Chapter 5
Alexia
“I’m sorry.” Maverick’s gruff voice powered through the aura of fear I’d wrapped around myself.
“You have nothing to feel sorry about. I all but demanded you listen to me. I feel a little silly now.” I gripped the glass of wine while staring out the set of living room doors, taking some sense of solace from the sight of the waves gently rolling against the shore.
“I should have warned you how graphic the pictures were.”
“I should have warned you how graphic the interior of the cabin was all those years ago,” I told him.
A single eyebrow arched on his chiseled face. “Maybe so. I’m not going to lie that the visions haunted me for weeks.”
“Years for me.” They still did from time to time, although I’d gotten used to the carnage. If anyone truly ever did.
The air crackled between us, creating an overwhelming sense of anxiety, the sensations a complete shift from before, yet still a powerful draw.
Oddly enough, the unexpected tether was strong enough I knew exactly what he was thinking. About the phone call. Granted, I’d dropped a bombshell when I’d announced the Python Killer had contacted me.
“Fuck the bastard, whoever he is. I don’t give a shit if he’s trying to snag his fifteen minutes of fame. I won’t allow it.” Maverick’s anger could be read easily in every body movement, every scattered breath he took.
And the wild look in his darkened eyes, the glimmer exposing a portion of his charred soul.
“What if it was from him?” Him. I’d used the pronoun for so long instead of the name Samuel Wells that doing so seemed more accurate.
His features softened and he took a few seconds to roll his thumb across my chin. The close contact was everything I needed, fulfilling a desire that had formed so many years before. “You need to face the likelihood that some bastard found your name and was just a sick fuck wanting to terrify you.”
He was right of course. “I know.”
I sensed he wasn’t ready to get into the what-ifs at this point.
Not that I could blame him. With his lips now only a few centimeters away, I had the strong urge to drag him even closer, hungering for an emotional reaction that I shouldn’t crave.
He’d been my protector. That’s the way I should continue remembering him.
But with the churning sense of desire, it was becoming impossible. His chest heaved to the same beat as mine, doing nothing more than adding to the sense of suffocation. “But if there’s even a single percentage chance someone is trying to hurt you, I won’t allow him to get close.”
I backed away, breaking the intense spell. “You’re no longer my protector.”
“Maybe not. But I can arrange to make that happen.” He backed away, immediately grabbing his phone.
“What are you doing?”
“I have a couple buddies on the force. They’ll ensure you’re protected.”
“You’re going to have the cops follow me around twenty-four/seven?”
“You bet.”
My headshake was more vehement than I’d intended, but necessary. “No. I’m not trying to announce to the world that I was Maria Rivera. That was the past and I’ve worked very hard to put it all behind me.”
“But you are Maria Rivera.”
“Not any longer.”
He took a step closer, cocking his handsome head. “You are to Samuel Wells and everyone involved with the case.”
Looking away, I cringed deep inside. “I’m probably overreacting. What I don’t want is to draw any attention to what I went through. I have too many important, viable cases on my desk. Can you understand that?”
I’d be damned if Maverick didn’t act like he was going to ignore my request. The man was as stubborn as they came.
“I’m serious. I have a weapon in my purse and know how to use it.” My statement brought a smile to his face.
“Tough lady.”
“Smart lady who never intends on being a victim again. Now, forget what I said. Or at least classify it as a moment of terror winning over common sense. Okay? Promise me.”
His deep breath was arduous and he took a few seconds to rake his hand through his hair, disheveling every sexy strand on his head. “Then you will follow my instructions to the letter. Do you understand me?”
Along with a hard salute, I even winked. “Aye, aye, sir.”
Every grumble was adorable. “I need to make a couple calls to check on the execution and to see if there’s any sudden interest in the case.”
“Okay.”
He started to walk away. “You need to pay attention to your surroundings. I don’t think I need to tell you that, but I will.”
“I know.”
The connection we shared was even more evident, strong in the sense that we were now both stymied as to what to say. He nodded to my half glass of wine. “Just make yourself at home. I won’t be very long.”
“Just remember what I said. Don’t go back on your promise.”
“I might not be many things, Alexia, but I pride myself on being an honorable man.”
As soon as he walked past, I realized I’d been holding my breath.
