Edge of Danger (San Antonio Security #2)

Chapter Ten

It had taken three days for Brax’s friend to fix Tessa’s phone. When Brax had come home Wednesday night, he’d presented it like a great treasure. “Here you go. Your key to freedom.”

She couldn’t help beaming at how happy it made him to provide her with a phone, even if she didn’t quite understand the connection between it and her freedom.

Still, she’d accepted the gesture and thanked him profusely. “Not to be picky, but this isn’t a car,” she’d reminded him. “I’m not exactly free.”

“Sure, you are. Don’t I keep telling you to use my car? In fact...” His charming grin had widened, making him almost irresistible. “I took tomorrow off so you can go out. Do whatever it is you want to do.”

Ice had formed in her stomach. “I can’t do that. It’s—”

“It’s only fair to you,” he’d insisted, kind but firm. He had that way about him. A gentleness that didn’t seem to mix with his physical size and line of work. “You’ve been working so hard. Two weeks without a break.”

“It’s nothing.”

His brow had lowered. “Tessa, we both know I know what you go through with him. You might have more experience, but still. It’s no cakewalk. Now that you have your phone back, we can both breathe a little easier. I know you didn’t want to leave the house on your own without a phone handy.”

“And you weren’t crazy about the idea either.”

“That’s true.” His smile had softened along with his voice. “Go out. Take care of yourself. Just for a day. You deserve it.”

Which was what had led her to a mall in San Antonio. Even that morning, she’d resisted leaving the house until Brax had teased her, calling her “mother hen” since she was so worried about leaving Walker.

Mother. The thought that he might know something had carried her out of the house in a blink. While he didn’t seem like the type to play games, there was no telling. After all, Brax was related to Robert, the king of game players. She couldn’t put anything past him.

For all her worrying, though, it felt good to walk through the mall. How long had it been since she’d taken the time to window shop? She couldn’t remember the last time.

When she was a kid, the mall had been the place to hang out. Even then, however, older kids and her parents had talked about the way things used to be. Back before online and big box store shopping had chipped away at mall culture.

There were a couple of groups of kids there in the late afternoon, long after school would’ve let out for the day. Otherwise, the only shoppers were older people. Some of them looked like they were getting exercise rather than paying any attention to store windows.

She paused at a baby store and smiled at a sweet nursery set, then studied a bouncy swing and wondered if it would be right for Walker. Granted, she didn’t have the money for it—all of her money was stashed in her purse, every penny Brax had paid her up to this point minus the cost of a few necessities—but she might be able to talk him into it. Walker needed to build up his legs.

She knew Brax would deny him nothing. If he had his way, her son would grow up spoiled beyond all reason.

That didn’t do anything to loosen the smile from her face. She caught sight of her reflection. She looked so happy.

All things considered, she didn’t have any reason to be unhappy.

So what if she carried all her money around with her in case she needed to make a run for it?

So what if she still entertained the idea of running away with her baby from time to time? In the dark of night, lying in bed in Brax’s guest room, sometimes that idea would sneak up on her. She couldn’t get rid of it.

She stopped in front of a boutique to admire the mannequins in their spangly cocktail dresses. What would it be like to live the sort of life where she needed a dress like this? To get all fancied up and go out on the town?

On Brax’s arm?

Another dangerous train of thought that also tended to visit her in the night.

She turned away from the window and checked her phone for the millionth time since leaving the house. No calls from Brax. Walker didn’t need her.

She couldn’t be separated from him again. Even a trip to the mall was too much time spent apart from her baby. Especially after what Robert had done.

Brax wasn’t expecting her for at least another hour or two, but that didn’t matter. She couldn’t bear to be away from Walker for another minute.

It was getting dark by then. Time had slipped by while she’d wandered the mall. Was it possible for Walker to be afraid she’d left him—again? No, he was too young, wasn’t he?

She wandered through a nearly empty parking lot and silently cursed herself for not parking under a light. Relieved to finally open the car door, something slammed into her from behind and sent her sprawling across the driver’s side of Brax’s car.

Not something. Someone.

Someone yanked her out of the car by her hair, pushed her against the door and pressed a gun against her back. “Quiet,” a man rasped close to her ear, “or I’ll blow a hole through you. You’ve already been more trouble than you’re worth.”

Bile rose in her throat. There was nobody to help her. Not a soul anywhere nearby.

“Where is Robert?”

“I don’t know.” She could barely hear herself, so she tried again. “I don’t know where he is. I swear it.”

“Where’ve you been for almost three weeks now? Is he out here? Is that why you came all this way?”

“I’m telling you. I don’t have the first idea where he is. You’re wasting your time.”

That only earned her a jab in the back as he pressed the gun harder. “Where’s the kid? You hiding him too?”

She swallowed against her rising horror, then gritted her teeth. How dare he even speak of her son?

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t know any kid.” She turned her head just slightly, enough to make out part of the man’s pockmarked face. “I’m telling you. Robert didn’t exactly leave things on good terms between us. I might kill him myself if I ever see him again.”

At least that part was true.

“Then who are you out here with? You ain’t got no family. We know that much about you.”

But they didn’t know whether or not she was the mother of Robert’s baby or where Walker was. They weren’t as smart as they thought.

