovers? We could have this discussion in the privacy of our safe house.”
They needed to have this discussion right where they were. He’d just gotten derailed, dammit.
With her free hand, Esme brushed back a lock of hair. “ Besides, I thought you said—quite clearly last night—that you didn’t want to know about my exes.”
“Jorlan isn’t just an ex. He’s a suspected murderer, arms runner, drug dealer, and all-around freaking menace to the whole world. ” And he couldn’t stand the idea of Jorlan’s pampered hands being on her body. “He was a prick in boarding school, and he’s a monster now. Why the hell would you ever get involved with someone like him?”
“Some women like a bad boy.” She tugged against his hold. “You can let me go now. The door is locked. I’m not planning to run away.”
He let her go, but he didn’t back away. “Do you like playing with bad men, Esme?” He just wanted the truth from her. Why was that so much to ask?
“Not particularly. It’s too easy to get hurt with them.”
“Are you sleeping with Jorlan?” Tyler bit off.
“Told you last night—I haven’t been with anyone in over two years. So, no, I am not sleeping with Jorlan. I am sleeping with you. Now, can we leave?”
No. “Gray says you’re going to marry the sonofabitch.”
She sucked in a breath. “Where would he get an idea like that?”
“From your father.”
Her shoulders rammed into the closed door as she whipped back. “Gray has been talking to my father?”
A note of fear had definitely entered her voice. Why is Esme scared of her father? Though he’d already had suspicions forming. Time to push more. “Your dad is the one who told Gray that you were involved with Jorlan. On and off is the way he described it. Why would your father say that if it wasn’t true?”
“Why, indeed? Maybe some people just like to lie. ”
Esme’s father is important. “How did you get the invitation to Jorlan’s party?”
Her shoulders still pressed into the wood of the door. “He personally extended the invitation to me. I’m popular. People invite me to parties. In fact, some would even go so far as to say I am the actual life of a party.”
He was sure plenty of people said that. She was bright and shining and she could disarm with a smile. In the real world, she’d never be with someone like him.
Fuck. This is real. I am protecting her. No, he was doing one hell of a lot more than that. But he needed answers. “How did you know about the secret passageway? Did Jorlan tell you about it?”
She didn’t look away from him. “No, I discovered the passageway when I got the schematics for the house. I was doing some recon work. Had to figure out how best to take those diamonds.”
Enough. “Sweet liar.” His hand drove into the pocket of his jeans. His fist came back up and went right between them. “You didn’t give a shit about the diamonds.” And then he opened his hand. “You were after this.”
A USB drive rested in the palm of his hand.
“Want to tell me the truth now?” Tyler pressed. “Or shall I just go ahead and pop this into a computer so we can see—together—exactly what is on the drive? So I can see what you were willing to risk your life to steal?”
All of the color fled from her face.
The drive was fucking not there. He’d searched fast and hard. He’d ripped apart the luggage bags. Searched the drawers in the bedroom. Gone through every item that Esme and Tyler had brought to the safe house, but he’d turned up absolutely nothing.
Sweat beaded his brow. Where the hell is it?
He didn’t have much time to waste. He couldn’t be found in the house. And he’d left wreckage in his wake. Not like he’d had time for a clean search.
His breath sawed in and out.
He picked up Esme’s shoes. Expensive as hell heels—and one of the heels turned in his tight grip. Frowning, he peered down and saw the hollow opening hidden in the heel.
But nothing was inside that opening.
Though his gut told him something had been inside those heels. Once upon a time.
So where in the fuck is the drive now?