Page 22 of Allie's Shelter
Though it was a rare occasion when he could endure being here.
As Allie stepped inside, Ross practically felt the earth shift under his feet. It wasn’t private anymore. Aside from the county clerk, no one in Haleswood knew he owned this place. No one understood the emotional baggage he stored here.
He made a mental note to have Eva bring in a few supplies. He wouldn’t risk letting Allie out in public anytime soon and there was no way he’d leave her alone for any length of time.
“We’re isolated by trees on all sides,” he explained in his best strategist voice. “Only legal access is the gated drive off the state road about a half mile away. There’s a path from the back yard that leads to the lake,” he added as she looked around the big, airy kitchen. He wanted to know what was going on behind those wide blue eyes, but he didn’t have the courage to ask.
“There’s internet and satellite TV.”
“I was about to ask.”
He ignored her sarcasm. “I figured both might help us sort out your trouble.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “Aside from a musty old records clerk, no one knows this place is here and no one can tie it to you. You’ll be safe.” He needed something to do besides watch her examine the house. He plucked a landline phone from the cradle on the wall. “Thought I’d call for supplies. Any requests?”
“The staples, I suppose. Don’t expect me to be the domestic diva with all the cooking and cleaning.”
“Good grief, Allie.” He rolled his eyes. “I’ve managed to feed myself and clean up after for a few years now.”
“Good to know.”
He knew all too well how stress made people lash out at the nearest available target. Hovering over her only kept him in the line of fire. He’d really like to change that before either of them started tossing out regrettable words.
“Look, Allie, this situation is all about the teamwork. I’m not playing house or trying to dredge anything up. I’m not expecting you to be all sunshine and rainbows. You’re in a helluva mess. Are you going to let me help you?”
She sighed and ran her hand through that short cap of hair. “Biting your head off was rude. I’m sorry. I think I’m jealous because you have a life and mine is over.”
“Not yet, it’s not.” The promise was out there, charging the air between them. He didn’t know what came next. Didn’t have a strategy for this. Noticing the unused phone in his hand, he replaced it. “I’ll go send an email. Easier to make a list that way. Don’t go anywhere.”
A ghost of a smile teased one corner of her mouth, but her eyes were dark with emotions he wasn’t ready to address. He made his escape, agreeing with the little voice in his head calling him a coward.
Truth was, he’d rather face an impossible life or death mission than deal with the internal turmoil Allie dredged up. The dangers were altogether different, but at the moment, the way she got under his skin, she was clearly the bigger risk.
In the office overlooking the wide backyard, he watched colorful leaves drift to the ground while the computer booted up. He knew every inch of the narrow trail that led to the lake. A trail that was only wide enough for one person, though his heart knew it was a walk that should be shared. He’d worked hard to bury the part of him that wanted to share that path with Allie, and here it was, already rising to the surface.
A few hours in her presence and he was as tied up over her as he’d been in high school. They’d burned hot and fast then. And whatever they’d had burned right out at the first obstacle.
He should never have taken this case. On the heels of that thought came the image of her in a jail cell, waiting for whoever was setting her up so effectively. Whoever it was moved fast. Naming her as a prime suspect in the data theft, implicating her in money laundering, and now the connection to a murder case. He shook his head.
How could he convince her to trust him? He had a few pieces of the puzzle, but his gut told him she was still hiding critical information.
He sent the grocery list to Eva, sent another email to Rick with orders to head up and check out the situation in Virginia.
No one could dig out information like his team. If Allie wouldn’t talk, he’d find out on his own and take appropriate measures without her consent. It wasn’t the ideal solution, but he was determined to give her her life back. If only so he could move forward with his own.
He opened up the file Roberts had sent on Allie and reviewed every line. Again. He had the thing nearly memorized by now, but each hour seemed to bring him some new context to test his original assumptions about the information provided.
This should have been a straightforward theft and recovery situation. It might have been if the alleged thief wasn’t ‘his’ Allie Williams. He scrubbed at his face. He’d gone into this job on behalf of the paying client and though he tried to hold the line, she’d already gone from thief to alleged thief in his mind.
He closed the file, set up a user name and password for Allie, and limited her access in case she wanted to use his system instead of her own laptop. Regardless of his concerns and feelings about her and this situation, he wasn’t ready for her to know everything about his own involvement in her case.
If Roberts was dead, what did that mean for Ross’s obligation to the original job? In any other case, he wouldn’t have to ask. His inherent moral code and professional integrity were the answer. His team always finished the assignment. Of course, he usually managed to avoid the desperate nut-job cases where the client hired hit teams in addition to Ross’s team.
Which begged the question—how did this Roberts guy slipped under his normally reliable radar?
Did it matter? When Ross had seen Allie’s face in that picture, he knew he’d take the case. He wasn’t about to let anyone else track her down. Was it possible her boss had known about their past and chose Ross’s team because they were both from South Carolina and Haleswood specifically? Had Roberts anticipated her retreat to Haleswood?
The more he thought about it, the more that detail pestered him like a sand burr that wouldn’t shake loose. Why would anyone in her corporate world know enough or care enough about her past to specifically involve him?
It didn’t add up. Of course, he knew he didn’t have all the factors, but he hadn’t stayed alive in some of the worst places on earth because he trusted fate or coincidence.