Chapter 15

"She's crying." Will Griffin's panicked hiss came in hot over the comms.

Aaron had been about to drop off to sleep, but he'd forgotten to remove his earpiece. Now he rolled over, then sat on the edge of the camp bed they'd set up. He pulled on his tactical pants and a T-shirt. Added his weapon holster more out of habit than necessity.

He padded out of the apartment barefoot so he didn't wake the others.

He nodded to Cadell who stood near the front door, then climbed up the stairs and found Will Griffin standing there with concern furrowing his dark brow.

Aaron took out his earpiece, and Griffin did the same.

They spoke in whispers so as not to disturb everyone. "It was all quiet until about five minutes ago. Then I heard her keening."

Aaron could hear her faintly through the door. She was obviously trying and failing to stifle her sobs.

Was the reality of the possible danger finally sinking in? Or was it simply the stress of being landed in a horrible situation? Or being attacked both verbally and physically within a short space of time?

He checked his watch and saw it was a few minutes after midnight. Then he remembered what Hope had said earlier. "It's her daughter's birthday today."

Griffin pressed his lips together as understanding washed over his features. "Those anniversaries sneak up and hit you hard some days."

Aaron knew Griffin had lost his fiancée, a fellow FBI agent, in a violent attack last year. He squeezed the man's shoulder in sympathy.

"One of us should check on her." Griffin cleared his throat. "Make sure… You know."

Part of Aaron knew it was none of his business, and yet he could no more walk away without checking to see if she was okay than he could fly to Mars. And he was supposed to be in charge here and take on the most dangerous missions. "I'll do it."

Griffin looked relieved.

Aaron eased open the apartment door and slipped inside. He headed up the short staircase, paused to see the usually perfectly attired, endlessly antagonistic Hope Harper wearing plaid pajamas, curled over her knees as she hugged a ragged teddy bear to her chest.

The smell of candle wax hung in the air, and he spotted the little cupcake on the table next to the photograph. A book lay open on the couch beside her.

His heart clutched.

She looked so alone.

He walked over and touched her back. "Hope."

She stiffened but didn't look up.

He knew she heard him. Knew she recognized him, but she didn't pause her tears.

Dammit.

He sat and drew this usually prickly woman into a tentative embrace. The same embrace his own mother had given him when the girl he'd loved had dumped him for his younger firefighter brother and then married the fucker.

That pain had wrecked him. Changed the entire course of his life. But it must be a fraction of what this woman experienced every day since a killer had targeted her family.

Rather than pulling away, she cried harder.

He gathered her to him and leaned back against the sofa and ignored the weird sensation he'd felt each time he touched her. It was probably part of the bonding process. His being responsible for her safety whether she liked it or not. Or maybe because he was beginning to see through the carefully constructed outer defenses, the castle walls, the cannon, the portcullis, all hiding a wild sea of tumultuous emotions and a vulnerable center.

Not cold and heartless.

Fierce and empathetic.

Strong and determined.

Damaged and hurting.

Her tears soaked into his T-shirt, her blonde hair rested beneath his chin, catching in his beard. Her warmth seeped into him, and he wished he could do something other than sit here in silence.

Say something profound.

Act in such a way that he could take away the hurt.

But he didn't tend to put himself out there emotionally any more than Hope did. And what could he say that hadn't been said before? Sorry for your loss? It's not your fault? How many times must she have heard those words? But how often had she allowed herself the quiet comfort of a human touch?

Rarely, he imagined.

Eventually, she stopped weeping and pulled away. "Oh boy. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to cry all over you."

He gave her a lopsided smile. "I wanted to check on you. It was a risk I had to take."

She wiped fingers under both eyes. Her face was blotchy and her eyes red, but Hope Harper would never look less than beautiful with those sharp cheekbones and wide mobile mouth.

"It's always a toss-up between birthdays, anniversaries, and Christmas as to which day sucks the most."

"You always do this?" He indicated the candle, the cupcake, the baby book.

She pressed her lips together. Nodded.

He reached over and picked up the book. Eased through a couple of pages. "She was beautiful. You were a beautiful family."

