Chapter 28

Hope read police reports until her eyes bled. The lab work had come back on the Du Maurier case, but it was inconclusive, so the technicians had requested time to run more tests. She heard laughter in the corridor and looked up to see Sondra Wu flirting madly with Seth Hopper as he stood on duty outside her office door.

Frazer read case files at her other desk with a focused concentration she envied.

They still weren't done with jury selection because Judge Penton had suddenly taken ill after lunch. Despite the fact tomorrow was a Friday and usually reserved for hearing motions on other cases, the judge had decided to complete jury selection instead.

Aaron Nash came into view and her breath caught. She didn't know where he'd been and hated the fact she was curious. Sondra turned her coquettish laughter on the tall, dark, and handsome operator.

Hope gritted her teeth.

Sondra's giggling irked her today in a way it didn't usually. She was a solid prosecutor. Smart as a whip, fearless, but empathetic. Pretty too. Vivacious. Young.

Aaron's dark eyes met Hope's through the glass.

A mix of relief and excitement uncoiled inside her.

It felt a lot like madness.

She looked over at Frazer and found him watching her. "What?"

"Nothing."

Aaron tapped on the door and poked his head inside. "Ready to go home?"

She glanced at the clock on the wall in surprise. "Six thirty already? Wow. Time sure flies when you're having fun."

A yawn took her by surprise. It had been a heck of a week. "Any updates?"

Aaron crossed his arms and leaned against the door jamb. The sight of him made her mouth go dry. She'd forgotten what lust felt like.

"Marshals are still concentrating their main efforts on Somack and Roberts as they were spotted again, this time on foot. They have several BORTAC teams and state agencies helping in the search area and have hopefully narrowed their whereabouts to within a twenty-mile perimeter. They're being hampered by the weather as it's proven impossible to get eyes in the sky to run thermal image searches. No sighting of Leech yet."

There had been no sightings period of the serial killer whose face was all over the news. How was that even possible?

"No cameras in the vicinity of Sylvie Pomerol's home so needless to say they didn't pick up anything," Frazer told her.

"Leech has to be staying somewhere. Why can't we find him?"

"We have surveillance on the faithful assistant and another one of Leech's friends—Eloisa Fairchild," Frazer added.

Hope remembered an awkward young woman from the start of the first trial.

"And electronic surveillance on a few other likely candidates of people he might reach out to. We're searching for any links to properties within a fifty-mile radius of the state where Leech could potentially be holed up."

"Who did Delaware call after we left?" Aaron asked from the doorway.

She lifted her brows. She hadn't realized they'd paid Blake Delaware a visit.

"His lawyer."

Aaron gave that smile of his that said he wasn't surprised. Christ. She shouldn't be mooning over a guy. She was no better than Sondra, just a lot less secure about her own appeal.

"Think the wife's fear was genuine?"

"Delaware is married?" she exclaimed.

"With a baby on the way," Frazer said dryly.

She blinked.

"And I believe so," Frazer answered Aaron's question. "I checked into her background and didn't find any red flags. All indications are that Blake is a loving and supportive husband."

"Then he must be crapping his pants right about now." Aaron shot a look over his shoulder toward one of Sondra's high giggles.

"Especially as for all Delaware's supposed ‘integrity,' Alex Parker found several hidden bank accounts in the Caymans and Isle of Man." Frazer lowered his chin. "He found several more he believes could belong to Leech. Maybe Delaware set them up at Leech's request?"

"Can we cut them off?" Hope closed the files on her desk with a snap.

"Better to keep our eyes on them for any activity. It might lead us to him eventually." Aaron dragged his hand through his hair.

Hope made a noise she hoped was interpreted as frustration. "Someone is helping him. That's why we can't find him. He's in someone's house with his feet up, planning his next murder and his ultimate getaway plan. Did he kill the other prison guard, do you think?"

Frazer shook his head. "Looks as if Humphrey Byron was killed when the van tumbled into the river. He didn't have any water in his lungs."