Just glancing at him over my shoulder allowed an almost wave of desire.
Sighing, I took another sip of wine to counter my ridiculous emotions.
This wasn’t a date. This was a man allowing a crazy woman to search for answers.
Even though they might be right there where they’d been for years.
I loathed the self-doubt.
Protection.
At least I clung to being more protected than I’d been in a very long time. Since the last time he’d been close. All those years ago.
I hadn’t been prepared for the look in Maverick’s eyes after I’d told him the truth. While he’d listened as I’d described the less than thirty second phone call, I’d easily been able to see the building fury by how clenched his jaw had become and how he’d fisted his hand.
After that, he’d gone quiet, inviting me to head to his house.
Now, I stood in the opening of a doorway leading to an incredible deck with the most spectacular view of Miami Beach. A glass of wine was in my hand with my nerves frayed yet in some crazy way, I was secure, even excited. How crazy was that?
The sun had issued a sparkling blanket over the ocean water, shimmering in the pastel hues anointing the horizon. With the water creating ripples in the sand, I could easily remain mesmerized, pretending as if I belonged here.
Which I didn’t.
Maverick was simply being kind, fulfilling my request of scouring what information he’d kept about the case and nothing more.
Now that I’d spouted off my belief, the idea seemed ridiculous.
I was an attorney, for God’s sake. Just as I’d told him, I’d worked long and hard to get where I was, fighting panic attacks and setbacks along the way.
Surrendering to the panic of possibly being followed was ridiculous.
But the treacherous feeling remained.
One phone call had wrecked my world. No, that had started the moment I’d opened the cover to Gone Before Dawn. I’d been asking for trouble. Now, here I was in the house of a stranger, discussing what might be considered insanity.
Whatever happened, Maverick had thought enough of my story to bring me to his house and from what I’d seen, mission central.
We’d taken a few minutes going over the evidence he’d procured before leaving the FBI, coupled with personal notes and photographs.
Within ten minutes, immersing myself in the life had become too much.
I’d explored on my own, marveling in the incredible architecture, exquisite furniture and artwork that was befitting of his wealth and power within the publishing industry.
I hadn’t lied to him. I’d read four books written by the incredible author, devouring them in a week even with my busy schedule.
He had a brilliant mind, one that added creativity to cunningness. The combination was masterful both in prose and in his past life as serving as a member of law enforcement.
I’d once heard you could take a cop away from the business, but the skills, training, and desire to catch the bad guy never left. That’s the expression he’d worn as soon as I’d mentioned the call.
Just being able to enjoy the peaceful few minutes was amazing, a gift that I rarely offered myself.
I was busy all the time, although I knew the reason why.
Any idle time allowed for monsters to find cracks in my thick armor.
Even now, just closing my eyes briefly was a mistake, huge enough I was jarred into being tense all over.
Fuck the Python Killer. Fuck the system.
I fisted my mouth to keep from screaming.
His presence was established before he even walked into the living room by the scent of his aftershave wafting softly in the light breeze rolling across the water.
Cedarwood with hints of exotic spice and a touch of citrus, fresh yet woodsy.
As he approached, I realized I was indulging in his fragrance, taking deep breaths.
Perhaps from uncertainty of what he’d say or maybe the extended reaction of my body to his.
When he stopped only a few feet away, I took the opportunity to walk out onto the deck, leaning over the railing. This wasn’t a date, merely a mingling of information and memories of a case long thought put to bed.
Yet I needed the breath of fresh air to clear my head.
As I leaned over the railing, I hated the feeling of being so lost and alone. As he’d done before, he stood watching me before joining me on the deck. He was taller than I’d remembered, his long legs filling out a pair of jeans like no other man I’d known.
He’d tossed his jacket over the couch as soon as he’d walked in, saying nothing while he headed for a decorative bar. His silence had spoken volumes, a man uncertain how to handle and process what I’d shared with him. No one else knew. Not my mother. Not my best friend.
Certainly not my boss.
Where there’d been tension before, now it was different, as if we’d crossed the getting to know you phase and drifted into something entirely forbidden.
“Samuel Wells’ execution date has been established. From what I’ve been told, there will be no interference by the governor, which was expected.”