Safe by the Marshal's Side

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“Sophia wanted a cookie,” he said.

“Does Mommy ever give you cookies before breakfast, Sophia?” She looked at her daughter rather than him, and he had the distinct feeling she was trying to cut him out of the conversation, exclude him from their little circle of family.

That should have been just fine. He’d spent the vast majority of his adult years standing on the edges of other people’s lives. It was part of the job.

For some reason, with Annie, it bothered him.

With her, the quick pivot and half jog down the hall and away from him was more than annoying. It was downright insulting. He’d been providing for Sophia’s needs for months, making sure the little girl was safe and protected. In the last safe house, he’d been the one to buy outlet covers. He’d also been the one to shove them into every outlet in the house so that Sophia wouldn’t stick her fingers into the sockets. He’d purchased a car seat for their trips to and from the airport and to and from the prosecuting attorney’s office. He’d even researched the best ones, making sure that he bought one with the highest safety rating. He’d purchased cabinet locks for the kitchen and little padded covers for the edges of the coffee table in the living room. Annie hadn’t had to think about or worry about any of those things. They’d been done before she’d arrived.

So, yeah, having Sophia snatched from his arms and hurried away as though he might kidnap the kid irked.

He almost asked Annie what her problem was. Why she felt the need to protect her daughter from the guy who’d spent the past month providing everything the little girl needed.

His better self prevailed. His professional self, the one who always kept his cool and never let a witness shake his confidence or his calm, won out over irritation.

Barely.

And that worried him.

Maybe the past year had taken more of a toll than he’d thought it had. Losing Daniel in the line of duty, seeing his team suffer, had given him plenty of sleepless nights. With the Delacorte trial approaching, the danger to Sophia and Annie was intensifying. That had never bothered him with other cases, but this case was different. It involved a completely innocent woman and her child. He’d found himself caring just a little more, going to just a little more trouble for his charges.

Going to a little more trouble was one thing—letting them affect his emotions was another. Once he got Annie safely through the trial, he was going to take a vacation, spend a couple of weeks at his uncle’s ranch in Montana. He’d always loved it there. The fresh air and wide-open spaces. The chance to breathe and think without the clutter of city noise and smog.

He glanced at his watch. He needed to be at the office in two hours. His replacement would arrive soon. The best thing he could do was prepare for the meeting.

He grabbed a laptop from the room beside Annie’s and carried it into the living room. Annie was in the kitchen, making eggs for Sophia. Serena was manning the monitor.

He settled into a chair, opened the laptop and got to work.

FIVE

The worst thing about being in witness protection in St. Louis was that she was never alone. Ever.

And, sometimes, Annie really wanted to be.

In the six hours she’d been awake, she hadn’t had a moment to herself. Serena and Hunter had hovered close by until they’d had to leave for a meeting. After they left, their replacements had done the same.

She rubbed the back of her neck and lifted the blanket Sophia had covered herself with.

“Found you!” she said for the hundredth time.

Sophia giggled and ran away, her chubby legs churning as she zipped past Burke Trier. Tall and muscular with dark hair and eyes, he had a quick smile and an easygoing personality. He was funny, smart and interesting.

He was also a player.

It had taken Annie only a couple of days to figure that out. Not because he’d overstepped any professional lines, but because he constantly seemed to be arriving for his shift after a long night or rushing out because he had a hot date.

His words. Not hers.

Personally, she’d only ever been on nice dates with a nice guy. At least, Joe had seemed nice when they’d been dating during high school and college. He had been nice, but nice didn’t mean honest.

That had been a hard lesson to learn.

She had learned it well. Even if she hadn’t, men like Burke had never appealed to her.

She scooped Sophia into her arms, offering Burke an apologetic smile. “She’s a little hyper. That seems to happen when she doesn’t get enough sleep.”

“She’s less hyper than my nieces and nephews get when they’re tired,” he said with the charming smile he used every time they spoke. “She’s also pretty steady on her feet. Once all this is over, you should put her in gymnastics or dance or something.”

“She’s still a little young for that.”

“My niece is the same age. My sister-in-law takes her to Mommy and Me classes. Gymnastics and dance.”

His sister-in-law obviously had a husband who could help her afford classes. Either that or she had a good job that still allowed her plenty of time to spend with her daughter.

Annie’s situation was different.

There was no sense in trying to explain that to Burke. In a few weeks, the trial would be over. She and Sophia would be free to move on. Annie would find a new job and a good day-care center. Hopefully, they’d settle into life and finally start really living again.

“Maybe I’ll look into it,” she said as she carried Sophia into the kitchen and set her in one of the chairs. “Are you hungry, peanut?”

“For cookies?” Sophia asked. The child loved sweets just like Joe had.

That was one thing she’d gotten from her father.