So he didn't drown.

"He was fully clothed. It appears likely he released the prisoners before the van took its final plunge."

"He died a hero." She blinked away the moisture that tried to gather in her eyes.

"He died in the line of duty," Aaron agreed. "Both guards did."

Frazer looked unimpressed, but he was always difficult to read. "After the crash, it appears Somack and Roberts went one way, Leech another."

"He couldn't even make friends in prison." Her tone was bitter. She couldn't help it. Leech had considered her a friend. He'd said so on the stand. If killing families was how he rewarded friends, no wonder people steered clear of him.

"We suspect he somehow got ahold of Graham Burns' cell and vehicle. According to his family, Burns was moving across country to start a job in New York City, but no one has heard from him since Saturday when he set off. We have a BOLO on the vehicle."

"You think this Graham Burns is dead?" A knot of anxiety settled in her stomach. That would make three people he'd murdered since he'd escaped. Three they knew of.

Frazer met her gaze. "I'll be very surprised if he's not."

"Any success pinging his cell?"

"Not yet." Frazer shook his head.

"Leech has been lucky so far. It won't last forever," Aaron stated firmly.

But she wasn't feeling it. Leech was still out there, defying the odds—killing people.

She felt Aaron watching her as she pulled on her winter coat. It was unnerving how hyperaware of her own body she'd become. As if she'd had a growth spurt and had to concentrate on each move because she no longer fit her own skin.

She contemplated taking files home but decided against it. She was tired, and if she decided to work, she could start writing her next book. Deadline was nine months out, but she liked to turn in projects early.

Being anonymous, she didn't have to do any public appearances, but she did have to do the writing and edits. She'd hired someone to update her website and social channels through her agent—Danny's agent—who was pretty much the only person who knew Hope's secret identity, aside from Brendan.

She closed her laptop and put it in her leather briefcase.

"Want to come back to the house for something to eat?" she asked Frazer. He'd be the buffer she needed to stop making a fool of herself.

He rubbed his eye sockets. "No. Thanks. I'm going to spend another hour here before taking my hosts out to dinner. You are welcome to join us."

Her lips kicked up at the sudden tension in Aaron's body. Going out to dinner would be a pain in the neck for her team of bodyguards even if it was with two other FBI agents. It hit her then. "What if we don't catch him?"

"We will," Aaron said firmly.

She blinked. "What if we don't? He could get on a private jet and end up in another part of the country—another part of the world…"

"If he was going to do that, he'd have done it before he killed Sylvie and her husband." Frazer twisted his neck to the side as if working out a kink.

"He has an agenda." She was high on that agenda. "HRT can't guard me forever."

The two men exchanged a look she couldn't read.

"You won't be left unprotected." Aaron's dark eyes bored into hers.

But they all knew Aaron didn't make decisions when it came to HRT's deployment. Suddenly, she couldn't hold his gaze. The idea of him leaving left a hole inside her, and that hole scared the crap out of her because it was a faint echo of another pain she was all too familiar with. But the knowledge also prompted her to think about taking a chance. Not anything serious. Serious was for the young or people who weren't inherently broken. Even the idea of anything serious made her crave a stiff drink. But something fun? Something frivolous? How enticing was that?

She still needed that stiff drink.

"Maybe you could show me a couple of those self-defense moves tonight. Just in case." She should probably go to a gun range and practice her marksmanship too. Even if she didn't have bodyguards, she wouldn't make it easy for that bastard. If she was going down, she'd take him with her.

"We can do that." Aaron didn't look happy at the idea.

So much for that spark of attraction she thought existed between them.

She rolled her eyes at herself. "Goodnight, Linc."

"Goodnight, Hope. Try not to worry."

She snorted as she headed out, unsure where Colin had gotten to. She'd sent him to do a few searches earlier, but maybe he'd gone to grab some dinner or cram in some revision. She nodded to poor Sondra, who was, apparently, being let down gently after asking Seth Hopper out on a date.

