Disclaimer: Don’t own em…can’t afford a pet

Rating: R/NC-17….smut, violence, language

1.

Patsy waited at the gate watching the plane taxi across the tarmac. She had been surprised when Claire had called last week telling her that she had finally gotten some vacation time. Claire wanted to stay with Patsy and Mark for a week or so before starting her next assignment with the company she worked for. Patsy hadn’t seen Claire since her wedding a little over a year ago and was eager to spend some time with her friend.

They finally let the passengers off the plane, and Patsy grinned when she spotted Claire. Patsy pushed her way through the crowd to stand in front of her. With a laugh, Claire and Patsy hugged each other, both of them talking at once.

"I almost got tired of waiting," Patsy said, pulling back to look at Claire.

"I thought the damn plane was never going to land. Get me out of here," Claire said, as people behind her started pushing her. Laughing, Patsy led her through the terminal. They collected Claire’s bags from the claim area, then headed outside to Patsy’s car.

"Where’s the big man?" Claire asked, sliding into the passenger seat. Patsy got in and buckled her seat belt.

"At home," Patsy said with a laugh. "He’s taking this whole vacation thing very seriously."

"Gee, you’d think his job wasn’t that hard," Claire said with a laugh. Patsy and Mark ran a small business out of their home, and Mark usually ended up traveling all over the place. Claire still wasn’t sure what exactly it was that he did. She only knew that it involved collecting a ton of frequent flier miles.

"You know how he is," Patsy said, laughing as she pulled out into traffic. "And don’t try to tell him his job isn’t hard. He might take that personally."

Claire laughed and looked out the window, taking in the sight of the ocean in the distance. She loved coming to Florida, but hadn’t had the time to make the trip in a while. She watched the beach roll past them on the right and couldn’t wait to get out there in the sun.

Patsy got them to her house in record time. "I see the lead foot hasn’t been amputated yet," Claire joked, picking up her bag from the trunk. Patsy rolled her eyes.

"I know. I hate driving, so I figure the faster I get to where I’m going, the less driving I have to do," Patsy explained as she led Claire up onto the porch.

"That," Claire said laughing. "Makes almost no sense at all."

Patsy grinned. "I know it. But it works for me." She opened the door and went inside, holding it open for Claire. Mark walked in from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. He smiled brightly at Claire before grabbing her in a hug.

"Nice to see you again, C," he said, making her laugh at the use of her nickname. She returned the hug, then laughed when Patsy cleared her throat.

"Excuse me. Where’s mine?" Patsy asked, poking Mark in the side. He grinned and turned to her, picking her up off her feet in a bear hug. Claire watched Mark kiss Patsy and couldn’t help but laugh. They still acted like newlyweds on honeymoon.

Patsy extricated herself from Mark’s arms, and grabbed Claire’s hand. "Come on, I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping," Patsy said, winking at Mark as she led Claire up the stairs. He shook his head and went back to the kitchen.

Claire dropped her bags by the bed, and looked around. "You really fixed the place up," she said, walking across the room. Patsy smiled and walked to the French doors, opening them to let in the breeze. The last time Claire had seen the house, it had been a wreck. Old, falling apart, it had looked like a strong breeze would blow it over. This was the same room she had stayed in the last time, but it was totally different. All the carpeting had been pulled up, and the wood floors were polished to high shine. They had put in a wraparound porch on both floors of the house, and the French doors led out to a balcony. All of the walls had been painted a soft peach color. The bed and windows were covered in matching navy blue spreads and curtains. The colors in the room were calm and restful. Claire flopped onto the bed and looked at Patsy.

"Had some free time over the winter," Patsy said raising an eyebrow. "Mark got to do our room. It looks very masculine." Claire laughed, shaking her head.

"I want a tour," she said. "I can’t believe this is the same house. Business must be good." Claire was looking out the doors and didn’t notice the look that passed over her friend’s face.

"Yeah, better that usual," she mumbled. Shaking it off Patsy wandered outside onto the balcony. Claire pushed herself up and followed her. Although they had traveled inland, the small town where Patsy and Mark lived was elevated. Over the trees that surrounded the house, Claire could see the ocean twinkling in the distance. "I know you can’t wait to go to the beach," Patsy said, looking at her with a smile. Claire nodded. "Good, let’s go see what Mark made for lunch, then we’ll head out." Patsy linked her arm through Claire’s and the women headed down to the kitchen.

2.

Claire got out of the water and walked to where Patsy was laying on her stomach next to Mark. Laughing, she wrung her hair out over Patsy’s back, making her jump. Patsy grabbed her ankle and yanked so that Claire ended up plopping onto the sand.

"You are not getting back in my truck looking like that," Mark laughed, watching as Claire tried to brush the wet sand off her body. Patsy was laughing at the look on Mark’s face.

"Yeah, wouldn’t want to get sand in his seats," she said, as Claire gave up and plopped back down onto the warm sand. "He hasn’t broken in the truck yet."

"Well, we can fix that," Claire said, laughing. "So, what else are we doing tonight? After we all get done frying that is."

Mark shrugged and Patsy poked him in the side. "We’re going out to eat. After that, who knows? But Mark is paying," Patsy said, smiling at him. He raised his eyebrows.
"That’s news to me. You two should be taking me out, since I have to put up with you both for the next week," he said, ducking when Claire picked up a handful of sand and tossed it at him.

"I’m a guest. You should take better care of your guests," Claire said with a laugh. Patsy stood up, then helped Claire get to her feet.

"Let’s go. I’m ready to go dancing," Patsy said, laughing when Mark groaned. He hated to dance. They girls gathered up their things and walked toward the parking lot.

"Rinse off first!" Mark yelled after them. Patsy waved over her shoulder at him, making Claire giggle. "Don’t get my truck all sandy!"

"A little over protective of his leather seats, isn’t he?" Claire laughed, stopping at the edge of the parking lot to slip her sandals onto her feet.

"He’ll get over it," Patsy said, letting out a shriek when Mark grabbed her off her feet and carried her over to the outdoor shower. She was laughing as Claire followed them, not wanting him to have to do the same to her.

"Now instead of sand, you’ll get water stains," Patsy was saying. Mark shook his head.

"That’s what the towels are for. You better not wreck my truck. It’s only a week old," He said, watching as she rinsed the sand off. With a grin, he kissed her and wrapped a dry towel around her. Claire rinsed herself off and took the towel he offered to her, then walked behind them as they went to the truck.

They went back to the house only long enough for them to shower and change clothes. Claire was tired, but was too excited to even think about sleeping yet. It had been a long time since she’d been with her friends and she didn’t want to waste any of it.

Patsy drove them to a small restaurant on the beach. They ate and sat talking for a while, then left to go to a small bar nearby. Mark settled in at the bar and ordered a beer while the women sat on either side of him, surveying the room. It was crowded and noisy, and smoke hung in the air. Claire couldn’t take much of the racket…in an hour she was ready to head outside for some air. Patsy had talked Mark onto the dance floor where they were moving to some slow music. Claire slipped off her barstool and headed toward the doors, just wanting to clear her head.

It was a warm night out, but a cool breeze blew in off the ocean. Claire felt it lift her hair and smiled a little. She walked toward the side of the building, hoping to catch a glimpse of the water between the businesses. She walked down a small alleyway; through the other end she could see the beach. She was about to step out onto the bar’s back patio when a noise froze her in the spot.

3.

Claire waited for a minute, holding her breath, not sure of what she heard. Then it came again: a low moaning noise, followed by someone panting. She tried to bite back a grin. It sounded like a couple was taking advantage of the patio already.

She was turning to go back to the front of the bar when the sound of breaking glass reached her ears. It was followed by a breathless scream that cut off almost before it got started. Frightened, Claire slowly took a step forward, only to stop again at the sound of a man’s low voice.

"That’s not any way to act baby," Claire could barely make out the words. The voice was deep and rough, and carried an almost familiar accent.

There was no answer to the man’s words except for the sound of shuffling feet. Claire breathed in deeply and looked around the corner of the building. The patio was bathed in darkness; the streetlights in the front didn’t illuminate anything beyond the mouth of the alley. The sand at the edge of the patio glowed weakly in the moonlight, but the patio itself seemed to be a black hole. Claire waited for her eyes to adjust a little, but it didn’t help. All she could make out were vague shapes.

She took a slow step onto the patio, her eyes trying to pierce the darkness. Her foot caught something soft, and she stepped backward quickly and looked down. Although it was dark, she could see what it was. A woman’s arm was stretched out toward the light of the alley; a ring glinting on her finger as the moonlight caught it. The nails were ragged as if they had been torn off.

Claire made herself breathe as she backed up toward the alley. Her eyes never left the arm on the stone patio as she retreated, horror making her unable to process what she was seeing. She knew without a doubt that the woman was dead. Why else would she be lying there arm stretched out, motionless?

With a snap, the world seemed to fall back into place, and Claire turned and ran. The alley seemed even darker than it had before, and she fought the urge to look back over her shoulder to make sure nothing was coming after her.

She flew inside the bar, her eyes frantically searching out Patsy and Mark. Claire spotted Mark at the bar finishing off a beer, and she made her way to him through the crowd. Her mind was in a panic as she grabbed his arm and started telling him what she’d seen, tripping over her words.

Mark took in the look on her face, then made her sit down. "Calm down, calm down," he said, keeping his voice low and soothing. He flicked his eyes around the room and saw Patsy talking to one of their friends in the corner. She looked up at him and smiled, then started making her way to the bar when Mark motioned for her. "Now, slow down and tell me what the hell happened. Did somebody attack you or something?"

Claire shook her head, taking deep breaths, trying to get herself under control. Patsy finally reached them, took one look at Claire, and hugged her. "What is it?" she asked softly.

"In the alley. The patio," Claire could barely get the words out. She knew what she wanted to say but her mouth seemed to have disconnected from her brain. "A girl. Somebody killed her."

Mark looked at Patsy then back at Claire. "Are you sure? Not just somebody messing around or playing a joke?"

Claire shook her head. The image of the woman’s broken nails came to her mind. The hadn’t just been broken. It looked like several of them had bled. "No joke. I heard noises and when I looked, I saw…" she shook her head.

Mark stood up. "I’ll check it out."
"No!" Claire almost yelled it, clutching at his hand. "What if whoever did it is still back there?" Although Mark was a huge guy, the darkness of the patio gave anyone back there a big advantage. Claire didn’t want to see her friends get hurt.

"It’s OK," Patsy was saying into her ear. "He knows what he’s doing." Claire looked at her in confusion, then back at Mark who was paying the tab.

"Run to the car and get my flashlight," He said to Patsy as they led Claire back outside. Patsy nodded and took off, as Mark held Claire close to his side. She kept looking nervously at the mouth of the alley, expecting some psycho to jump out at any moment.

