Edge of Danger (San Antonio Security #2)

Chapter Thirteen

Tessa opened her eyes slowly. Why were they so heavy? It would be better to go back to sleep. She was so comfortable...

It all rushed back at once before sleep could overtake her again.

The fight in the parking lot. The zigzagging around trying to lose the men following them. Doing the same thing by herself, terrified, unable to call anybody for help.

Her eyes opened fully, and she looked around. Where was she?

The hazy memory of Brax leading her into the house came back in pieces. Only once she’d seen Walker for herself did she let Brax put her to bed. Everything was blank after that.

She’d had a breakdown. The memory made her wince in embarrassment. He had to think she was off her rocker. She couldn’t help it, though, not when he’d told her she had to go. The idea of being kept away from Walker again was too much.

It had broken her. Combined with the fear and exhaustion, she had lost her grip. There’d been nothing left in her.

Now, she had to find a way to look him in the eye. It was humiliating.

He would have questions. Although for some reason, it was as if he blamed himself for those goons coming after her. Why would he think that? Now that she could think clearly, it was obvious he’d told her to look for another job because he thought it was for the best. Hadn’t he mentioned her safety?

Or was that just an excuse to get rid of her?

Judging by the amber light coming through the window, she’d slept most of the day away. Great, now his entire family would think she was a crackpot or a druggie like Robert had claimed.

Humiliating or not, she had to get out of bed and face the consequences of her actions.

After freshening up in the hall bathroom, she crept downstairs. There were voices in the kitchen, one of which was Brax’s. Would he hate her? Or—and this was somehow worse—pity her?

“Hey, look who’s up,” Brax greeted her with a smile. He slid out the chair next to him at the long table. “How are you feeling?”

“Better now that I’ve slept, thanks.”

What mattered more than anything, what her eyes kept darting over to look at, was her son. He was in the arms of a beautiful woman with a warm smile. Even when Walker took a fistful of her dark hair and pulled, she only laughed indulgently.

“Tessa? I’m Clinton Patterson.” Brax’s dad. His large hand engulfed hers. “And this is my wife, Sheila.”

“I’m glad to meet you. Thank you for letting me sleep here for a little while. I was—”

“Think nothing of it.” There wasn’t so much as a hint of anything but pure kindness in Sheila’s voice, in her expression. “I’m glad to see you looking better. We were worried about you when you first got here. You looked worn out.”

That was an understatement.

Walker burst out with a string of very forceful babble, making them all laugh. “This one’s going to have a lot to say once he learns to talk, isn’t he?” Clinton leaned over him, making funny faces, and Walker giggled before taking one of the man’s fingers in his fist.

“What a grip!” Clinton gasped in mock surprise, which made Walker giggle again.

They were sweet people, but then she’d figured that out already. The sort of people with room in their hearts for children in need of love. Watching them take to Walker the way they did was a beautiful thing.

Though pretending she didn’t ache to hold him wasn’t exactly easy.

Clinton turned to Brax. “While I have you here, can you help me move some boxes in the garage?”

“Sure.” Brax glanced at Tessa like he was wary of leaving her alone with his mom. She did her best not to look too nervous.

It helped that Walker seemed so happy. Sheila bounced him on her hip with a grin that almost touched her ears. “He’s such a sweetheart.”

“He is,” Tessa agreed. She folded her arms across her chest to keep from reaching for him. It was torture not being able to hold him after everything she’d gone through in the past twenty-four hours.

“I’m about to get dinner started.” Sheila appeared to study Tessa, arching an eyebrow. “Can you hold him for me while I cook?”

“Yes, of course.” It was nothing less than a gift. She held out her arms and gratefully accepted her baby, hugging him tight and kissing his forehead. “Hey, buddy. I missed you.”

“It’s nice to have a baby around.” Sheila got to work chopping vegetables. “So, tell me about yourself. Brax says you’ve been a miracle. I guess you can understand how unprepared he was.”

She sensed Walker’s honorary grandmother was giving her the third degree, but at least Sheila was kind and gentle about it.

“There isn’t much to tell,” Tessa admitted. “My parents died in a car accident two years ago. I’ve been on my own since then.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.” It wasn’t mere lip service. Sincerity poured from her.

“It sort of derailed my plans,” she continued. “You know, college and all that. I had to focus on supporting myself.”

“Naturally.” Sheila glanced up from the cutting board. “So, you’re a nanny now?”

“Right. I love it. I love being around kids.” One in particular, whose head she kissed again.

“I know the feeling. It’s part of the reason my husband and I decided to adopt. That, and we shared a desire to provide what children were missing. Like Brax, for example.”

Tessa listened harder. She couldn’t help it.