Hope felt for her. It was a brave thing to put yourself out there.

"Did you tell her you're already seeing someone?" Aaron asked when the three of them were alone in the elevator.

Seth Hopper nodded.

"Who is this lucky person?" Hope was amused as pink filled the other man's cheeks.

But he remained closemouthed.

Aaron grinned and looked suddenly younger. He stage-whispered, "Only the daughter of VPOTUS."

Hope was shocked. "You're dating Madeleine Florentine's daughter?"

Seth Hopper said nothing, but his eyes glittered as he shot a look at Aaron.

"I hope you voted for her mother's party."

One side of his mouth curled up, but he continued to hold his silence.

Hope frowned as a memory niggled her brain. "Wasn't she involved in some incident in the desert recently…?"

"We can't talk about ops." Aaron filled the suddenly taut silence. "But hopefully that reassures you we won't be spilling any of your secrets either."

And she had plenty of secrets she didn't want revealed.

Hope stared thoughtfully at Seth Hopper as other implications hit home. He'd been involved with Madeleine Florentine's daughter during or after an official operation. The idea of her maybe stealing a night of passion with Aaron Nash wasn't completely out of the realm of possibility.

She knew it was against the rules. She knew that he'd leave, but for the first time in seven years she actually wanted to give in to this desire that had stirred inside her. She wanted to take a risk. Except, she was scared. She didn't even know what she was scared of.

Him rejecting her—or him saying yes?

She liked him. She didn't want to look like a complete idiot if she'd misread the signals. Nor did she want to lose this new friendship. It had been a long time since she'd let anyone into her life. Now she found herself caring about not only Aaron, but all the men who found themselves guarding her from that asshole Leech.

So much for not liking testosterone.

They practically dripped with it.

The drive home was short and filled with taut silence. It had been a long week, and everyone was frustrated by the lack of sightings of Leech. These guys had to be bored out of their skulls on this assignment regardless of the teaching opportunities.

They arrived back at her house, and she was grateful it wasn't still snowing. Parents dragged tiny sleds up the small slope in the park opposite. Paige had adored the snow. A pang of longing tore through her chest, and she turned away.

The SUV parked right outside her house. Seth Hopper and Sebastian Black flanked her as Aaron followed closely behind. Ryan Sullivan led the way and opened the door.

Once inside, the door was locked behind them, and everyone relaxed a little.

"Good day at work?" Kincaid grinned at her. He'd been assigned home base today.

A reluctant smile tugged at her mouth. "Yes, dear. How about you?"

"Well, when I was a field agent I had to cope with bioterrorists and anthrax attacks." He cocked his head. "Now I'm on the Hostage Rescue Team, and watching the mailman drop off a delivery was the highlight of my afternoon."

Hope felt her mouth drop open. "That sounds…terrifying." She wondered if she could use the idea in her next book.

He shot a look over his shoulder. Lowered his voice. "Griffin lost his fiancée during that case. She was a great agent. A good friend."

Ice shot through her veins. She understood that pain far too well. "I am so sorry."

Silence filled the air for a long moment before Ryan raised his nose and sniffed loudly. "Is that Livingstone's special chili I smell?"

Kincaid nodded.

She could smell it too, and her stomach grumbled audibly.

"We can send a bowl up. He made enough to feed us all for days, but it's spicy," Kincaid warned.

"That would actually be wonderful." She had a little casserole left over, but that would save until tomorrow. "Thanks. Anything that involves me not cooking sounds divine."

She felt strangely alone when she dragged her feet up the stairs one tired foot at a time and Aaron stayed where he was. She was safe here. They had gadgets and men all over the place. Leech wasn't about to jump out of a helicopter onto the roof or knock through from the neighboring building or anything.

She pulled off her boots at the door, tossed her coat on the back of the couch and smiled as Lucifer came rushing down the stairs, crying like he'd been left alone for days.