Patsy jogged back to them, handing over the flashlight and taking Claire’s hand. "I’m going back there with him. You can stay up here," she said, pointing at the bouncer stationed at the door. "Just don’t go out of his sight."

Claire nodded, feeling numb. She moved to the entranceway of the bar and gave the bouncer a weak smile. He grinned back, then listened as Patsy talked with him. He nodded at her, then moved so he was standing in front of Claire.

"We’ll be right back," Mark said. He checked to make sure the flashlight was working then led Patsy toward the entrance to the alley. Claire watched them biting her lip, wondering if they had both gone nuts.

4.

Mark walked in front of Patsy, keeping the flashlight beam pointed at the ground. He hooded the beam with his hand, covering it completely when they got to the end of the alley. They exchanged a glance, then Mark walked out and flashed the light full force onto the patio. Patsy waited until he had gotten a good look, then moved to stand beside him.

The patio was empty. It was nothing more than a large concrete slab jutting onto the sand, covered by a dark awning. The awning completely filtered out any ambient light, and without the flashlight it would have been pitch black in there. Mark looked across the patio, probing the darkness with the light, but there was nothing there to see except for a potted plant that was lying on its side in a jumble of broken glass. There was no one hiding on the patio, and no body lying on the ground.

Mark looked solemnly at Patsy. "Could she just have imagined it?" he asked, keeping his voice low. Patsy was staring into the darkness, taking in the broken plant.

"Give me the flashlight," She said, taking it out of his hand.

"What are you doing?" He asked as she moved forward. Patsy knelt down near the plant and shined the light down on the ground. It was so small Mark had missed it at first, but Patsy had seen something shiny glinting in the light. There were a few drops of blood spattered around the plant, still wet by the look of it. Other than that, there was no sign that anyone had been there.

"Let’s get the hell out of here," Patsy said, taking Mark’s hand. "This place is creepy."

Mark nodded and let her lead them back to the front of the building. Claire was still standing with the bouncer and she looked more in control than she had a few minutes ago.

She came forward to meet them. "Well?"

Patsy and Mark shared another look, then Patsy sighed. "There wasn’t anything or anybody back there," she said, watching as Claire’s eyes widened.

"I’m not making it up!" Claire said, feeling tears fill her eyes. "I know what I saw. There was a woman lying back there dead. God, I kicked her damn arm!"

"We know you’re not making it up, Claire," Patsy said, hugging her. "There’s just nothing back there now. There’s a few drops of blood and a busted plant and that’s it."

"Maybe whoever it was just got up and left," Mark said, taking the girls by the arms and leading them toward the parking lot. "Probably a couple of drunks fighting. You’re tired C. You’re jet lagged. Your mind might have been playing a little trick on you."

Claire sighed as she climbed into the backseat. She wanted to believe what Mark was saying. But she knew deep down that what she had seen was more than just the result of a drunken lover’s quarrel. She leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes.

They rode in silence back to the house, and Patsy followed her up to her room. Claire changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed and was amused as Patsy fussed over her.

Patsy sank onto the edge of the bed and looked at her closely. She could tell by the look on Claire’s face that she was still shook up over what had happened. "If it’s worth anything at all, I believe you. Something happened back there."

Claire nodded. "I know what I saw, what I heard. It’s not just tiredness."

"Mark is too logical sometimes," Patsy said, a smile tilting the corners of her mouth. "Look, tomorrow I’ll check around, see if anybody else saw anything, heard anything about a fight at the back of the bar. Try to get some rest." Patsy stood up and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Claire lay in the darkness wondering how exactly Patsy planned to ‘check’ things out for her. Her mind was too tired to think about it anymore and she was asleep before she realized it was coming.

Patsy came out of the bathroom, running a brush through her hair. Mark was in bed already, leaning against the mahogany headboard watching her walk across the room. It’s carpeting had been pulled up too, but instead of peach and navy the room was done in wood paneling. Everything was dark, including black sheets and curtains.

She dropped the brush on the dresser then climbed into the bed. Mark pulled her close, running his hand through her hair.

"I think she saw something," Patsy said quietly. Mark sighed and kissed the top of her head.

"She’s tired. Her imagination is running away with her," he said. Patsy propped herself up on her elbow to look at him.

"She wouldn’t freak out like that over a little fight, Mark. And the blood…" Mark cut her off.

"We’re on vacation, remember? There’s nothing we can do about it tonight. Shut your mind off and relax. We’ll take care of it, if anything needs to be taken care of," Mark said, running his hand down her arm. Patsy sighed and relaxed against him, letting him hug her close.

5.

Shawn couldn’t believe the girl had the nerve to tell him no. He had taken pleasure in hitting her, dragging her away from the sand and what she thought was freedom. Then he had strangled her, feeling her life fade as her fight to get away had weakened.

He narrowed his eyes as he drove toward home. Someone had seen him. He had barely registered the soft footsteps in time to move away form the girl’s lifeless body. He watched as a young woman came out of the alley and walked forward. Shawn couldn’t help but smile as her foot caught on the girl’s arm. He stood slowly, waiting to see if she would scream. He was almost disappointed when she didn’t.

Instead she moved back toward the alley, obviously scared to death. Shawn’s heart froze in his chest as she stepped into the dim light and seemed to look straight at him. The girl turned and ran, and Shawn had to fight the urge to go after her. She had seen him, he was sure of it. The best thing was to get rid of his companion and take care of the other one later.

Shawn picked up the corpse, throwing her over his shoulder. He made his way down the beach, to where he had parked his car at a nearby restaurant. Making sure no one was around, he put her body carelessly in the trunk, slamming the lid closed.

He hurried back up the street, going toward the bar with the patio. He got there just in time to see two people head down the alleyway with a flashlight. The girl from earlier was standing with the bouncer, looking worriedly out into the dark street. In a few minutes her friends were back, both of them looking unhappy. Shawn couldn’t help but smile when he overheard the big man telling the girl that she was just tired. It didn’t matter if she was tired or not. She had seen something, had probably gotten at least a glimpse of him, and would have to be taken care of.

He kept carefully to the shadows as he followed them to a car. He memorized the license plate number, smiling at how easy it was going to be. Her friends didn’t believe her, which was good. It would be much easier to make one person disappear than three. And Shawn didn’t want to take on the big guy. He looked like he could handle himself.

Shawn went back to his own car, sliding into the driver’s seat and pulling his cell phone out. Although it was almost 1 am, the call was answered by the second ring. "You available?" Shawn asked, jotting down the license plate number so he could look up the owner.

He listened to the voice on the other end, then smiled. "I have a job for you, if you’re interested."

Matt hung up the phone and scrubbed his hands over his face. He hated Shawn, hated him with a passion. But he had learned to keep business and personal things separate, and what he offered was strictly a business deal. Taking out one person wouldn’t be that hard. He hadn’t bothered to ask why Shawn couldn’t do it himself. That would have meant an extremely long and probably pointless story.

He lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He’s made his living as a killer for hire for close to 8 years, and was considered the best at it. He smiled ruefully. It was not what he had expected to be known for.

Now Shawn needed him to take out a girl. Matt almost laughed at the thought that Shawn had met one he couldn’t deal with himself. But Shawn had been in a hurry to get off the phone for once, saying he’d call in the morning when he had more information.

Matt sighed and forced his eyes to close. He was sick of his ‘job’, and sick of the people that hired him. But it was all he was good at. Pushing thoughts of Shawn and his target out of his head, Matt finally fell into a troubled sleep.

6.

Patsy and Mark were already up when Claire made her way downstairs. She mumbled a hello and went to the refrigerator to pour herself some juice. She took a seat at the table and smiled at them.

"What’s on the agenda for today?" she asked, keeping her voice light. She hadn’t been able to sleep much. Every hour or so she was jerked from sleep by phantom sounds.

Patsy shrugged. "I don’t know. You wanna do anything special?"

Claire shook her head. "I thought I might wander around town a little bit. Do something a tourist might do. Like shop." Mark groaned as Patsy laughed at him.

"I suppose you want to go with her?" Mark said, looking at Patsy. She looked at Claire, then back at Mark.

"No, I have a few things to take care of this morning. You can take my car," she said to Claire. "I’ll use Mark’s truck."

"What?" Mark said, acting shocked. "When did I OK it for you to drive my truck?"

"When you married me," Patsy said sweetly. Claire laughed at them both as she finished off her juice. "You can take your bike out if you need to go anywhere."

Mark smiled. "Gonna work on it today. I finally figured out what’s wrong with it."

"Yeah, so did I," Patsy said, drinking her own juice. "You broke it."

Mark rolled his eyes and looked at Claire. "I did not break it. She broke it."

"Blah, blah, blah. You hear him? Like I’d go anywhere near his motorcycle without him present," Patsy said, making Claire laugh. She stood up to get dressed. "I’ll be back before lunch, so make sure you fix something edible today."

Mark threw his napkin at her as Patsy left the room and grinned at Claire. "You feeling better this morning?"

Claire hesitated, thinking about it. "I don’t know. Maybe you were right, I was just imagining things." Mark studied her for a minute, then smiled.

"Yeah, you wish you could believe that, huh?" he said, standing up and taking his plate to the sink. Claire smiled a little, then went out of the kitchen to get ready to go to town.

Matt watched from a safe distance as the woman left the house. She wasn’t the one he was after. He had been sitting out here in the woods near the house since sunrise, waiting patiently for the woman to make an appearance.

At 5 am, he had been awakened by a noise at his door. When he got up to check, he found an envelope. He took it inside and sat on his couch, turning on a soft lamp before opening the package.

Inside was a single piece of paper and a photograph. Matt looked over the paper first. The girl’s name was Claire, she was in her early twenties, and was apparently just visiting her friends on vacation. Matt looked at her picture. It had been taken over a year ago at her friend’s wedding. Matt wondered momentarily how Shawn had gotten his hands on the picture, then decided it didn’t really matter.

He looked closely at the young woman. She had long, light brown hair, curling softly around her shoulders. She was smiling brightly; her blue eyes lit up with happiness. Matt set the photo down on the table and picked up the paper again, memorizing the address. His eyes kept getting pulled back to the picture on the table. He couldn’t help but wonder why this one was so important to Shawn that he wanted her dead. He didn’t have to wait long to find out.

The phone rang as he sat on the couch and Matt answered it on the second ring with a gruff "What?"

Shawn was chuckling. "You get my package?"

"Yeah, I got it," Matt said, picking up the photo and looking at the girl yet again. "What’s the big fire about this girl?"

"Big fire? Do you actually care why she has to die? That is so unlike you, Matthew. But since we go way back…let’s just say she saw something last night that could get me into very big trouble," Shawn laughed again, and Matt felt himself get angry. He bit it back, exerting control on the urge to slam the phone down on the smug bastard’s voice.