“He’s a charmer, my son,” Sheila chuckled before blowing a whistle between pursed lips. “He could charm the birds from the trees, that one. Always quick with a smile or a joke. Very clever too. Many’s the time I wished he wasn’t half so clever.”

Tessa grinned. “I bet.”

“But it could’ve turned out much differently.” Sheila wasn’t joking anymore. Her brows drew together. “He was alone for most of his childhood. Neglected. Very poor. It seems to me he remembers that experience and the memories are what make him determined to help others. He’s protective of people in similar situations. All alone, fending for themselves.”

“I see.”

“I would hate to see anybody take advantage of that.”

They exchanged a look that spoke volumes, said more than words ever could. “I would hate that too,” Tessa murmured.

“I thought you would.” Sheila wiped her hands on her apron before going to the fridge. “He was a tough nut to crack, even though it might be hard to imagine now. It took a while to get through to him. He held a lot of secrets he wasn’t ready to share. That’s a heavy burden for anyone to carry.”

The woman’s back was to her, half-bent while looking through the fridge, so Tessa couldn’t see her face. How much did she know? Why was she conveniently talking about secrets?

What had Brax told her?

It couldn’t have been anything too bad, since Sheila was smiling when she turned back toward Tessa and Walker. “It’s important to trust people, I think. Good people. Brax is a good man—all of my sons are. They’ve helped so many. It seems they have a limitless capacity for compassion and service.”

“And they have you to thank for that.”

“I can’t take all the credit. My husband had a hand in it too.”

“Hey.” Brax joined them a moment later, looking between the women like he was trying to decide if everything was okay. “How’s it going in here?”

“Oh, you know. Just chatting while Walker does his darndest to understand what we’re saying.” Sheila beamed at Walker, who waved his fists.

Brax touched Tessa’s back. “We’d better get moving.”

Sheila sighed. “I was fixing dinner for you!”

“Sorry. I need to talk to the others about what happened this morning and I have to pick up my car. Chance would probably like his Jeep back at some point.” He looked to Tessa with a sheepish shrug. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t owe me an apology.” They got Walker’s things together and said goodbye to the Pattersons.

“I expect to see you both again, and soon.” Sheila hugged Tessa before letting her out the door, then kissed Walker’s chubby cheeks. “I could just eat him up.”

“Not if I do it first.” They laughed together before Tessa followed Brax to the Jeep.

Inside the Jeep was a different story. There was no laughter.

In fact, Brax looked downright murderous. “I have to tell you something I should’ve told you way before now. I never imagined it would seep into my personal life.”

“What is it?”

“I’m testifying in a few days against the Riviera cartel. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of them.”

“I’d have to be living under a rock to never hear the name.”

“Yeah, well, it looks like they already put one of the two witnesses out of commission. I don’t know whether the heart attack he had was natural or induced. Either way, it looks like they’re coming after me now. I was so confident they didn’t know who I was, but what other explanation is there?”

Silence hung heavy between them as Tessa struggled to process this. “You...think what happened this morning was related to the cartel trouble?”

“They found my car. Why else would they be looking for it? That’s why I wanted to let you go. I didn’t want you to suffer over this again. You’ve been through enough because of me.”

On one hand, her heart swelled at the thought of him caring that much about her. Wanting to keep her out of harm’s way.

On the other hand, she just about wanted to melt away under the weight of her guilt. He thought he was the reason she was being stalked.

Sheila’s comment about the burden of secrets rang out in Tessa’s memory. That was no random piece of wisdom—she’d known it at the time too. Sheila Patterson was a mother through and through, dropping little bits of advice without coming right out with the unvarnished facts.

There was nothing left to do but tell the truth. She owed it to Brax.

She owed it to her son.

What if he takes Walker away? The question made her shiver. The fact was, unless they played it safe from now on, one of the goons looking for Robert might kidnap Walker to get to him. More than likely Robert wouldn’t care. He’d be too concerned about his own life to worry about his son’s.

But those creeps wouldn’t know that, would they?

Walker’s safety meant more than anything.

So much, in fact, that Tessa cleared her throat. “There’s something you need to know. I should’ve told you from the beginning, but I was too afraid.”

“Afraid? Of what?” He didn’t sound surprised, she noticed. He’d always treated her like he was waiting for her to come clean about something or other. Like he would accept her explanations even if he didn’t actually believe them.

The phone rang before she could continue. Brax touched a button on the steering wheel to answer. “Hello?”

“It’s Weston.” He didn’t sound happy. “Is Tessa with you?”

“Yeah, she’s right here.” Brax glanced her way.

She couldn’t breathe.

“I’m sorry to tell you this,” Weston continued, “but she isn’t who she says she is. You need to be careful.”