“For lunch, silly,” she responded, forcing some cheerfulness into her voice. Sophia deserved more than a mother who constantly bemoaned her fate. “But you can have a cookie when you’re finished.”

“Yay!” Sophia clapped her hands, her little eyes barely above the rim of the table. She needed a booster seat, but Annie didn’t want to ask. It seemed as if all she did was ask for things. Hunter had assured her that it was his team’s job to make her and Sophia comfortable, but she was starting to feel like a bird in a cage. Given everything she needed, but denied the freedom she craved.

“I’ll bring a high chair for her tomorrow,” Burke offered, his attention on the computer monitor set up on the counter.

“That’s okay. We’re only going to be here a few more weeks.”

“A few weeks is a long time for a little girl.” He pulled a phone from his pocket and typed something into it. “There. Sent myself a text, and I sent one to Hunter. Between the two of us, we’ll get it done.”

“Really, Burke—”

His cell phone rang, and he raised a hand.

“It’s Hunter. Hold that thought, okay?” He made it sound as though they’d been having an intimate conversation, a man and a woman in the middle of something more than a discussion about booster seats. Or maybe that was just what she heard because Joe had said the same thing to her so many times.

Hold that thought, sweetie. I need to take this call.

Hang on to that thought for a minute. My boss is calling me.

She’d never doubted that she was being interrupted for a good cause. She’d always waited patiently, and then continued the conversation as if the interruption hadn’t happened.

Her throat felt tight and her eyes burned, but she’d cried every tear she could in the weeks after Joe’s death.

She pulled cheese out of the refrigerator, broke it into a few small pieces and put them on a plate. There was a package of crackers on the counter. She put a couple on the plate. Not much of a lunch, but Sophia tended to graze more than eat.

“Here you go, Sophia.” She set the plate in front of her daughter, trying hard not to eavesdrop on the conversation Burke was having. It was hard not to, though. Especially since the conversation seemed to be about her.

“Okay,” he said, meeting her eyes and smiling. “I’ll let her know.” He shoved the phone in his pocket, took a couple of crackers from the open package. “Your meeting with Antonio has been pushed forward. Hunter will be here in twenty minutes to pick you up.”

Twenty minutes would have been plenty of time if she’d had clean clothes for herself and Sophia. A brush would have been nice, too.

“I’m not exactly dressed for a meeting,” she said, glancing down at the sweatshirt and jeans she’d been wearing for the better part of two days.

“Did you check the drawers and closet in your room? Usually, we keep a few things stocked. Just in case we have an emergency like this.”

“I’ll check, but Sophia needs some things, too. All her clothes are back at the house.”

“I’ll have Serena pick them up on her way back here tonight. At least, I’ll ask her to. Knowing her, she already has that on her schedule for the day.”

“Thanks, Burke. Let’s get ready to go,” she said, ready to scoop Sophia into her arms.

“Actually—” Burke put a hand on her arm “—Hunter thinks it would be best if she stays here.”

“I don’t really care what Hunter thinks.” At least, she didn’t care much what he thought when it came to raising her daughter.

“He’s worried about what happened last night, Annie.”

“He’s been worried since the day I met him, and he was probably worried long before that,” she pointed out.

“That’s what makes him good at his job. He takes it seriously. He thinks about every detail, and he plans for every eventuality. If he’s worried about Sophia being out today, you’d be wise to be worried, too.” There was an edge to his voice that Annie hadn’t heard before, a seriousness to his eyes that she couldn’t ignore.

“I’ll...” She glanced at Sophia. She was happily munching on a cracker and smashing a piece of cheese between her fingers. Annie hated to go anywhere without her. Usually, Hunter was happy to accommodate that. The fact that he wasn’t this time made her uneasy. “...talk to Hunter when he gets here.”

“You can talk all you want, but the plans are set. I’m going to stay here with Sophia. Hunter and Serena are going to escort you to the attorney’s office.”

“I really don’t feel comfortable leaving her here, Burke,” she tried to protest.

“You don’t trust me to watch your daughter?”

“It’s not that.”

“Then what is it?”

“I just don’t really like leaving her when I go out.” Mostly because no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t forget the feeling of returning home to a wounded husband and a missing baby. She didn’t want to ever have to live through that again. “Besides, the apartment isn’t toddler-proof. She could get into all kinds of trouble while I’m gone.”

“You know that fifty years ago people didn’t believe in childproofing, right? I mean, they didn’t have all the little gadgets to keep kids from putting their fingers into sockets or pulling furniture over on themselves.”

“And?”

“Most kids lived,” he said drily. “And I’m pretty sure that if I can watch my brother’s identical twins for an entire weekend, I can watch Sophia for a couple of hours.”

“But—”

“Look, Annie,” he cut in. “We try to be accommodating, but when it comes to the safety of the people we’re protecting, we don’t believe in taking chances. If you don’t hurry and get ready, you’re going to be late for your appointment.”