"Such as?" He asked when he was finally able to trust himself to speak.

"Oh, nothing really. She just witnessed a little murder. She may have seen me. I want her eliminated," Shawn’s tone was final. "The usual price?" he asked, sounding friendly. Matt felt his skin crawl. He couldn’t stand Shawn, but he was willing to pay his fee.

"Yeah, same as always. Half now, half when it’s done," Matt said then set the phone back onto its cradle. The money would show up in Matt’s bank account as if by magic. He wasn’t worried about the money.

He picked up the picture again and carried it with him into the bedroom. As he got dressed he kept glancing at it, wondering if he was ever going to get fed up enough with his job to just leave it behind him. Killing men was one thing. It was sexist as hell, but he couldn’t help himself. Most of the men he had killed were slimeballs of the highest order. But this would be the first female target he’d had.

He’d holed up in the woods near the house where Claire was staying. From his position he had a good sight line of the front of the house and the car and truck parked in the driveway. Now all he had to do was wait and follow, then wait a little more, looking for the right opportunity.

The first woman out of the house had auburn hair and a deep tan. Not Claire. Matt watched as she climbed into the truck, then took off toward the town in the distance. He didn’t have to wait long for more activity. Only this time it was a man. He was huge, another redhead. He went to the garage and opened the door, then disappeared inside. He emerged a few minutes later pushing a motorcycle. He stopped it on the driveway in front of the garage and knelt down beside it, looking over the engine.

Finally the target herself came out of the house. Matt stared at her through his binoculars. She had her hair pulled away from her face and was dressed in shorts and a tight T-shirt in deference to the hot weather. Matt felt something inside him stir at the sight of her, but pushed it aside. She was definitely pretty, but he had a job to do.

Claire climbed into Patsy’s car and took off for town. She had only one destination in mind. She drove for half and hour then pulled into a public parking lot. She slipped off her sandals and walked along the beach, searching the backs of the building to her left. It was only about a block down, and she had to stop and refocus her courage before she could move toward the bar’s patio.

When she finally moved she was practically dragging herself. Each step seemed to take forever. Although it was bright daylight, the patio was still cloaked in shadow. Claire stopped at the edge of the concrete and peered into the gloom. It only took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust, and she sighed in relief when there was nothing there. It was too early for the bar to start serving people, so no one was there yet. Claire was about to turn and leave when a noise behind her made her spin around.

7.

Matt had known where she was going almost before she did. He managed to get there a few minutes before her, and watched as Claire forced herself to come onto the patio. She looked around cautiously, then turned to go when Matt had an idea. He wanted to know exactly what she’d seen. There was a way to find out without having to listen to Shawn’s lies about it.

He stepped forward and noticed her jump. He smiled his most winning grin, holding up his hands to show he was not going to hurt her. She stared at him for a few minutes waiting for her heart to go back down to her chest where it belonged.

"Sorry," Matt said, keeping his voice low. She relaxed a little; he could see it. "I thought you saw me standing back there." He jerked his thumb at the wall where he’d been standing knowing she hadn’t. Her eyes had mostly stayed on the ground as she envisioned a dead body lying there.

"It’s OK," Claire said, sighing. "I’m jumpy. Too little sleep." She looked at the strange man, taking in his handsome face. His eyes were a deep soft brown. He had long hair, tied carefully back from his face. His smile was almost enough to make her knees give out from under her. He took a step forward and looked carefully around.

"Well, you really shouldn’t be here. We’ve had reports of something strange happening last night at this bar," Matt let his smile fade and kept his voice low.

"Reports? Of what?" Claire asked watching him as he moved to the edge of the patio.

"I really can’t discuss an ongoing investigation, ma’am," he said, taking her by the elbow and gently leading her back to the sand.

"Investigation? Are you a cop?" she asked, looking at him again. He didn’t look like any police officer she’d ever seen.

He smiled at her again. "I’m a detective, in homicide. So I get to wear street clothes. Now, I think you should go before the rest of my unit gets here to go over this place with a fine tooth comb," Matt said. Claire stopped in her tracks.

"Someone else saw something?" she asked, looking him in the eye. He shifted his gaze away, looking toward the ocean. "I saw something here last night too."

The man let his eyes rest on her again and Claire saw the look of surprise on his face. "What did you see here last night?"

With relief that there was someone else who could back up her story, Claire quickly told him about coming down the alley and kicking the woman’s arm.

"And you’re positive you didn’t see anyone else out here?" Matt asked.

"Yes. It was pitch black. The only reason I could see the woman’s arm was because it was stretched so close to the edge of the patio. Her killer could have been standing right in front of me and I wouldn’t have seen him," she said, shivering in the warm sunlight.

Matt almost laughed. Technically, the killer had been standing in front of her. And she had never known it. Matt was almost glad. He hadn’t looked forward to killing Claire, and now he had no reason to. She had seen nothing.

"Well, we’ll have to finish up here, then one of my men will probably be around to question you," Matt said, taking a small notebook from his pocket. He wrote Claire’s name and address down and flipped it shut. "Since you didn’t see the guy, you probably won’t be involved in it. But we’ll have to get a statement eventually. Now, I suggest you go on home and get some rest. You look a little tired."

Claire smiled gratefully. It was a relief that she hadn’t lost her mind. The police were already working on it, and her involvement was going to be minimal. "Thank you. You don’t know what a weight this has been."

Matt nodded and shook her hand. "Don’t mention it. I’ll be talking to you soon." He turned and went back toward the patio, leaving Claire to watch him walk away. She shook her head and wandered back to the car. She wouldn’t tell Patsy or Mark about this. She would just tell them she had realized it must have been her imagination. She didn’t want to ruin their vacation with worries about her and her mental state.

Matt watched as she pulled out of the lot, then went to his own car. He was going to take great pleasure in telling Shawn he wasn’t going to kill Claire. There was no need for it. She would forget about it eventually, taking comfort in the fact that the ‘police’ were taking care of the situation. It was almost too damn easy sometimes.

8.

Patsy got back to the house a little after noon. There had been nothing she could find about someone being killed anywhere near their town last night. She’d spent all morning talking to some police friends of hers, then hanging out around the bar, hoping to talk to the owner. She’d given it up as a lost cause. He apparently didn’t get out of bed until late afternoon.

She walked in the door and could hear someone moving around in the kitchen. Smiling she walked behind Mark as he washed his hands at the sink. Patsy wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him, pressing her face against his back.

"How was your morning?" he asked, smiling. He dried his hands on a towel then turned around to hug her to him.

"Not productive. Yours?" Patsy asked, grinning as he leaned down to kiss her.

"Got my bike running," Mark said with a smile.

"Good, you can take me for a ride later," Patsy said with a wink. Mark laughed then nodded over Patsy’s head as Claire walked into the room.

"I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that," Claire said, reaching into the fridge for a juice.

"A ride on the bike. Do you people have to twist everything I say?" Patsy asked, frowning. Mark and Claire looked at each other.

"Yes," they both said at the same time. Patsy shook her head. She pulled away from Mark to take a seat at the table.

"So, did you have a fruitful morning of shopping?" She asked as Claire sat down. Claire shrugged.

"Not really. Guess I don’t really need novelty T-shirts and shot glasses with a picture of palm trees on them," Claire smiled.

Patsy was studying her carefully. "You feel better." It wasn’t a question. Claire hesitated, then nodded.

"Yes. In the light of day it’s easier to see that I was jumping to conclusions. It was…I was just freaked out," She finished weakly. Patsy nodded.

"I would have been too. But don’t worry. Tonight, we barbecue. It’ll make you forget all your troubles," Patsy said, reaching over to touch Claire’s hand. Claire smiled at her, then looked at Mark.

"And who is going to be the chef tonight?" she joked. Mark rolled his eyes.

"Not me. I don’t do grills," he said, throwing the towel over his shoulder. Now it was Patsy’s turn to roll her eyes.

"Do you hear him? He’s from Texas and says he can’t operate a grill. Have you ever heard such total bull in your life?" Claire laughed and listened as Patsy and Mark bickered. Just being around them was soothing her.

Matt sank onto his couch and propped his feet on the table. Grabbing his cell phone, he dialed Shawn’s number. "’Lo" the gruff voice said. Matt’s upper lip curled at the sound of it.

"Shawn," he said, striving to keep his voice flat. It was hard.

"Matt! Didn’t expect to hear from you so soon. You did it?" Shawn’s tone changed dramatically. He sounded almost giddy.

"Not technically," Matt said, enjoying dragging it out.

"What the hell do you mean ‘not technically’? She’s either dead or she’s not," Shawn said, immediately getting angry. Matt shook his head. It was so easy to push Shawn’s buttons.

"She didn’t see anything. She didn’t see you. She thinks the police are on the case, and she agreed it was best if she lay low. There’s no reason to take her out now," Matt said, keeping his voice low. Shawn exploded.

"I don’t fucking pay you to make a decision like that! I want her dead!" Shawn ranted on for a few minutes, but Matt blocked him out.

"She knows nothing," Matt said when Shawn finally paused for a breath.

Shawn started laughing. Matt’s frown deepened. "I’ll have to find out for myself then, won’t I? I guess it’s true. You really can’t send a boy to do a man’s job, Matthew."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Matt asked, sounding wary.

"Oh, nothing. If you don’t want the job, and if the girl didn’t actually see me, then I guess I’ll have to take care of it myself," Shawn laughed again and hung up, leaving Matt holding a silent phone against his ear.

He finally pushed the off button, and dropped the phone onto the couch. Shawn was going to kill the girl. He’s already set his sights on it. Whether she had seen anything or not, he wanted her dead. Matt felt his stomach clench up. This was what made Shawn dangerous. When he set his mind on something it was as good as done. And he’d been more than sure the girl was going to die. Now he was going to make it happen.

But the girl. She was innocent, she didn’t deserve whatever Shawn was planning for her. And Matt was absolutely sure death would not be the worst part of it. If Shawn had to get his hands dirty he would make it worth his own while.

"That sick bastard," Matt muttered without realizing he was cursing under his breath. There was nothing he could do. With a start he jerked from his thoughts and realized he’d packed an overnight bag while he’d been lost in thought. He frowned. There was no way for him to help Claire. It went against his basic nature.

Matt’s face lit up in a smile. Getting one over on Shawn was another story. He would help the girl, not out of any errant feeling he might have for her, but as a way to give Shawn a kick in the ass. He finished putting clothes in the bag, then leaned down and reached under his bed. He pulled out a metal lock box. Opening it, he selected two guns and shells for both of them. He stowed them in the bottom of his bag, then zipped it up and carried it over his shoulder. He hoped the guns wouldn’t be necessary. But knowing Shawn, it would be handy to have them around.