Somebody had missed her.

She picked him up and let the cat bump her face with his. "Hello, pretty." He didn't have much patience for cuddles and squirmed free, making a rush for the kitchen as he meowed loudly. Hope followed.

"You still have kibble. Not good enough for you now, huh?"

She grabbed a can of wet food out of the cupboard and scraped it into Lucy's bowl. The cat ate like it was a contest.

"You only want me for housekeeping. As soon as a few good-looking hunks appear you're all over them for attention."

"Talking to your cat?"

Hope jolted in horror as Aaron appeared in the kitchen doorway. Nothing in his expression suggested he'd heard her words, but heat climbed her cheeks.

"Second sign of madness?" Her voice sounded strangled to her own ears.

He laughed. "I figured we'd run through a quick self-defense lesson before we eat."

She felt her eyes bug. "I, oh, er?—"

"Can't back out now, Hope. I have Seth and Black up here ready for action."

She heard the rumble of furniture being moved and felt oddly relieved that they weren't alone because as much as she was tempted, the idea of seducing this man suddenly seemed ridiculous.

She looked down at her work clothes. "Should I throw on yoga pants or something?"

He shook his head. "Let's keep this real world because something tells me you don't often go out in your yoga pants in February."

Ha.

"In fact, let's start with you in your coat. Grab your keys."

Hope did as she was told and felt silly standing in her living room with these three super-fit guys pretending she could fight any of them off if they truly wanted to hurt her.

"The first thing to remember is use your voice as both a warning and a signal to others that you need assistance."

"Oh, I can do that."

"People don't always remember in the moment. Fear paralyzes their vocal cords, and their lizard brain takes over."

"My lizard brain is a shouty bitch."

Aaron's laugh caught her by surprise, but he sobered. "Okay, we're gonna start with the hammer strike. Hold your keys in your fist. Watch these two for a demo."

She clutched the keys and felt stupid.

Seth and Black stood facing one another. Seth pretended to attack the other man and Black held up his clenched fist like he was using a hammer. He brought the fist down hard toward Seth's pretty face, pulling the punch at the last moment.

"Hit hard repeatedly. Scream, and as soon as it is safe to do so, get the fuck out."

Aaron stood in front of her and held his hands up. "I'm going to come at you from the front. You practice hitting me."

He took a step forward and grabbed her shoulders. He smiled as she stared at him stupidly. "Get your hand up, and strike at me before I grab you. Try it again."

He stood back and then lunged at her, and she brought her clenched fist down against his shoulder.

She froze, worried she'd hit him too hard.

"Good. Again."

They did it several times over, and she managed to get her hand up and in motion without too much effort.

"Keep your weight on your front foot and put some force into it if this happens for real."

"Can I do it to Jeff Beasley next time I see him in court?" Her heart raced a little.

"You know the answer to that better than I."

Being a lawyer and all.

"Well, damn."

"Next." Aaron stood back. "What are the vulnerable places to go for if someone attacks you?"

"On a guy? The balls."

Aaron took a step back and grinned. "I'm going to let Seth demonstrate this one."

"Chicken." The guy stepped forward. "But don't really hit me in the nuts because I don't want to cry in front of the guys."

Aaron helped her get into a fighting stance. It felt weird to feel his hands touching her even in a perfunctory way.

"Feet apart, weight on that stable front foot. As soon as he steps toward you, you bring that back leg forward and kick him between the legs. And then move out of range as fast as possible as he topples to the ground. You don't want him to take you with him."

He helped her get the rhythm of the kick by demonstrating beside her. "Practice with both legs when you have time. It's a simple movement but very effective if you connect."

They practiced a few times, Hopper catching her ankle when it got a little close to his pride and joy.

She grimaced. "Sorry."

The guy smiled. "No problem."

"Move in closer now," Aaron indicated.

Seth grabbed her shoulders.

Hope froze.

