Brian tossed his duffel bag onto the king-sized bed in the southwest-themed guest room that would be his for the next who-knew-how-long. “Not exactly how I wanted to spend the week before my birthday,” he said, turning to the agent that had shown him to the room.
FBI Agent Sonia O’Connor nodded. “Nobody expects to have to go into hiding for helping runaway prostitutes.”
“How’s Michaela anyway?” Brian asked. “Is she in a safe house yet?”
“We’re still waiting for confirmation.”
Brian nodded. He wished he’d had the chance to comfort her after Natalie had been killed. Maybe if he’d been fast enough in getting the car open, she might still be alive. Then both women would have the chance to start over like they’d wanted. But she’d been shot right in front of them, the impact slamming her into Brian’s car before she hit the ground. It wasn’t until after Natalie’s death that Brian had found out the truth. He had believed their story that they were two friends on a simple cross-country road trip and their car had broken down.
“I’ll let you know as soon as I hear something,” O’Connor promised. “In the meantime, try to unpack, maybe look around a little. Just don’t make any phone calls yet till we can get you a secure phone.”
Brian frowned. “What about internet?”
She pointed to a laptop on the oak desk by the walk-in closet. “Already set up. Go ahead, it’s safe.”
“Thanks. I want to check in with some friends of mine, let them know I’m alright.”
“Just don’t tell them where you are,” the agent cautioned.
“Not that I even know that anyway,” Brian shot back.
“It’s for your own safety,” she explained, using the same phrase he’d heard ever since he’d risked calling his Uncle Paul for help. “We can’t take the risk of someone finding you.”
Brian held back the words he wanted to say, instead responding only with “Right.”
Another agent appeared in the doorway – Agent Scott, he thought – and said, “Marcus just called. They’ve got Michaela safe and secure.”
Brian exhaled in relief, the tension finally beginning to drain away. “Can I talk to her at all?”
“Both of you need to get settled in,” O’Connor said. “Then we’ll work something out. Plenty of food in the kitchen if you’re hungry. Just talk to Sylvia and she’ll make almost anything you want.”
Brian chuckled. “Never had a housekeeper before. That’ll take some getting used to.”
“You’ll find your routine,” O’Connor promised. “I’ve got some things to check on, so you try to make yourself at home.”
Yeah, right, he thought as the agents left. His whole world had been turned upside down and backwards in a matter of a few days. He only hoped that the guys wouldn’t be in danger because he had wanted to help a couple of strangers.
With a heavy sigh, Brian turned back to the bed and unzipped his duffel. Bible, pen and notebook were first to come out and went straight to the shelf at the headboard. Why had God allowed this to happen? The girls were just trying to get to freedom, something that He wanted for all mankind. Yet he hadn’t stopped Natalie’s death. Was that supposed to be her gateway to freedom? That didn’t make it any easier to accept the fact that she was dead. As soon as he could, he’d talk to Michaela about it; apologize for not being fast enough to help.
As he unpacked the few clothes he’d managed to throw together, he wondered what kind of place Michaela was staying in. If she ended up on a horse ranch, he’d flip and demand to be moved there. Reaching into a pocket for socks, Brian caught a glimpse of a photograph and paused. He thought he’d gotten rid of every picture of Kathy. With a shake of his head, Brian pulled out the socks and zipped the pocket shut again, even though he couldn’t leave the memories in there too. Here he was, in his mid-thirties and still single. Was it by choice? Kathy had left him for Europe three years ago, and no other woman seemed to interest him since. Not that he wasn’t looking. Yet something always kept him from going beyond first dates with anyone.
When he finally sat down to the laptop, he saw the date on the desktop calendar. Aw, great.
Valentine’s Day. Or Single’s Awareness Day as he and AJ would sometimes call it. And what a way to spend it; even more alone than he’d expected.
~~~
He and Michaela were able to have a secure video chat after dinner. Brian’s first order of business was to apologize about Natalie.
“It wasn’t your fault, Brian,” Michaela insisted in her west Texas accent. “I saw those men a lot when they had business with Simon. I’d heard they were some of the best guns-for-hire around; I just hadn’t seen them in action till they killed Natalie and tried to do the same to us.”
“She doesn’t get to start her new life like you two had planned.”
Michaela nodded, her small smile fading a little. “Maybe she wouldn’t have been able to handle the sudden freedom. She had been living this life longer than I have.”
“You sound pretty sure about that.”
Michaela shrugged. “I’ve had a couple days to think about it.”
“True.” A thought suddenly struck him. “You two must have been pretty valuable to have a hit squad after you.”
Her lips twitched and her hazel eyes darted away and back again. A thin, manicured finger played with a strand of dark brown hair. “There’s… more to it than that, but I don’t think I’m allowed to talk about it like this. If we ever meet again in person, maybe I’ll be able to explain.”
“Well, you’ve certainly peaked my interest,” Brian replied, “so I hope it’ll be soon.”
She gave a one-shoulder shrug and changed the subject. “We’ll see. I noticed that it’s Valentine’s Day. Did you have any plans that got wrecked?”
Brian chuckled. “Not really. My friends and I were taking a break from the recording studio anyway. My break’s going to be a little longer.”
Michaela’s eyes widened. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you for help-”
“Don’t you dare apologize,” Brian insisted, waving a finger at her image on the screen. “It was worth it now that I know that you two were trying to escape. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
Her expression was worried. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
His simple answer made Michaela lean back and not answer for a few seconds. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. In the meantime, I’ll just have to get used to my FBI babysitters.”
Michaela laughed. “We both will. But if they can catch Simon – “
“And the people he hired to go after you,” Brian added.
She nodded. “Them too. Once they’re caught, it’s all going to be worth it.”
It certainly would. “In the meantime,” Brian asked, “would you like to have a Singles Awareness Day cup of coffee with me? Or hot chocolate if you don’t drink coffee?”
Michaela smiled. “’Singles Awareness Day,’ huh? I would love to.”