Matt locked the house up behind him then climbed into his car. He couldn’t just walk up to Claire and say ‘Hi, remember me? You need to run away with me so I can hide you out’. Matt knew time was short. He also knew that Shawn would wait until the wee hours of the morning to try anything. So he did have a small window of opportunity. An idea formed in his head, and he smiled and gunned his car along the interstate tapping his fingers impatiently against the steering wheel.

9.

"Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?" Patsy asked Claire again as she finished brushing her hair.

"No, I’ve already seen that movie. Besides, I’m kind of tired. I’m gonna soak in the tub then go to bed," Claire said, smiling at her friend’s reflection.

"Fine be that way," Patsy laughed. She turned to look at Claire’s face. "Are you really feeling better?"

Claire smiled brightly. "Yeah. I’m fine. You go out and have a good time. I’ll hold the house down for you."

Patsy finally nodded and picked her purse up from the dresser. Claire followed her downstairs to where Mark was waiting at the front door. "Bout time. I was gonna leave without you," he said, smiling as he looked at his wife.

Patsy rolled her eyes. "You would not. Who would you make out with in the back row if you went alone? Don’t answer that," she added when he opened his mouth to make a smart comment. Claire laughed and watched as they went out to Patsy’s car and climbed in. She waved as they went down the driveway then sat on the porch swing for a few minutes. Night was just coming down and it was peaceful out here. She stared absently at the stars for a while then stood up and went inside to take her bath.

She’d only been in the water for half an hour when there was a loud knock on the door. Claire debated on not answering, but when the pounding came again she sighed and stood up. She grabbed her robe and wrapped it around herself then went downstairs to open the door.

Matt had watched the house from the woods, from the same spot he’d sat in that morning. The couple, Mark and Patsy, left the house and climbed into the car. Claire sat on the porch swing and stared into space. Matt watched her, wondering what it was about this girl that had Shawn so out of sorts. She finally stood up and went inside the house, and Matt waited for a while before trying to approach. He’d scouted out the land around the house. If Shawn or any of his friends were there, they were extremely well hidden. Matt doubted they were anywhere around yet.

He decided to be bold about it. He went through the woods to the small back road where he had parked his car. He drove it back to the house and parked behind the truck. Matt climbed the front steps and knocked on the door. He waited a few minutes, then knocked again. She couldn’t have fallen asleep that fast. He was raising his fist to bang on the door when he heard her voice, yelling "Hold your horses, I’m coming."

The door was thrown open and Matt opened his mouth to speak, then shut it. Claire was standing in front of him in a robe, dripping water on the floor. Her hair was damp around her face; it was obvious he had disturbed her in the bath. A fleeting image of her in the tub went through his mind, but he quickly shut down the thought. He managed a smile, and was pleased when she smiled back.

"Sorry to bother you so late," he said, trying to keep his voice even. He’d decided to stick with the cop story, but add a little of the truth in. "But it’s urgent that I speak to you."

Claire raised her eyebrows then stood back so he could enter the house. Matt walked inside and looked around the living room. "Nice place," he said, meaning it.

Claire smiled. "It’s not mine. I’m just visiting," she said, settling down on the couch. "What was so important that you came out here, Mister…" she frowned. She couldn’t remember if he’d given her his name or not.

He smiled as he sat on a chair. "Matt. You can just call me Matt. It’s a matter of life and death," he said sobering. He watched as her frown deepened. Matt sighed. "I’ve come on some information. It looks like the killer from last night may have selected his next target."

"What does that have to do with me?" Claire asked, feeling her stomach rolling sickly.

Matt looked into her eyes. "He’s apparently decided that you should be next. I believe he wants to get rid of all the witnesses."

Claire stared back at him, not able to speak. "How…" she began, then shook her head. "How would he know how to find me? I haven’t made a statement yet or anything."

"There might be an informant at the station," Matt said. "Or someone that just has a big mouth."

"So you know who the killer is," Claire said. "Why don’t you just go catch him?"

Matt chuckled. "It doesn’t work that way. It might just be a rumor. It could be the real thing. We can’t be sure until he makes a move. I’ve been assigned to watch over you just in case."

"Watch over me? I need police protection?" Claire said. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

Matt moved to the couch beside her. "Now, we don’t know if you do or don’t. But it would be best if I stuck around to make sure everything is clear." He rested a comforting hand on her shoulder and rubbed the tense muscles there. Claire met his eyes again, staring intently at the warm look he was giving her. Finally she nodded and stood up.

"What about my friends?" she asked. She started pacing the room. "Won’t they be in trouble too?"

Matt shook his head. "Not that I would know of. Unless they get in the way. But I’m here to be sure that doesn’t happen." He wished she would sit back down. Pacing made him nervous.

"I’m going to go upstairs and put some clothes on. They should be home in an hour or so, then we can all sit down and talk about this," Claire said, not waiting for him to answer before leaving the room. Matt watched her go with a small smile on his face. There was no way he was letting her friends in on this. He wondered if Claire knew what they did for a living. Matt probably wouldn’t make it out of the house alive.

10.

Matt waited patiently, then not so patiently, for Claire to come back downstairs. It had been almost ten minutes. He got up from the couch and wandered through the hall and into the kitchen. Without turning on the light, he went to the window over the sink to look out onto the dark backyard. As he stared into the night, he saw a red glow from the corner of his eye.

Turning his head, he watched as the red flared again. Someone was out there smoking a cigarette. Matt had to smile. Leave it to Shawn to send an amateur to do the hard part. Matt watched. Every time the cigarette glowed it was a little closer to the house. They were coming, far earlier than he had expected.

Matt turned and ran up the stairs heading to the last room in the hall. It was the only one with the door closed, and he assumed it was Claire’s. Without knocking, he went inside, surprising Claire who was running a brush through her hair.

"Grab some clothes. We have to get you out of here, now!" Matt said, letting some urgency into his voice.

"But my friends…" Claire said, taking a step away from him. Matt went to the closet and threw open the door.

"Your friends aren’t home yet, and I just saw someone in the back yard. Now get some clothes together. We have to get out, now," Matt said, his tone booking no argument. Numb, Claire grabbed a bag and stuffed shirts, jeans and underwear into it. Matt took it from her and led the way down the hall to the stairs. "Stay right behind me," He whispered. "We’re going to rush the front door. My car’s outside behind the truck, unlocked. Get in the passenger side and duck down." Claire nodded and followed him as he crept silently down the stairs.

Matt froze and Claire stopped herself from running into his back. He held up a hand and motioned for her to be quiet. She listened closely. She could hear the knob on the kitchen door rattling, then silence. She was about to breathe out a sigh of relief when she heard the small sharp sound of shattering glass. "Go, run!" Matt said, pushing her toward the front door. Claire stumbled a little then caught her balance. She twisted the deadbolt on the door and opened it, then moved so that Matt could go out first.

Matt walked onto the porch, his eyes taking in everything as he grabbed Claire’s hand and pulled her down the steps. "Move fast," he said under his breath. Claire ran with him to his car and opened the passenger door. As she slid inside she heard a small popping noise, followed by the sound of metal ringing. Matt was already in the driver’s seat; he reached over and pushed her lower in the seat. He started the car and put it in reverse, spinning his tires as he floored the gas pedal.

Claire put her hands over her head and let out a little shriek as Matt spun the car 180 degrees and slammed it into drive. He was almost tripling the speed limit on the country road as he made his way away from town. Matt watched his mirrors carefully, but didn’t see anyone tailing them. With a sigh he glanced at Claire. "You can get in the seat now," he said roughly.

She slowly straightened herself out the buckled her seatbelt as he took a hairpin turn doing better than 80 miles an hour. "What the hell just happened?" Claire asked, feeling the shock wearing off. Tears of anxiety pricked her eyes, but she blinked them away.

"He came for you," Matt said, not looking at her. "He tried to shoot you. He managed to hit my car a couple of times."

"I didn’t hear a gun," Claire said, trying to focus on what had happened.

"Silencer," Matt said, sounding annoyed. He took a sharp left turn onto a dirt road, then floored the accelerator again. Claire looked at him, wondering if he knew where he was going. And wondering why he suddenly sounded as if he wished the killer had gotten her instead of his car.

"Shouldn’t we be going to the police station?" Claire asked, trying to keep a fearful tremor out of her voice. To her surprise, Matt started laughing.

"Hell no. What could they do for you?" he asked, still chuckling. "The only way you’re gonna make it through this is with me. So get used to the idea."

Claire could only stare at him as he maneuvered the car back onto blacktop. She had no clue where they were now. "You…You’re not a cop?" she asked, realizing as she did it that she should have seen it sooner. He was no police officer.

Matt laughed again. "No, definitely not a cop. What I am, honey, is your only chance of surviving. Like it or not, you’re stuck with me."

11.

Patsy and Mark got home a little after 3 am. They walked into the house and quietly went upstairs. Patsy was going to go up the hall and check on Claire when Mark grabbed her hand and pulled her inside their bedroom.

"You’ll see her in the morning," Mark whispered, leaning down to nuzzle Patsy’s neck. Patsy sighed and ran her hands through his hair.

"I suppose so," She said, grinning as he lifted her shirt over her head.

"Besides, somebody wanted a ride earlier," Mark joked, pulling his own shirt off and throwing it on the floor. He pulled Patsy against his chest and kissed her lips.

"It’s kind of late to be taking the bike out, don’t you think?" Patsy asked him sweetly. Her hands were moving down his chest, and Mark laughed.

"The one time I want your mind to be dirty, and here you are talking about my motorcycle," He admonished her, sucking in his breath as she kissed his chest and ran her hands down to the snap of his jeans.

"When I said bike, I was not referring to your Harley," Patsy laughed, pushing his jeans off his hips. Mark grinned at her then picked her up and put her on the bed. He made quick work of the rest of her clothes, then joined her on the bed. Patsy felt her skin flush as his eyes moved over her body. Even after more than a year together, just a look from him was enough to make her tingle. Mark finally lowered his head and kissed her tenderly on her lips, his hands already lighting her body on fire as she did the same for him.

"What?" Shawn hissed out, narrowing his eyes. He’d sent his right hand man out to get the girl for him. And he’d come back empty handed. "What the hell do you mean, she got away?"

"She had help," the voice on the phone said. Shawn felt his anger building up.

"Help? What the fuck kind of help did she have?" He managed to keep his voice low.

"Looked like a young guy, dark hair. I didn’t really get a good look at him," was the reply. Shawn took a sharp breath.

"Let me guess. Long dark hair, black sports car?" he asked, clenching his empty hand into a fist.

"Yeah, that’s him," a hesitation. "It was like he knew it was coming. They jumped in the car. I had to fire. But I think all I did was put some holes in the car."