"You're okay, Hope." Aaron's voice slid over her. "If you're in this position, it means you're too close for a decent kick. Best use a knee to the groin instead. Then twist away to the side as he falls. Lose the coat if it means getting away. Let's practice without connecting."

They did so several times until she felt confident enough to grab onto Seth's T-shirt before twisting away.

"The other places with a lot of vulnerability are the throat or eyes."

Hope's stomach lurched at the idea of sinking her fingers into anyone's eyes, but she had to remember if she ever needed to use these moves, she'd be fighting for her life, and she didn't intend to lose.

"Let's try this one. Flex your wrist. Dominant hand." He took her arm and patted the heel of her hand. "Use this."

He moved her into position as Black watched from the couch.

"Jab upward to the nostrils or under the chin."

Black got up and demonstrated on Seth. Seth pulled back before being hit.

"Now you try it." He curled his fingers as if to say, "bring it on."

It felt empowering to do this, to learn how to defend herself.

Nobody mentioned the fact Leech had a gun or liked to use a sharp implement.

She balanced on the balls of her feet and then twisted, throwing her hand toward Aaron's nose. But she misjudged and expected him to jerk away and was horrified when she connected. He spun away and swore, holding his face.

"Oh my God! I'm sorry. So sorry."

Hope was even more mortified when Seth handed Aaron some tissues because he was bleeding.

Aaron swore again.

Seth and Black both started laughing, but it didn't ease her guilt.

Seth's cell dinged, and he checked it. "Sorry, I have to take this." He headed upstairs at a jog.

"Are you okay, Aaron?" she asked. "Let me get some ice."

Sebastian Black began to move the couches back into position. "I think that's enough fun for one day, but tomorrow we should work on what happens if someone grabs you from behind."

"Okay…"

He didn't seem bothered about the fact she'd smacked his colleague in the face.

Aaron headed into the kitchen, and she followed him.

She dug into the freezer drawer and pulled out some ice. Wrapped a clean dish towel around it. "Hold it against your nose. Don't worry about the cloth."

His eyes were watering. Blood smeared across his upper lip.

"I am so sorry, Aaron. I thought you were going to move."

"I thought you were going to pull the punch." He sounded amused rather than angry.

"I did pull the punch. I'm not very good at judging punches, apparently." She couldn't believe she'd made this man's nose bleed. And her with her secret little fantasies of seducing him. Giving him a nosebleed was much more in her wheelhouse.

He held his head over the sink, but the bleeding had slowed to a slight trickle.

"This was a terrible idea."

"Are you kidding me?" He looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "That was fantastic. You fucking nailed it. And me."

Hope wrung her hands together. "Despite my reputation, I'm not a violent person. The idea I hurt you, anyone…"

He caught one of her hands, and the touch of his warm fingers made something catch inside her chest.

"Don't let this put you off. In a real fight, don't pull your punches, and remember it's you or it's him. Only one of you will walk away, and the odds are in his favor because he doesn't mind causing pain." Those dark eyes of his held hers. "What you did when you hit me meant I couldn't see or think for a few seconds, and that would give you valuable time to get the hell out if it were a real-life situation."

She heard footsteps come into the living room and dropped his hand, taking a guilty step back.

He gave her a quizzical look then shifted his attention to Ryan, who carried two giant bowls of chili.

"Coming in hot." Ryan slid them onto the kitchen counter.

"I was about to head downstairs—" Aaron began.

"Wasn't sure, so I fetched two bowls. Alpha team are officially on the job now, and the actual alpha team are eating." He winced at Aaron's swollen nose. "I heard Hope clocked you. You look like you need a drink. Almost makes me feel sorry for you, and then I remember what happened Monday and find myself losing all sympathy."

Aaron narrowed his eyes at his colleague. "You deserved Monday."

"What happened on Monday?" asked Hope.

"Pain and humiliation with a hint of sadistic satisfaction." Ryan winked at her and then turned and walked away.