Her smile was watery. "Love creates a wonder all its own."

A tight knot formed in Aaron's chest as he thought of his brother and his ex, now expecting a baby. "I guess it does, sometimes, when two people feel the same way about one another."

Hope's gray eyes flashed with keen intelligence that was a hallmark of the woman.

"Are you married, Aaron?"

It was the first time she'd used his given name.

He shook his head, smiled ruefully. "And thankfully no longer in love."

"What happened? Or shouldn't I ask?"

He opened his mouth to fob her off or maybe outright lie like he did with everyone else, even his closest friends. But Hope lived her life with all her heartbreak and worst decisions dangling in the wind, naked for everyone to see.

Lying would be a coward's way out.

Aaron had never been a coward.

"We were both fish biologists studying on a remote island in French Polynesia."

Hope's eyes went wide because studying fish was a long way from working for the FBI.

"I know it's probably not what you expected to hear." He smiled. "We fell in love, got engaged, and I took her home to meet the family. She promptly fell head over heels for my younger brother who was, and still is, a firefighter. Turned out she preferred the buff, sexy version of the Nash brothers more than the geek."

Hope drew back and blinked. "So, what? You went all-out on buff and sexy in an attempt to win her back?"

The fact she thought he was buff and sexy made him smile inside. He shook his head. "That ship had definitely already sailed. I couldn't stay in my PhD program after she dumped me. Couldn't bear seeing her every day. And the scientific community is small and tight-knit, and everyone knows one another." He gave a bitter laugh. "Now I only have to pretend I've forgiven them once or twice a year."

"They're still together?"

"Happily married with a kid on the way. Guess who was best man? The speech was a blast."

"Oh, man. That had to suck." She laughed, but it was in sympathy with him rather than at him.

"Yeah. My mom understands how hard it is for me. Everyone else thinks I'm over it. We're close, my mom and me."

"Mommas always know." Hope's voice hitched. "But why would they expect you to get over a betrayal like that? Not only your fiancée, but your brother?" She blew her nose on a tissue. "I never had a sibling, but I can imagine losing your brother probably hurt more than losing the flakey fiancée."

He laughed. He hadn't expected Hope to be the one to make him feel better rather than the other way around. "Yeah. Me and my brother were always close." He shrugged. "We aren't anymore."

"I'm really sorry." She touched his bare arm, and he stared down at where her pale skin lay against the tan of his.

She pulled away. Did she feel that weird kick too? Or was it all in his imagination? At least his pathetic confession had distracted her from her own immense grief.

"So, you joined the FBI out of a sense of revenge?"

"Ha. I guess. I decided to prove she'd made a mistake and that I could be the best of the best, not just a geek. But I didn't want to enlist. The FBI's Hostage Rescue Team is arguably the most elite law enforcement tactical team in the world, so that's what I aimed for instead."

"And where you ended up." Her eyes measured him a little differently now, as if he were more human to her somehow. She picked up the baby book and closed it. Ran her hand lovingly over the photograph before standing and placing it back on the mantel.

"You should get some sleep," he suggested.

She shrugged. "I won't be able to. Not tonight. Usually, I go to the cemetery first thing in the morning before work." The hollows beneath her cheekbones made her look haunted. "I'm angry that I won't be able to do that now, not without a crowd of reporters photographing it and, if Leech is still alive, maybe him finding out." She hugged herself. "The idea of him knowing how much it still hurts makes me feel sick."

"You don't want him getting off on your pain, I get that."

She hugged herself again. "Do you want some tea or coffee? I'm going to have something."

"I should probably get some sleep."

She hid it well, but for a split-second she actually looked disappointed. She stood then and paced. "I'll be fine. Thank you for checking on me. You were very kind, and you didn't need to be. I'm probably better off alone."

Aaron didn't think that was true. He had an idea what might help.

"Get dressed."

Her eyes flashed to his. "Why?"

"I doubt there are any reporters outside right now. Let's go pay your respects to your family."

She blinked.

"If you want to?"

Mutely, she nodded and dashed up the stairs while he rounded up the troops.