"Where are you now?" Shawn asked, closing his eyes.

"In the yard. The girl’s friends showed up a while ago. Should I go see if they know where she went to?" the man’s voice sounded eager.

"No, get the hell out of there. You’ve fucked up enough for one night," Shawn barked out. Claire’s friends wouldn’t know anything; they hadn’t even been home when the fun had gone down. But Shawn knew they could come in handy later, so he didn’t want to harm them just yet. "Go home and think about how pissed off I am and how you can make it better," Shawn added, then slammed the phone down.

Against his will, a smile spread over his face. It would have chilled Matt to the bone if he had seen it. "So, little Matthew wants to play hero," Shawn murmured to himself. He started laughing. Matt was as dirty as he was, no doubt about. Shawn wondered why he would start crusading now. It didn’t really matter though. Matt would be just as easy to take down as the girl would be. It was just a matter of time until he found them both.

Shawn felt his anger recede as he imagined what he was going to do to them. Matt would just be shot on sight; he didn’t want any chances taken on him again. But the girl…Shawn smiled. The girl would make an interesting diversion for a few days before Shawn finally pulled the trigger. Now humming a little, Shawn shut off the light and returned to bed. In the morning the hunt would begin.

12.

Patsy got up before Mark did and went to take a shower. She went downstairs and into the kitchen, still half-asleep. She turned on the coffeepot then went to sit at the kitchen table and wait for it to brew. As she walked past the back door, a sharp pain stabbed through her bare foot. "Shit," she said, plopping onto a chair. She lifted her foot and saw a shard of glass sticking out of it. Wincing, Patsy pulled the sliver out of her foot, then grabbed a napkin from the table to hold against the wound.

"What’d you do?" Mark said as he came into the kitchen. His hair was still wet from his own shower.

"Don’t come over here," Patsy said, looking around the floor. "There’s…" she stopped as her eyes fell on the empty pain of glass in the door.

"What the hell?" Mark asked, moving toward her, his eyes on the door. Patsy stood up and carefully went to the other side of the kitchen.

"Looks like somebody broke it," Patsy said. She noticed the deadbolt was open. Her eyes got big. "Shit. Claire." She turned and ran to the stairs, Mark close behind her.

Patsy threw open Claire’s door and stumbled inside. Her bed didn’t look slept in, and the closet door was open. Mark walked to the closet and looked at it carefully. "Some of her stuff is gone," he said, keeping his voice low.

Patsy shook her head. "You don’t think somebody broke in and…"

Mark moved to take Patsy in his arms. "No, the only sign of anything is the glass in the kitchen. It doesn’t look like there was a big struggle."

"What the hell was she in such a big hurry to leave for?" Patsy said, still looking around. Mark took her hand and led her out of the room.

"I don’t know. Come on, you know she’ll call and tell you she just decided to take off for a day or two. The broken window doesn’t mean anything bad happened," Mark said, leading her to the couch in the living room.

"Call. Wait, let me call her cell phone," Patsy jumped up and grabbed the cordless phone and punched in Claire’s number. It rang against her ear and was echoed by Claire’s phone, which was sitting on the coffee table. Patsy cut off the phone and picked up Claire’s. "Since when has she ever gone anywhere without her cell phone?" she asked Mark, then tossed it onto the couch.

Mark stood up. "Come on. Calm down. There’s got to be a logical explanation." Patsy nodded.

"Yeah, something happened. I knew I should have made her go with us last night," She said morosely. Patsy went to the front door and stepped out onto the porch. She looked over the yard, wondering where the hell Claire had taken herself off to. A glint in the grass beside the porch steps caught her eye, and she stooped down to get a closer look.

"What the hell," She whispered. She heard Mark come onto the steps behind her and picked up what she had found. She turned to look at him, fear for her friend evident on her face. "How logical is this?"

Patsy pressed something into his hand, and Mark looked down at it. It was a brass casing from a small caliber handgun. Mark bounced it in his palm, then studied the yard. "Not one of mine," he said, his eyes resting on his wife again. She was biting her lip, watching him. "We’ll find her."

Claire didn’t speak as Matt continued driving. They had been on the road for hours, and he refused to answer any of her questions. She gave up and ended up falling asleep in the passenger seat.

Matt sighed with relief when she was finally out. He had to keep reminding himself that what he was doing was purely out of hate for Shawn. He caught himself glancing at Claire as she slept, and angrily shook himself. This was not the time to get ideas about a woman. He’d be better able to keep her alive if he could keep an emotional distance between them.

He knew where he was going. A friend of his had a hunting cabin in the woods right over the state line. No one but Matt knew the location. He could hole up there, and wait until Shawn made his next move.

It was after dawn when he pulled up to the cabin. Matt climbed out of the car and grabbed their bags. He took them into the main room. The cabin was just a large open space, with a loft that held 2 beds. There was a kitchen in the corner and a bathroom in another. The place at least had running water. There was a pump that led to a well outside. Everything ran on a generator, so he would have to make sure it was still working. It had been almost two years since he’d been here.

He dropped their bags and went back outside. He opened the passenger door and took a minute to study Claire’s face as she slept. Matt carefully extricated her from the seatbelt and lifted her in his arms. He carried her into the cabin, and took her up the stairs. He’d driven here earlier yesterday, before he went to Claire’s for her, to do a little cleaning. He lay her down on the bed closest to him, tucking a sheet over her. Claire’s eyes opened a little, and she smiled at him sleepily. Matt let himself smile back, using a gentle touch to push her hair away from her face. Her eyes slid shut again, and Matt sighed. He would definitely have to harden himself against her. He didn’t want to get emotionally involved with a woman he had been planning to kill less than 48 hours ago.

13.

Mark paced restlessly on the back porch, waiting for some inspiration to strike him. Patsy was more worried than she’d admit to. He stopped and stood at the edge of the porch, looking over the backyard to the line of trees that bordered it. He let his gaze go across the yard, not resting on any particular thing.

If someone had broken it, they would have had to come through the yard. Mark stepped off the porch and walked toward the trees, keeping his eyes on the ground. He didn’t know what exactly he expected to find.

When he made it to the edge of the woods, Mark turned so the house was on his left. He walked along the tree line, glancing back toward the house every three feet or so. He spotted what he had unconsciously been looking for. There were small bushes mixed in with the trees at the edge of the property, and there was a gap in one of them, as if someone had pushed their way through. A lot of the branches were broken off and lying on the ground. Mark pushed his way behind the bush and turned to face the house.

He wasn’t surprised. From here, he was directly in line with the back corner of the house; more importantly Claire’s window and patio door were both visible. Mark looked down and saw several cigarette butts scattered across the ground. Apparently someone had been waiting, watching, for a while until they made their move.

Mark stooped down, picked up one of the filters then tossed it back to the ground. "So much for a vacation," he mumbled to himself, heading back toward the house to tell Patsy what he had found.

Claire opened her eyes and looked around in confusion. She’d had the strangest dream. She sat up slowly and looked at the other bed, realizing that it hadn’t been a dream. Someone had actually tried to kill her last night, and the reason she was still alive was sleeping in the bed across the loft from her.

Silently, she slipped out of the bed, wincing as the floor creaked under her weight. Claire waited a minute, but Matt didn’t stir. She gingerly took the stairs down, then grabbed her bag from the floor where he’d dropped it. She rummaged through it, knowing already that she’d left her cell phone. She cursed under her breath and tossed her bag back to the floor. Patsy and Mark would be worried. She wouldn’t just take off without telling them where she was going. And she never went anywhere with a cell phone. She had to find a way to get in touch with them.

Throwing glances up at the loft where Matt supposedly slept on, Claire stripped and changed her clothes. She tried to kick her brain into gear, but it seemed to not want to accept her situation. Sighing, she wandered toward the tiny kitchen to search for some coffee.

Matt opened his eyes when he heard her stir in her bed. In his business you got used to being a light sleeper. Claire tried to be quiet as she went downstairs, but in this place that was next to impossible. He waited until he was sure she was on the first floor then he stood up and looked over the rail. Claire was taking off her clothes, changing them, and Matt had to practically drag his eyes off of her. He was a lot of things, but he didn’t want to add peeping tom to the list.

He heard her walk across the floor toward the back of the cabin and sighed. Turning, Matt went to the stairs, not bothering to be quiet about it. It was best if she had some warning that he was coming down. He grabbed his own bag from the floor and without a word to her, slipped into the bathroom to change. Claire watched him warily. She didn’t know yet if she could completely trust him. He’d already lied to her once.

Turning, she made a face at the jar of instant coffee she had found. She tried the tap at the sink and was surprised when water came out. She quickly filled a pot, and set it on a hotplate she had found to heat up.

Matt came back out of the bathroom as Claire was sinking onto the couch, a mug in her hands. He went to the kitchen to fix himself a cup, then leaned against the wall to drink it.

"So what do we do now?" Claire asked, finally tired of the strained silence between them. He looked past her out the window and Claire wondered if he’d even heard her.

"We wait," Matt said flatly. He didn’t want to conversate with this girl. He just wanted to beat Shawn at his own game.

"Wait for what?" Claire persisted. She stood with her empty cup and moved to the sink to rinse it out. Matt didn’t answer and Claire turned to look at him. He was looking at her, a frown creasing his forehead. His eyes, so warm and soft yesterday morning, were cold.

"Just wait," he finally spat out, sounding pissed. Claire’s eyes narrowed.

"Look, I don’t know what the hell you want from me," She began, trying to control her voice. He just looked at her, the same expression on his face. "You dragged me away from my friends to the middle of nowhere, they don’t know what happened, I almost got shot. I think I deserve a little explanation."

Matt pushed away from the wall and walked away from her. Claire felt her anger at him rising. She followed him outside, grabbing his arm and making him stop. "I’m going to get some supplies," Matt mumbled, jerking his arm from her grasp. He climbed into his car without another glance at her and sped off. Claire stared after the retreating car, incredulous.

14.

"I want you to watch the house," Shawn said, raising an eyebrow.

"Watch for what?" Steve asked, moving slightly in his chair. He wished Shawn had just called him, instead of making him come into his office. It made him nervous.

Shawn smiled, chilling Steve. "They might try to contact her friends. Hell, they might even come back for them. At this point I’m not ruling anything out."

Steve nodded and stood up. "And if they show?"

"Kill Matt and the other two. Bring Claire to me," Shawn turned in his chair, dismissing Steve. Shawn waited until he heard the door close before indulging in a laugh. They would be back. Shawn could be patient. And although she hadn’t seen enough to warrant such a waste of man-hours, Shawn wanted Claire. He’d studied her picture, read about her life. He’d let her invade his mind completely, and he wanted to expand on it. It would be so much better this way, actually knowing his next one was making him eager to get started.

