Page 15 of Shadow Redemption
“I’ll be sure to remind you when the occasion calls for it. Why did you call me sunshine?”
“You remind me of a beam of sunlight spearing through the clouds on a gloomy day.” He wanted to laugh at himself. Listen to him waxing poetic. The truth was, Ruth was the sunshine to his darkness. She lit up a room when she walked in.
Her fingers tightened on his. “I like it. No one’s called me by a nickname that meant something since I lost my father.” Ruth settled deeper into the seat and sipped her tea as the minutes passed in silence.
Ben divided his attention between her, the road in front of him, and the mirrors. Although it wouldn’t be a stretch to realize he was taking her home, he didn’t like surprises. He activated his Bluetooth and called Cal.
“Yeah, Taylor.”
“It’s Ben. I need a favor.”
“What do you need?”
“Help with a night shift.”
“When and where?”
He gave his friend the details and received immediate agreement to lend a few hours to keep watch. “Thanks, Cal.”
“Yep. See you in a few minutes.” He ended the call.
“He must be a good friend.” Ruth set her tea in the cup holder.
“Why do you say that?”
“Cal agreed to help without any convincing or asking who he was guarding.”
“He’s a good man.”
“Why did he apply to Fortress?”
He glanced at her. “No one applies to work at Fortress. Maddox approaches you after a careful vetting process. Cal has had an open invitation to join Fortress for five years.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“He was one of Maddox’s teammates. He resigned from the police department and threw in with us full time when he’d had enough of working within the confines of the law.”
When she lapsed into silence again, Ben retained his hold on her hand. He rationalized it as helping her become used to his touch. While it was true, his real motivation was pure pleasure in the connection. Her skin was like living silk. Warm, soft, delicate. He figured indulging himself for a short time wouldn’t hurt.
He checked on her a short while later and saw that she was asleep. Good. Maybe by the time they reached her home she’d feel better.
Thirty minutes later, he parked in the driveway of Ruth’s house and scanned the area. Nothing looked disturbed, but he wouldn’t allow her too far into the house until he’d checked the rooms for intruders.
He exited the SUV and circled the vehicle to open Ruth’s door. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty. Time to wake up.”
Ruth raised her eyelids and looked around in confusion. “We’re home already?”
Ben chuckled as he escorted her to the front door. “You slept for almost an hour. Feel better?”
She nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t help you keep watch for someone following us.”
“Figured out what I was doing, huh?”
“Hard to miss the vigilant super spy routine.”
When they reached her porch, Ben held out his hand. “Keys. I want to clear the house before you go beyond the front door.”
She handed over the keys without argument and told him the alarm code. Nudging her behind him, he unlocked the door. Sig in hand, he entered the house and keyed in the alarm code. He was almost sure the house hadn’t been breached, but he wouldn’t take chances with Ruth’s safety.