Up in Smoke Page 26

  Dammit, if he kept thinking about it, they would have to leave. And he kept her to himself too often to drag her away once again.

  Suppressing his growing need, he jerked his chin toward the backyard full of cops they’d just escaped from. “How are you doing with all the people?”

  “Pretty well, I think.” She dragged her fingers lightly down his arm, making his muscles jump beneath her touch. “Anyway, if anyone tries to corner me, I’ll just hop the fence.”

  He smiled, secure in the knowledge that she was joking. “How many steps to the street?”

  “I have no idea,” she whispered, giving him the same answer she gave him every day now. “All I need to know is if I jump the fence, you’ll come with me.”

  “Damn right.” Connor leaned in to kiss her again. How could he help it?

  After a slow-burning kiss, she pulled back. “I have to tell you something.”

  She looked nervous, so he smoothed a thumb between her eyebrows. Didn’t she know by now there was nothing she could say that could hurt them? “What is it, sweetheart?”

  “You asked me a while ago what I wanted to do with the money. Well, I decided.” She wet her lips. “I kept thinking about the schoolteacher…the one you told me about? The one who smiled every day and the children loved her?”

  Connor nodded, unable to speak. What was she saying?

  “I asked Polly to look into your military file. Find out the name of the village you were in when…the incident happened.” She seemed to be searching his eyes for a reaction, but he couldn’t give her one yet. He was too stunned. “It was easy from that point on since there’s only one school in the village. She…Ashira…still teaches at the school. I sent her half the money and the rest to the school.”

  So many feelings were at war inside him, he didn’t know which to address first. Gratitude, awe, love for this amazing girl. There was another part of him that wished he’d done a better job convincing her to keep some of the money for herself. Convincing her she deserved it, that it might come tainted but if it was hers, it could never remain that way.

  “I don’t know what she’ll do with it,” she continued. “Maybe she’ll give it to her husband. Maybe she’ll leave and find a better life. But if you saw the good in her, then I know it’s there.”

  In the end, all he could do was grasp her face between his hands and attempt to fight the emotion clogging his throat. “Erin, I don’t know what to say.”

  “You gave me a place to feel safe. You made me feel safe. I just wanted to pass that feeling on to someone else.” She turned her head and kissed his hand. The hands that were the first to touch her without pain. Thank God. “Connor, you freed me.”

  The weight of his love for her closed in around him until all he could see was her, the center of his universe. His breath. His sustenance. “No, Erin.” He buried his face in her hair and inhaled. “We freed each other.”

  Austin settled back against the brick wall with his newspaper, pretending to peruse the finance section. He’d gone with the reliable hipster businessman look today, one of his favorites because it only required thick black-rimmed glasses, a fake beard, and a unique suit. The suit in question was camel-colored, with an eagle embroidered on the breast pocket. He’d picked it up years ago at a thrift shop in London, knowing it would come in handy, but also because it appealed to his sense of humor. The mannerisms for this particular character were easy enough to carry out. Look bored, pretend you don’t notice everyone eyeballing your silly throwback attire, turn the newspaper page with efficiency. Try to impress on everyone passing by that you are interesting. You are special. But you don’t feel like talking.

  He tilted his wrist and consulted his watch, once again casting a look across the street toward the dance studio. Five more minutes.

  Really, he shouldn’t be here. He should have stayed at the damnable barbecue and listened to cops swap potato salad recipes. That’s where he should be, but instead he was here. Somewhere he’d promised himself he wouldn’t go. It only made matters worse each time. Then again, hadn’t his entire move to Chicago been about this place? This person? Oh, he’d told himself moving here had been about the job, but he didn’t care a whit for the job. Might have quit after the first day, if it weren’t for the girl. Polly. Keeper of secrets. Secrets he wanted to know, if only to figure out what was taking place behind her green eyes. Watchful eyes that saw right through him as if he were invisible.

  Or so she tried to pretend.

  He knew all about pretending, though, so he was supremely qualified to call bullshit.

  She’d been the only one who didn’t laugh that afternoon at the barbecue when he’d proven himself a shitty babysitter. One single minute. He hadn’t been able to hold the captain’s baby a single minute while Ginger, his wife, refreshed her guests’ drinks. Not because he didn’t know how to hold a baby. But because it was too hard. It had conjured memories to the surface like a sorcerer and landed him here. Where he shouldn’t be.

  Across the street, the dance studio door opened. A smiling woman in an oversize sweatshirt stepped out and propped the exit open with a block of wood. Two tiny girls in ballerina costumes skipped out holding water bottles, their chatter audible all the way where he stood. His gaze remained glued to the open doorway, waiting, the breath frozen in his lungs.

  There. A redhead he knew to be three, almost four years old walked out, much slower than the other girls. She looked serious. Too serious. Her head was bent over a cloth doll, her mouth moving as if speaking to the inanimate object. What was she saying? As if he’d asked the question out loud, as if she were close enough to hear it, her chin lifted up and she looked directly at him.

  His daughter was looking right at him.

  Time started to crawl. The newspaper in his hands started to feel like a prop, which meant he was dropping character. Bored. You don’t see her. She’s just an extra in your movie.

  The prompts didn’t work this time. His palms were sweating so profusely, the newspaper turned insubstantial in his hands. Quickly, he dropped to one knee on the sidewalk and shoved the newspaper into his leather satchel. He needed to sling the bag over his shoulder and disappear into the train station, but he couldn’t force his legs to move, knowing she was so close after all this time.

  One more look. Just one more.

  But when he looked up, she was gone.

  Austin nodded jerkily. For the best. It was for the best. Ignoring the looks from passersby, this time centered on his off behavior more than the blasted eagle on his pocket, he shoved his headphones into his ears, turned up Zeppelin to full volume and ran in the opposite direction of where he’d seen her.