Claire spent the first hour Matt was gone pacing, cursing him under breath. The second hour she paced, wondering if he was going to come back. It was nearing on hour three when she heard an engine outside. She stood with her hands on her hips, glaring as Matt came into the cabin carrying several bags. He didn’t even look at her, just dumped the bags in the kitchen and went back out.

He didn’t ask for help, didn’t even acknowledge she was there. It was infuriating. Matt finally stopped bringing bags inside, and started storing things in cupboards. Claire watched him, then moved toward the kitchen.

"I want to go back," She said, striving to keep her voice even. Matt didn’t answer, just kept putting things on shelves. "I said…"

"I heard what you said," Matt barked out, slamming cans into the cabinet.

"So take me back," She said, then turned and walked to the living room. "Screw that. I’ll find my own way." Claire stepped toward the door, but Matt was up and across the room, blocking her.

"No," he stated, staring at her. "Do you want to die? That’s what’s waiting for you back there."

Claire threw her bag to the floor. "How the hell do you know that? Tell me what’s going on." She was almost yelling, and had to stop and take several deep breaths.

Matt studied her face for a few moments, then sighed, letting some of his tension go. For some reason this girl had a strange effect on him. He didn’t want to get in any deeper than he already was. "Sit down," he said, resigned. He couldn’t keep her prisoner, he might as well tell her about Shawn. When she didn’t move, he frowned a little. "Please, sit. I’ll tell you."

Claire nodded and stalked to the couch. She sat on the edge and waited. "What you saw the other night…" Matt began, sinking onto the floor and crossing his legs. "The man that did it thinks you saw him. He doesn’t want witnesses. So he hired someone to kill you. He realized that you hadn’t really seen anything, but he still wants you dead. Only instead of keeping you quiet, he wants it for personal reasons. You caught his attention."

Claire was shaking her head, not understanding what he was talking about. "How do you know that?"

Matt ignored the question. "He’s crazy, he won’t stop til he gets what he wants. I’m going to make sure he doesn’t go through with it." Matt looked up into her blue eyes. "That’s about all I can tell you, OK? You’re going to have to trust me a little."

Claire laughed shakily. "Trust you? I don’t even know you. My friends…"

Matt shook his head again. "They aren’t involved in this. Look, tomorrow you can call them. Let what happened last night die down a bit. They’ll be fine." Matt was supremely confident at this statement. If anyone would know how to handle themselves against Shawn or his men, it was Mark and Patsy. Claire just continued to look worried. She finally sighed and leaned back against the couch. Either he was telling the truth, or he was a total raving lunatic.

"So what then? How do you protect me? Keep me locked here forever?" Claire asked, looking around. Matt continued to look up at her.

"No, that wouldn’t be possible. A few days, a week at the most. I’m going to show you how to handle yourself. Then we’ll go back. There might be trouble, or it might have all blown over. With this guy, you never know," Matt looked troubled, wondering if it would be that easy. Shawn did tend to lose interest quickly, but Matt didn’t think it was possible in this case.

"This sucks," Claire said, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. Matt chuckled. She had accurately summed up the whole damn situation.

15.

Patsy had spent all day ignoring Mark’s repeated attempts to calm her down. She was sick with worry. "You don’t think it had anything to do with us, do you?" she asked Mark as he led her to the kitchen to fix her a drink.

"No, I don’t get that feeling," Mark said, pouring her a shot and grabbing a beer for himself. Patsy made a face as she threw it back, then sighed.

"Then what? I…" She stopped, thinking. "Wait. The other night, the bar…"

"It’s possible," Mark conceded, then sat down and took Patsy’s hand. "Actually, it’s likely. We’ll deal with this."

Patsy smiled weakly. "I know," She said, letting him pull her to her feet. He led her upstairs and ran a bath for her. She smiled at him gratefully as Mark grabbed her nightgown and undressed her.

"Soak for a while. Try to relax a little. It’s gonna be OK," he murmured, kissing her gently. Patsy nodded and slid into the hot water, sinking down until it was up to her chin.

When she finally climbed out and dried off her mind felt so much clearer. Patsy slipped her silk nightshirt over her head and went into the bedroom where Mark was lying on the bed, looking at the spent casing they had found on the ground outside.

Patsy slid into bed next to him, and Mark put the empty casing down to cuddle her close. She tried to close her eyes and relax. Mark was gently rubbing her back, stroking a hand through her hair. Patsy suddenly sat up, and moved to the edge of the bed.

"What is it?" Mark asked, pushing himself up. He watched his wife as she walked across the room and looked out the window.

"I don’t know. Something doesn’t feel right," she said, moving away from the window. Patsy walked to the door. "I’m going to get a drink of water." Mark sighed and stood up. It was obvious Patsy wasn’t going to be ready for bed for a while. He might as well sit up with her, and try to help her out.

He found her downstairs in the living room, pacing with a glass in her hand. Mark sat on the couch, watching as she looked out the front window then turned toward him. "Someone’s out there," she said. Mark raised his eyebrow.

"Where?" he asked, not getting up. If there was someone there, he didn’t want to alert him to the fact that they knew he was there. Patsy moved to the chair next to Mark and sipped her water.

"Across the street, in the trees. I saw a red shirt or jacket when whoever it was moved around," she said, speaking in the same low tone that he’d used. Mark nodded.

"I’ll check it out," he said, standing and taking her glass from her. She smiled up at him.

"Be careful," She said, holding the smile in place.

"Always," Mark said, leaning down to kiss her. He carried her glass to the kitchen and Patsy could faintly hear the sound of the back door opening. She closed her eyes and waited for Mark to come back.

Steve was crouched low, almost asleep. God, he hated assignments like this. He didn’t like to sit still, and he hated being bored. He’d gotten a few glimpses of the lady of the house as she paced around, stopping occasionally to look out the window. That was it. He didn’t know what the hell Shawn had expected him to see.

Steve shifted, trying to get comfortable with the tree that was pressing hard into his back. This had to be the most pointless assignment he’d ever gotten from Shawn, and looking back over his years with him, that was saying a lot. Shawn did a lot of meaningless things, but this took the cake.

There was a noise to his right, and Steve jumped up and spun around to look. He couldn’t see anything, it was dark in the cover of the trees. He strained and finally spotted the source of the noise. A large rabbit was frozen in place, seeming to stare back at him. Steve laughed nervously and turned back to the house. He came face to face with a large chest. Darkness came over his eyesight as the big man threw a roundhouse right at his jaw before Steve could even register that the man was moving.

16.

"I don’t understand the point of this," Claire said, following Matt out the back door of the cabin. Matt stopped in the clearing behind the house and looked around.

"Look, it’ll be easier if you know how to handle yourself. That way you have a better chance of surviving this. Now," he said, kneeling and opening the bag he had brought outside. "Have you ever shot a gun before?"

Claire watched as he pulled a handgun out of the bag followed by a box of bullets for it. "No, I never had a reason to," she said, keeping her eyes on his hands as he loaded the gun.

Matt snapped the clip into the gun and stood up. "It’s pretty simple. The best weapon to use for defense is a shotgun," he said, and Claire bit back a smile. He sounded like he was teaching a class. "You just aim in the general direction and the spread will hit your target. Handguns are harder. One bullet, no spread. You have to be fairly accurate. How’s your aim?"

Claire shrugged. "Were you not listening when I told you I never fired a gun before?" Matt looked at her a smile tugging his lips before growing serious again.

"Let’s see what you can do," he said, holding the gun out to her. Claire was surprised by how heavy it was. "Now, are you a righty or a lefty?"

"Right handed," Claire said, holding the gun awkwardly in her right hand.

"OK, so…put your finger on the trigger. Use your left hand to steady the gun at the bottom," he said, watching closely as she did what he told her. "You’ve got to relax a little. It won’t bite."

"Biting is not what I’m worried about," Claire muttered, concentrating. She didn’t notice the grin that flashed across his face.

He watched as she held the gun, then pointed across the clearing to a large tree. "See that tree? Aim at it. Keep both eyes open," He said. "It doesn’t matter what part you aim for. Mainly, when and if you shoot a gun you want to just slow down they guy. You won’t be shooting to kill."
Claire felt ill at the thought of actually shooting a person, but bit back the feeling. Someone had shot at her just last night.

"Now, find your target. Aim at it. Squeeze the trigger," Matt watched closely as Claire followed his instructions. She jumped when the gun went off and the shot went wild, too high up to hit the part of the tree trunk she had been aiming for.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"It’s OK. I should have warned you about the kick," Matt said. He took the gun from her and chambered another round, making sure Claire watched closely. "Cover your ears," he said, raising the gun. Claire did and watched as he aimed at the tree and took his shot. Bark exploded outward as the slug buried itself into wood. "Now, try again. Relax."

Claire nodded and took the gun. She pulled the slide to chamber another round then resumed the stance she had used earlier. Matt was shaking his head. "Wait, wait. Look," he said, moving behind her. His chest pressed against her back as his arms came around her. He used his hands to guide her arms, getting her to relax with the gun in her hand.

"Now," he said, his voice in her ear making her shiver. "Look at your target. Pick a spot on the tree. Don’t aim along the sight on the gun. Just aim with your eyes." Claire had already picked a spot, there was a patch of bark that was darker than the rest. She let her eyes focus on it, not aware of her hands moving the gun to point at it. "When your ready, don’t pull the trigger. Squeeze it, like you’re squeezing your thumb and index finger together." Claire nodded slightly, not taking her eyes from the dark spot on the tree. She sucked in a breath and held it, then squeezed the trigger. The gun exploded in her hands again, but she was ready for it this time. She kept her arms steady and watched at the dark patch of bark disintegrated when the bullet hit it. She smiled and turned her head, looking into Matt’s eyes.

Without thinking about it, Matt lowered his head and kissed her gently on the lips. Claire turned in his arms and kissed him back, keeping the gun down at her side. Matt finally pulled away and looked at her, his dark eyes cloudy. He blinked a few times then stepped away, his face turning red. "Sorry," he mumbled, turning and walking back toward the cabin. "Keep on doing it like that, you’ll get better," he said before ducking inside. Claire stared after him for a minute, her mind still not comprehending what had just happened.

17.

Patsy was sitting on the couch when Mark got home. She stood up when she heard him open the door and met him in the hallway. "Well?" she asked, pulling him close for a hug. Mark sighed.

"Shawn Michaels," He said, feeling Patsy tense up. "He hired the idiot that was watching the house. He killed the woman at the bar, and thought Claire saw him. Shawn sent somebody to take care of her." Mark led Patsy to the living room and sat down on the couch with her. Patsy looked into his eyes, frowning.

"Who?" she asked, watching as he sighed again and leaned back on the couch. He had spent all night with Steve, who had tried not to tell anything. But in the end, he hadn’t been able to talk fast enough.

