Chapter 8

I was in deep shit. I may have only known this woman for a day, but even I was smart enough to realize the intent behind that devious smile. Lily had plans for me—and I was going to hate every second of it.

I studied my surroundings as Lily shifted the transmission into gear and pulled out of the driveway. Trees lined both sides of the road, and I didn't see another house until we'd driven about a quarter of a mile. She hadn't been lying when she said she lived in the middle of nowhere. It was no wonder she didn't get decent cell or satellite reception where she lived.

The sun hung in the sky to our left, so I made a mental note of the fact that she lived just east of the town she had called Pine Ridge. Judging from the position of her house, I had approached from somewhere in the northeast. I wasn't exactly sure just how far I had traveled, or in what direction. Most of it was a blur after I had managed to escape the basement where I'd been held.

I slid a look at Lily as she handled the curvy roads with deft, sure motions. She had gone along with my situation readily enough, and I wondered why. Judging from her reaction this morning, I was almost certain that she wasn't in any way involved. But I couldn't rule out the fact that someone close by might recognize me. I'd met my fair share of corrupt politicians and crooked cops, and I didn't trust anyone other than myself.

I was sorely tempted this morning to explain to Lily what had happened. The fear in her eyes had almost been too much. But then she had started running that smart mouth of hers again, and I immediately clammed up. I was beginning to understand her more and more. She dealt with fear by putting on a brave fa?ade, acting like nothing could bother her.

She seemed to be itching for a fight, and I could tell it irked the hell out of her that I didn't fight back. I would eventually, but I was biding my time. I would wait until the right moment, once I was sure of her innocence. I knew it was going to catch her off guard, probably even piss her off.

The thought sent a little thrill of exhilaration shooting through me. Was it wrong of me? Maybe. But I couldn't bring myself to care. I'd learned far more about her than I would have if I'd spent the past twenty-four hours arguing with her. I'd only ever met one other woman like her, and that was my boss's girl, Eva.

I immediately sobered. Eva and I had hated each other initially, but she'd proven that she loved Fox more than anything in the world. Unfortunately, her loyalty had been her downfall.

Fox had spent his life trying to track down a criminal by the name of Ara?a. The man ran an elaborate ring of child trafficking, and his hands were stained with blood. When Eva and I left the house that day, neither of us could have guessed that Ara?a would be so close. My last memory was of her screaming as she was restrained, then hauled away.

It was one of the many reasons I couldn't face Fox. It didn't matter that I had been by his side for more than a decade; my actions had cost him the only woman he ever loved.

Though I could never go back to my old life, the unknown plagued me. I needed to know what had happened that day—and Lily was my key to getting answers. I needed to earn her trust, at least a little bit, so I could fit together the pieces of the puzzle.

First I had to access a map so I could pinpoint the house where I'd been held. Once I discovered the location, I could inform Fox. He would want to make the men's last moments as painful as possible.

Lily steered the car into a parking lot behind a small, red brick plaza, then climbed out. I followed, my gaze scanning everything around us as I followed her to the employee entrance. The rioting scents of various flowers hit me the moment the door opened. Though I wasn't a flowery kind of guy, it wasn't altogether unpleasant.

Inside, she locked up, then turned on the lights. A long workbench was situated in the middle of the room, surrounded by coolers which housed hundreds of flowers. I was amazed. I'd never seen anything like it.

Lily paused just long enough to put her purse and keys on a small desk tucked into the corner. A bright purple smock hung on a hook, and she retrieved it. But instead of belting it around her waist, she held it out to me, a bright smile on her face. "Here you go. For my special helper."

I stared down at her. No way in hell was I wearing that thing. Her expression turned positively gleeful. "It was so thoughtful of you to come with me to work. But if you're going to stick around, you'll need to wear the uniform."

I narrowed my eyes at her, conveying how very close she was to pushing me over the edge. Her smile only grew. "If you'd rather go back home, I can call Sheriff Donahue and ask him to give you a ride."