And they didn’t know about Brax either. Otherwise, this thug would’ve mentioned him, if not by name, at least by description.

“It’s none of your business. I already knew I made a mistake hooking up with Robert. I didn’t know that mistake would haunt me this long.” Also not a lie.

“Listen up.” His body pressed her tighter against the car—the keys, wedged between her body and the door, dug into her ribs, but she didn’t dare shift her weight or even breathe too deeply. “You better find out where Robert is and fast. We’ll be watching you from now on, and we won’t be so gentle next time.”

He had her purse before she could think to react, shoving her against the car one last time. Her ribs screamed in protest as the breath left her lungs in a single rush and the world went slightly gray.

The squealing tires weren’t loud enough to drown out the rush of blood in her ears.

Her purse. Her phone. All that money she’d been carrying around in case she needed to make a getaway. Everything she had in the world. Gone. Again.

But she was alive. And she had the car keys in her fist.

Once she was sure the other car was out of the lot, she opened the door and slid behind the wheel as gingerly as she could. Her ribs would hurt for a day or two, but that was fine compared to what might’ve happened.

“Breathe,” she whispered, doing everything she could to drive normally. To not attract attention. It wouldn’t do her any good to get pulled over when she’d just lost her license to a thug with a gun.

Somehow, she made it to the house without anyone following her there. With such light traffic, it would be difficult for anyone to follow her without being noticed. Another pair of headlights would stick out like a sore thumb, and no way could anybody drive that dirt road in the dark without flipping on their lights.

Her legs shook hard enough to send her tumbling into the house. Brax was by her side in an instant. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

Was he holding her up? Yes, he was. She was in his arms, and he was holding her against him, and that was good. That was what she needed.

“My...my purse got stolen by some kids in the parking lot at the mall.” Lies slid so easily out of her mouth nowadays.

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

“Not really. One of them knocked me against the car, and I was dazed for a second. But that was it.”

“How many were there? How old were they? Male, female?”

“Brax, please.” She touched her forehead to his chest. “Let me breathe.”

“Of course. I’m sorry.” He held the back of her head in one hand, cradling it while his other arm held her close. “I’m so sorry that happened to you. You’re safe now.”

Safe. She barely managed to hold back a panicky laugh. There was no such thing as safe, not now. Maybe there never had been.

How could he keep her safe when she couldn’t tell him the truth?

“I’ll call some of my contacts with the San Antonio PD.”

“No.” She lifted her head. “Don’t do that.”

“Why not? They stole your purse, the little—”

“They’re kids. I don’t think what they did was okay, but let’s face it. I doubt I’ll ever get anything back at this point. I should’ve parked closer to the mall. I shouldn’t have stayed so late when there was hardly anybody there.”

“This isn’t your fault. Don’t blame yourself.” He touched her cheek with the backs of his fingers, letting them glide down to her jaw. The tenderness of this gesture both eased her and stirred something deep inside her to life. “You’re positive you aren’t hurt?”

“I’m not hurt—and that’s another reason to let this go. It isn’t worth the time it would take for me to go to the station and fill out a report. I’ll never see my purse again.”

“You’re still shaking.” He guided her to the couch. “Sit. Rest. You’ve been through a lot.”

He had no idea.

What would happen if they found her? Watched her? Saw her with Walker?

What about Brax? What would they do to him if he tried to help her?

“It’s been a stressful evening so far.” She slid the elastic from her hair and shook it out over her shoulders, scrubbing her fingers into her scalp. What was she supposed to do now? She didn’t even have her escape money. Nothing to support Walker with.

“It’s been a stressful couple of weeks.” Brax sat beside her, close enough for their legs to touch. She would normally have moved away out of reflex, but not now. Not when she needed the comfort of his nearness.

“It has, I guess. But I love it,” she insisted, looking at him in mixed earnestness and panic. What was he leading up to? “I love being with Walker. I’m happy here.”

“You need to step back, though. I’ve put too much in your hands. You’re here alone all day. It would get to anybody.”

It was a sick joke. Here he was, concerned for her and completely missing the mark. This sweet, caring, generous man.

And all she could do was lie.

“Tomorrow’s Friday,” he mused. “Why don’t you take the weekend off? I don’t have anything pressing to manage. I could take Walker to meet my parents, and you can have the whole weekend to yourself. Think of it as a mini-vacation. Treat yourself. Go stay with some friends.”

She bit back a hysterical laugh. What friends ?

“I’ll borrow one of my brothers’ cars for the weekend, and you can take mine. If you get ticketed for driving without a license, call me and I’ll use one of the favors the San Antonio PD owes me to get you out of it.” He stood, smiling like it was all settled. “I should finish making dinner. I’m not half the cook you are, but you’ve inspired me to break out the pots and pans.”

How was she supposed to say no? She had no legitimate reason to. He didn’t know she’d lost every cent she had to her name—he thought she had a bank account, for heaven’s sake, and that she’d been depositing the generous amounts of cash he paid.

There was no fighting it. She had no reason to say no unless she felt like confessing the entire truth. That wasn’t going to happen.

“Okay.” She shrugged with a sinking heart. “Sounds great.”