"It’s not good," Mark said, opening his eyes to look at Patsy. "Matt Hardy. We have a file on him, don’t we?"

Patsy nodded. "But…let me get this. Shawn thinks Claire can ID him, so he sends a hired gun to kill her. Then he sends some asshole to watch our house, meaning she must have gotten away from them, right?"

"She did," Mark said, and couldn’t help but chuckle a little. Patsy’s frown deepened.

"What do you find amusing about my friend being hunted down?" she said.

"Apparently Shawn’s pet hit man decided to take the girl and run," Mark said, still smiling a little at the thought of it. "He didn’t do his job, so Shawn sent someone else to get her. That’s where the broken glass came from, I guess. But Matt got to her first, they ran off."

"She went willingly?" Patsy asked, incredulous. She stood up and started pacing. Mark got up from the couch and put his hands on her shoulders.

"She’s OK. I know she is. According to our visitor last night, Matt refused to kill her. The guy thinks Matt is protecting her to get under Shawn’s skin."

Patsy nodded, but was not at all relieved. They had been following Matt’s exploits for almost six months. It was part of what they did, keeping tabs on and stopping people like him. This sudden splurge into protectiveness did not sit well with Patsy. "I’ll go look him up. Find out where he thinks he could go."

Mark followed Patsy to the basement, where they had set up an office. Patsy sat at the computer and started typing while Mark watched over her shoulder. He let her handle the computer full time. She was much better at remembering all of the passwords they had to use to protect their files. When she finally found the file that they needed, she scrolled through it quickly. They had a list of all of Matt’s hangouts, all of his contacts. He was one of their most extensive files. Although it wasn’t their job to keep records like this, Mark knew it paid to be prepared.

"Look," she said, finally stopping on a page. "He has a place in town. And three other possible hiding spots that we know of." Mark nodded, then leaned down and kissed Patsy on the head. She smiled up at him.

"Looks like our vacation just got cancelled," Mark said, then hit the key to print out the addresses. "Might as well pull up little Shawn’s file too. We might want to keep tabs on him." Patsy nodded, already typing in commands on the keyboard as Mark grabbed the printouts and memorized the locations.

Almost an hour later, Patsy pulled up in front of a small ocean-side house. It looked tidy and small compared to the other houses in the neighborhood. She walked up the sidewalk and to the front door, looking like she belonged there.

Mark had gone north and farther inland. Matt also owned a house near a small lake, which was where Mark was headed. If that didn’t pan out, there was another house, left to Matt by his mother when she passed away. Last on the list was a cabin over the state line, which they had found out about on accident. Matt hardly ever went there, so it was not a priority to keep it under any surveillance.

Patsy made it to the front door and tried the knob. It turned easily, and she pushed the door open and stepped inside. It was bright outside, but the house was full of shadows. "Hello?" she called out, walking through the short entranceway. Of course there was no answer. Matt wasn’t dumb enough to stay in the vicinity, which was the main reason Mark had insisted Patsy check out his house. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at his protectiveness. She’d been taking care of herself for a long time before she’d ever fallen in love with him.

When she got to the entranceway of the living room she froze. The place was trashed. Books were torn and paper was everywhere, the couch had been shredded. Lamps lay in broken heaps on the floor and pictures had been smashed on the walls. Patsy walked slowly through the rest of the house, finding everything in the same condition as the living room. Whoever had done this had not been looking for anything. It looked like an act of pure blind rage.

18.

Claire stayed in the back, shooting the gun, for another hour. None of her shots had been as good as the first one, but she was definitely getting the hang of it. Her mind kept wandering back to Matt and his kiss though, and it totally blew her concentration.

Calling it quits when her arms started aching, Claire took the clip out of the gun and stowed everything back in the bag. She set it by the door then turned and walked across the clearing toward the tree they had shot up. Just looking at all the holes in it made her stomach feel shaky, and she walked past it into the woods, following a deer trail. She needed time to clear her head.

She lost track of time as she wandered through the woods, always keeping some part of the cabin in sight. Claire was brought back to reality when a drop of wetness hit her face, then another. It was starting to rain. She ran toward the cabin, not wanting the gun to get wet, knowing Matt would probably freak out if it did. She scooped the bag up and ducked in the door just as the rain started falling heavily.

The rain was loud on the roof of the cabin as Claire dumped the bag on the floor of the kitchen and went into the living room. Matt wasn’t there. She assumed he was upstairs lying down, so she sat on the couch and stared out the window at the rain, lost in thought. She was startled when he tapped on her shoulder, holding a cup of coffee out to her.

Sighing, Claire took it. Matt watched her take a sip then sat on the other end of the couch. He had watched from the window as she walked into the woods, then had followed quietly behind her, keeping her in his sight the whole time. He could not shake the feeling that if he didn’t watch out for her, something would happen. It was ridiculous out here in the middle of nowhere, but it was true.

They sat in silence for a while, watching the rain sheet off the window. Finally Matt cleared his throat. "I’m going to fix something to eat," he said, standing and wandering toward the kitchen. Claire smiled a little. Apparently being around her was making him a little nervous. She thought that was good, since she felt the exact same way.

They ate in relative silence, then Claire went up to the loft to get ready for bed. It was still early out, but the rain clouds made it seem later. She was emotionally and physically exhausted. She climbed into bed and snuggled under the blankets, closing her eyes as sleep washed over her.

Matt waited a while then rummaged through his bag for a pair of shorts. He went in the bathroom and changed, then went upstairs. Claire was already asleep, curled on her side. He watched her for a minute, then shook his head. He knew kissing her had been wrong, but he hadn’t been able to help himself. He stripped his shirt off and sank onto his own bed, turning so that he could watch her as she slept.

Claire’s eyes popped open and she sat up, her heart pounding in her chest. Lightening flashed in the window and thunder banged, shaking the little cabin. She pushed herself up until her back was against the wall and watched through the window as lightening streaked through the sky. She cast her eyes onto the other bed. Matt was awake, his hands behind his head, looking at the ceiling. He looked over at her then out the window as thunder boomed out again.

"Big storm," he said, his voice so low Claire wasn’t sure she was actually hearing him.

"I love storms," she said, smiling a little. "I don’t know why."

"I hate them. Too loud, too many flashes," he said, closing his eyes as lightening lit up the room. To Claire he sounded like a kid. She couldn’t imagine a man like him being afraid of a little storm. But she sensed there was something else he was afraid of and the storm just intensified that emotion.

Matt opened his eyes as he felt the mattress shift beside him. Claire had gotten out of her bed and had come over to his and was sitting next to him. Matt moved over a little and she pushed herself onto the bed, her back resting against the wall again. "I’m going to watch the show," she said with a little smile. "You can go back to sleep."

Matt started to protest, then closed his mouth. She would just argue with him anyway. Sighing, he closed his eyes and was surprised to find that he actually was feeling sleepy again. Claire watched him fight it, then smiled as his breathing deepened and he went out. She slid down until she was stretched out next to him on the bed, then took his hand as she watched lightening dance across the sky.

19.

Matt woke up slowly, feeling warmth in his arms. He snuggled closer, pulling Claire against him. The storm had passed, but another one was starting. The thunder returning had woken him up. Claire had fallen asleep next to him, and he had wrapped his arms around her in sleep, cuddling her close. Matt thought about going to the other bed. Being this close to her was like a form of torture. He didn’t move though, as lightening flickered past the window.

Thunder rumbled again, and Claire turned in his arms, mumbling thickly in her sleep. She burrowed her face against his chest, and grew still. Matt gently stroked her back with his hands, smoothing out her pajamas over her skin. He closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of her hair.

Without stopping to think about what he was doing, Matt raised his hand and brushed the hair back from her face. He ran his fingers over the soft skin of her cheek, tracing the line of her jaw. Claire stirred a little and he froze. Almost with a mind of their own, his fingers resumed their slow exploration of her soft skin, moving lightly down her neck, then back up to trace the outline of her ear. Matt was watching his hand closely, committing what he felt to memory. His fingers went to her cheek again and he saw that her eyes were open.

He immediately stopped and started to pull away, but Claire raised her hand and held his hand to her face. Matt looked into her eyes then bent his head slowly to kiss her lips. He knew it was wrong but was powerless to stop as Claire hungrily returned his kiss, running her hand over his cheek and into his hair. Matt stopped thinking when she flicked her tongue over his lower lip, tracing the outline, before pressing her mouth against his. He slid his tongue over hers, shivering a little as sensations he hadn’t felt in a long time wracked his body.

Claire’s hands moved over his shoulders and down his chest, her soft touch against his skin making him moan. She explored his chest and stomach, feeling his muscles contract under her hands. Matt’s fingers were on the buttons at the front of her nightgown, slowly easing them open. He had to exert iron control to not just rip it off of her body. When it was open to her navel, he slowly drew his finger up the exposed skin, smiling against her lips as she jumped when he hit a ticklish spot.

Her hands were still caressing his chest, sliding around his waist to stroke his back, then moving over his arms. Matt slid his hand into her nightshirt, slowly moving to cup her breast. Claire arched against him, gasping as his fingers moved across her nipple. Matt pulled his mouth from hers and kissed a line down her jaw. He stopped to nuzzle her neck, sending shivers down her back as his fingers continued moving under her shirt.

He pushed the shirt off her shoulder and kissed her collarbone, lightly nibbling on her skin. Claire sighed, sliding her hands into his hair as he moved his head downward to flick his tongue over her nipple. She held him there as his mouth moved over her breasts, his hands still stroking her gently. He pulled away a little and helped her take the nightshirt off. Claire raised her hips as he eased her panties off, then lowered his lips to hers again to kiss her deeply. His hand moved slowly up her thigh, tracing the curve of her hip. He lightly stroked her stomach before stopping to caress her breast again.

Biting her lip, Claire ran her hands down his smooth chest, stopping at the waistband of his shorts. She slowly pushed them, and Matt reached down to help her move them off his legs. He pulled her close to him, and Claire moved her lips over his neck, stopping to dip her tongue into the hollow of his throat. Her hands moved lower, feeling the soft skin of his stomach under her palms. His breathing sped up as she ran her fingers over him then stroked him in her hand. He whimpered as she kept exploring with her hand, then lowered his head to kiss her passionately again.

Matt rolled onto his back, pulling Claire on top of him. He cupped her face in his hands as he kissed her deeply, his fingers making small circular patterns on her cheeks. Claire moved her hips, pressing down until he was inside her, then rocking against his body as he moved his hips against her. His hands slid down her body, grasping her waist and guiding her movements. Claire pulled back so she could watch his face as they made love, meeting his eyes as he continued to thrust into her. She suddenly cried out as his fingers dug into her skin, holding her tight against his body. Matt wrapped his arms around her, pulling her down against his chest as they both climaxed, murmuring softly to each other as the spasms passed through them.