  Old habits died hard.

  Acknowledgments

  To my husband, Patrick, for being the best kind of badass man. The kind who isn’t cowed by the idea of his wife being the breadwinner, while he does the bulk of raising a child. Our daughter will be twice the woman for having spent so much quality time with her father, because that, Mackenzie, is how a real, secure man behaves. Thank you, Patrick, for being an amazing man, father, and husband.

  To my daughter, Mackenzie. I never would have started writing again if you hadn’t shown up. You made me want to be the kind of mother you could be proud of. Thank you.

  To my editor Heather Howland, for believing in this series and my characters. For believing in me. And paying such close attention to detail. Not to mention, designing some seriously amazing covers for Crossing the Line. Thank you.

  To Liz Pelletier, for believing in the series enough to give me my very first book on bookstore shelves. What a surreal experience. Thank you so much.

  To Katie Clapsadl, Meredith Johnson, and Jessica Turner for doing such a great job on the publicity side of things. I’m so appreciative. Thank you.

  To Bailey’s Babes—we’ve come a long way! Thank you for sharing every day with me, and for being excited about my books. There are not enough words to thank you ladies.

  To th
e bloggers/reviewers who continually read my books and recommend them to their followers, much of my success is owed to you. Thank you.

  About the Author

  New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Tessa Bailey lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and young daughter. When she isn’t writing or reading romance, she enjoys a good argument and thirty-minute recipes.

  www.tessabailey.com

  www.entangledpublishing.com

  Readers are raving about the

  Crossing the Line series!

  Risking it All

  Three years ago, Seraphina Newsom’s brother was gunned down by a ruthless mob kingpin. In order to take down the killer, Sera has gone undercover unsanctioned. Alone. Her only protection lies with Bowen Driscol, the reluctant new head of South Brooklyn’s crime family, who the NYPD blackmailed into pulling her out. But when the two meet and Bowen feels a deep, damning shiver of desire, he knows there’s only one way to keep her safe…to claim her as his own.

  His Risk to Take

  Riskier Business

  Find out where it all began with

  Tessa Bailey’s bestselling Line of Duty series…

  Protecting What’s His

  Sassy bartender Ginger Peet just committed the perfect crime. Life-sized Dolly Parton statue in tow, Ginger and her sister flee Nashville. But their new neighbor, straight-laced Chicago homicide cop Derek Tyler, knows something’s up—something big—and he won’t rest until Ginger’s safe…and in his bed for good.

  Officer Off Limits

  Asking for Trouble

  Staking His Claim

  Protecting What’s Theirs

  Unfixable

  For more Sexy, suspenseful reads, check out…

  BROKEN HONOR by Tonya Burrows

  Ice-cold and unbreakable, Travis Quinn is the HORNET team’s hard-ass. Despite the blanks in his memory, Quinn remembers everything about Mara Escareno—the curve of her lips, the feel of her body, and how he walked out on her suddenly six weeks ago. Now Mara is pregnant with his baby. But before Quinn can fully process the news, she’s kidnapped by his enemies and plunged into the merciless world of human trafficking. Because now Quinn’s enemies have discovered his only weakness...Mara.

  Rules of Protection by Alison Bliss

  Rule breaker Emily Foster just wanted some action on her birthday. Instead she witnessed a mob hit and is whisked into witness protection, with by-the-book Special Agent Jake Ward as her chaperone. They end up deep in the Texas backwoods. The city-girl might be safe from the Mafia, but now she has to contend with a psychotic rooster, a narcoleptic dog, crazy cowboys, and the danger of losing her heart to the one man she can’t have. But while Jake’s determined to keep her out of the wrong hands, she’s determined to get into the right ones. His.

  CONVICTED by Dee Tenorio

  Retired Marine and new Sheriff’s Deputy Cade Evigan is on a mission to weed out a violent motorcycle crew from a small mountain town. Deep cover DEA Agent Katrina Killian is the last person he needs to fall for—especially when she appears to be one of the criminals he’s out to take down. Unable to risk either of their lives with the truth, Katrina has to play both ends against the middle to keep Cade safe. But lies can only last so long and her time has just run out…

  PROTECTOR for Hire by Tawna Fenske

  After an accident that cost lives and ended his military career, Schwartz Patton vanished into the Montana wilderness. Only his brother, Grant, knows how to reach him, and only if there’s an emergency. That emergency comes in the form of a blue-eyed city girl running for her life. Despite not seeing eye to eye on, well, anything, sparks fly between them, making it clear his isolated sanctuary will never be the same. Schwartz knows he’s screwed. Because even if he can keep Janelle hidden and safe, he’s not sure he can do the same for his heart...

  Alive at Five by Linda Bond

  When Samantha’s mentor dies while skydiving, she suspects he was murdered. Her investigative instincts lead her to irresistibly gorgeous Zack Hunter. An undercover police officer, Zack is investigating his uncle’s diving death with the same adventure vacation company. He doesn’t want Samantha’s help because he’s terrified of being responsible for a partner again. Still, Samantha’s persistence is quite a turn-on, and he finds it harder and harder to stay away from her. But when the killer turns his attention to Zack, Samantha could be the only one who can save him.

  High-Heeled Wonder by Avery Flynn

  Sylvie Bissette is the woman behind The High-Heeled Wonder, a must-read blog for fashionistas everywhere. Tony Falcon wouldn’t know a kitten heel from a tabby cat, but when a murder investigation leads him to Sylvie, he realizes the feisty fashionista may be his best chance at catching the criminals who killed his best friend. But solving that case means going after the people Sylvie cares about, and soon his attraction for her—and the danger she’s in—has him wondering if solving the case is worth hurting the woman he can’t stop fantasizing about…