I blinked once, long and slow, mentally vowing retribution. I snatched the apron from her fingers and tied the atrocity around my waist. She pressed her lips together as if to keep from bursting into laughter. "Adorable."

I leveled her with a glare. This was the furthest thing from adorable. I looked fucking ridiculous. But I would let her have her fun. For now.

With a giddy bounce in her step, obviously at my expense, Lily crossed to one large cooler. She reached in, selected two floral arrangements, then passed them to me. Collecting her own, she moved toward the shop. A large window filled part of the wall, presumably allowing Lily to see new customers enter the shop if she was busy.

A doorway off to the left connected the two rooms, and I followed Lily as she made her way into the showroom. She tipped her head toward a shelving unit along the left wall. "Put those there, please."

I did as she directed, and various pieces of jewelry interspersed on the shelves caught my attention. I fingered a necklace, its gemstone a deep, blood red. Lily moved to my side and took a moment to perfect the arrangements I'd carried over.

She tossed a quick look my way as I held up the necklace. "That's mine. I make jewelry too. I know it's hard to imagine, but flowers don't sell all that well in a village of 2500 people. I dabble in all kinds of things," she continued as I replaced the necklace. "Wind chimes, garden flags and stones... Pretty much anything I think people will buy."

She gestured to the various framed pictures and snapshots that hung on the walls. "I work with a few local artists, too. They showcase their work here and, if it sells, I get a small commission."

I was more than a little impressed, and my expression must have conveyed it because a bright smile curved Lily's face. Just as quickly she seemed to catch herself, and she schooled her features before striding toward a counter situated against the far wall.

My gaze immediately lit on a computer situated at the counter. Could I access the internet from there and check on things back home? I would have to be careful in my search. These were powerful people; if they were watching for searches, I didn't want to lead them here.

Lily booted up the computer and prepped the cash register, then turned to me. "Could you bring in the rest of the arrangements? Just from the red cooler. You can put them anywhere."

I found the cooler—marked by a simple strip of red tape—then gathered the arrangements and carried them to the showroom.

"Thanks," she said as I set them on a display table. "We have an order for the resort on the mountain, so I'll need to make a delivery up there later this afternoon."

Lily unlocked the front door, and I drifted into the back room as an elderly woman entered almost immediately. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, so I walked around the room, peeking in cabinets and drawers.

I glanced down at the ridiculous ruffled apron and scowled. Certainly she wasn't serious about me wearing this damn thing. My fingers had just closed around the strings when the bell over the door jingled once more.

"Hey!" Lily greeted the newcomer. "How are you doing?"

"Good, thanks," came a cordial masculine voice. "How about you?"

I didn't hear Lily's response as the bell over the door jingled and the man's voice reverberated through the space. "Have a nice day, Mrs. Garber."

The door closed again with a soft thump, and the tread of footsteps filled the air. "Business booming?"

Lily laughed. "I wish."

"I'm sure it'll pick up." The man's voice dropped several octaves as he moved deeper into the room. "Glad I caught you alone. I need to talk to you about something."

My nerve endings prickled at the man's low, smooth tone. What the hell did he want with Lily?

Edging close to the wall, I peered through the large window overlooking the showroom. The man moved closer to Lily, putting him directly in my line of sight. Everything inside me stilled at the sight of the discerning scar that ran the length of his face.

I'd seen this man before. I racked my brain, drawing back on every encounter until it clicked: he was crime boss Matteo Capaldi's right hand man.

Capaldi had taken over the Chicago outfit with brutal force, and the men were all wildly unpredictable. I'd attended a meeting with Fox months ago where the man had been present. The fact that he was here in Pine Ridge sent alarm bells ringing in the back of my mind.

Ducking low, I stayed clear of the window as I quietly pulled open a drawer and grabbed a pair of shears. Too bad I'd left the knife at Lily's house. It was a mistake I wouldn't make again. I adjusted my grip on the weapon as I moved closer, calculating the distance between us.

Lily was caught in the crosshairs of a very deadly game. It was my responsibility to save her.