When she finally trusted her legs enough to hold her, Claire slowly moved off of Matt, and snuggled up to him. He pulled her tight against him, burying his face in her hair. They fell asleep in each other’s arms as the storm raged on outside.

20.

Patsy hung up the phone and sat down at the kitchen table. Mark had left early that morning to check the house by the lake, but when he got there nothing indicated it had been used recently. He was on his way home, and they would check the final cabin in the morning. After that was a blank. If they didn’t find Claire there, they were out of options.

Spinning the cordless phone around on the table, Patsy looked out the window and sighed. She and Mark hadn’t been able to go just a week before their business butted into their lives.

Claire and most of their other friends thought they ran a computer business out of their house. Patsy smirked at the thought. Mark knew very little about computers, what he knew she had taught him. Patsy had been working with her father when she’d met Mark, presumably he’d been there to do business with her dad. He’d actually risked his life to protect her and her family from a rival businessman who was taking extremely drastic measures to get rid of his competition.

They were bounty hunters, of a kind. Except they collected their money before the bad guys got caught. Right now, they had files on at least one hundred ‘killers for hire’. Patsy had been working with Mark for two years, married to him for one, and she still didn’t know exactly who their boss was. He’d email their next job to them, and leave them to decide if they wanted to take it or not. Patsy had never even spoken to him. He’d insisted on Patsy taking some combat training, which she’d actually thought was fun. She’d learned how to fight. She could take a gun apart and put it back together in a dark room.

But she couldn’t find one person. It made her nuts. It was as if Claire had dropped off the face of the earth. ‘And without her phone,’ Patsy muttered, not aware she was speaking out loud. If Claire had taken her phone, like she usually did, Patsy could have fixed on her phone’s signal and traced her. For the first time since Patsy had known her, Claire had left without it. That troubled her more than the spent shell or the broken glass. Patsy had always joked that Claire would go into a burning building to rescue her cell phone, and Claire had never denied it.

Sighing, Patsy stood and made her way to the computer room in the basement. She’d try to lose herself in some work until Mark got home. There were always files to update, a boring job that should put her in a mellow mood.

Claire opened her eyes and stretched, smiling a little to herself. She’d had the most realistic dream last night. She remembered getting into bed with Matt to watch the storm, then she’d fallen asleep. Shaking her head, Claire pushed the blankets off and told herself not to get so worked up over her mind amusing itself. She looked down and belatedly realized she was undressed.

She yanked the blanket back up, and looked to her left. The other half of the bed was empty, and she sighed a little with relief. So it hadn’t been a dream. Claire could feel heat in her cheeks as she blushed, remembering everything that had happened. She hardly knew the man, yet she’d practically thrown herself at him. She shook her head. Why was she blaming herself? He hadn’t offered any resistance to what had happened.

Claire listened but didn’t hear Matt moving around the house. She slowly climbed out of the bed and grabbed her bag, rummaging in it and finding some jeans and a T-shirt. She dressed quickly then made her way down the steps.

Matt had looked up when he heard Claire moving around upstairs. He’s been awake since dawn, sitting here on the couch, lost in thought. He was mad at himself for letting his guard down. He was supposed to be protecting Claire, not taking advantage of her.

She came down the stairs and stopped when she saw him sitting there. They looked at each other for a moment, both looking away and blushing a little. Claire moved to the kitchen, wracking her mind for anything to break the awkward silence. She came up empty. She made herself a cup of coffee, and stood near the sink sipping it and looking out the window.

Matt cleared his throat. "We need to finish what we started," he said, and Claire turned her head to look at him. His face was red. "I mean, your lesson in how to protect yourself."

"Right," Claire said, trying to sound excited at the prospect. "What’s on the agenda today?" She crossed the room and sank onto the opposite end of the couch.

"I’m not sure. You’ll need to learn how to dodge a stalker, so I guess we can try that out," Matt said, looking at her then looking away. She had put on jeans and an old shirt, but she still looked damn hot.

"A stalker?" Claire asked, watching as he nervously ran a hand through his hair. She was longing to touch him, but bit back the urge. It was better to just pretend last night never happened, and stick to business.

"Well, that’s the best way to describe it," Matt said. His thoughts paralleled Claire’s; he wanted thoughts of last night to fade and the best way to do that was to jump into work. "Somebody is following you, so you have to lose them. it’s easier to run than fight, and it gives you an advantage over whoever is pursuing you."

Claire was nodding. "Let’s go then, while I’m in a commando mood." Matt stood up and hesitated as Claire rose from the couch. She looked into his eyes expectantly, but he just sighed and turned. Shaking her head, Claire followed him out the door.

21.

Claire moved through the woods, not bothering to be quiet. Matt had said the first step to losing a tail was to keep everything you did obvious until you made your move. So she went out of her way to step on twigs and leaves, and shoving through the heavier undergrowth.

As she walked, she let her mind wander. They were both acting stupid, and she knew it. Matt’s hand had accidentally brushed hers and he’d jumped back as if he had been scalded. Claire hadn’t been able to look at him without feeling his lips on her skin.

Glancing back over her shoulder, not seeing him following her, Claire decided it was almost time to make her move. She’d lull him a little more with all this noise she was making, then duck out of sight, just like he’d told her.

Matt kept Claire in his sight, moving slowly and quietly. Thoughts of their night together kept distracting him from giving this little lesson all of his concentration. He would try to focus and all he could see was Claire’s eyes looking at him, her hands touching him. He could almost taste her skin, and it was making him crazy.

Matt looked up and stopped in his tracks. A small smile spread over his features. Claire had disappeared from sight, and he hadn’t caught it. He wondered how long ago it had been when she’d made her move. He’d been lost in daydreams for a while.

Now he had to find her. Moving a little faster, his eyes darted left and right, then over his shoulder. It was instinctual. He had only told Claire to duck out of sight, so she should be hiding close by. Now it was just a matter of being a little more alert.

He didn’t see her anywhere. Matt began circling the area he had last seen her, moving faster. It was stupid of him, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something had happened to her. Matt broke through the tree line into a clearing and stopped in his tracks. There was a small pond back here surrounded by overgrown bushes. On one of them fluttered a piece of Claire’s T-shirt. If she had ducked through the bushes, she could have fallen into the water. Matt rushed over and started forcing his way though the greenery, cursing as branches scratched against his bare arms.

He came out the other side fast and caught himself before he could fall headfirst into the water. His eyes probed the water, his heart pounded. If she got hurt out here, it would be his fault. It would…

His thoughts stopped as a branch poked his side. Matt turned and came face to face with a smiling Claire. "Gotcha!" she said, and laughed. Matt felt relief flooding through him even as he blushed red. She had pulled a fast one on him, and he’d fallen for it.

Matt finally rolled his eyes and laughed with her. "Good job. You had me going. I thought you’d drowned."

Claire crossed her arms over her chest. "Nope, I’m a good swimmer. I hid like you told me to, but you walked right past me. So I wandered a little, followed you like you were following me. Then I got this idea to scare the hell out of you. Did it work?"

"Nope," Matt said, trying to keep a straight face. He turned back to the water, looking at the smooth surface. "You must have done this before. Turning the tables on me is an advanced lesson."

Claire grinned. "I was always good at hide and seek. So, do I pass this little test?"

Matt bit back a laugh. "Maybe. We might have to do it again, just to see if it was a fluke." Matt let out a surprised yelp as Claire’s hands slammed into his back. He spun his arms wildly and fell forward into the water of the pond. He came up sputtering, throwing his wet hair out of his face.

Claire stood on the bank, laughing. "That wasn’t a fluke. I out maneuvered you and you know it." She was still giggling, watching Matt struggle back up the bank. Her giggles suddenly dried up as she caught a glimpse of the expression on his face. He looked extremely pissed off.

22.

Matt finally managed to get out of the water, and stood in front of her. He wasn’t mad. In fact, he was proud of her. She’d managed to get him twice. He hadn’t seen her shove coming; if anything, he was mad at himself for not paying more attention. The first rule in his line of work was never turn your back on an enemy. Claire wasn’t his enemy, but he’d made a rookie mistake and he paid for it with a dip in the pond.

Matt took a step toward her, trying to look menacing. Claire watched him closely, looking like she was about to take off running. Matt reached out and pulled her to him, then brought his lips down against hers. He moved without thinking, he hadn’t planned on kissing her, it had just happened. He slid his tongue along her lips and sighed as Claire met it with her own.

He was ready to give up on pretending nothing had happened between them. He wanted her, plain and simple. And from her reaction to his kiss, his touch, she wanted him just as much.

Claire closed her eyes, concentrating on the currents his kiss was sending through her body. Her hands came up and gripped the wet front of his shirt, holding him close to her. Her knees got shaky as he slid his tongue into her mouth. Claire moaned as his hands ran down her back, then up inside her shirt, massaging her skin.

Matt broke the kiss long enough to pull her shirt over her head, then brought his lips against hers again. His fingers undid the clasp of her bra, and he eased it off her shoulders, rubbing her warm skin with his fingers. Claire’s hands were struggling with the buttons of his shirt; the wet material made them almost too slippery to get a grip on. She finally had it opened, and he shrugged it off, letting it drop to the ground. Claire’s hands moved over his chest, sliding easily across his soaked skin.

Matt moved his mouth from hers and trailed kisses down her chin to her jaw line. He lightly nibbled her neck, then flicked his tongue over her earlobe. Claire smiled and tangled her hands into his long hair, sighing with pleasure as his hands moved to cup her breasts. He ducked his head and kissed his way between them, breathing in her scent. Claire moaned as his mouth found one of her nipples, and he sucked gently on it.

Claire pulled his head tighter against her body, then shivered as his hands trailed down her ribs and stomach. Matt helped her ease her jeans down her legs, then knelt down to pull off her shoes. When she was stripped, Matt stood back and looked at her, taking in her body. Claire felt herself flush as his eyes moved over her. Matt took off his own jeans, then gathered Claire into his arms for another passionate kiss.

Claire’s hands ran over the smooth skin of his back, feeling his muscles move under her palms. She pulled him closer against her body, loving the way he seemed to fit against her. Matt slowly lowered her to the soft grass beside the pond, then covered her body with his. Claire arched her back, moaning softly as Matt explored her body with his hands and mouth.

Claire didn’t want to wait, he was teasing her and it was making her crazy. She pulled him up, wrapping her legs around his waist, guiding him inside. Matt slowly moved against her, relishing in the feel of her warmth around him, her moans of pleasure making him want to move faster within her. He felt her tense, her body convulsing and felt his own body answer it. Claire’s nails dug into the skin of his shoulder as she cried out softly. Matt lowered his head and kissed her lips, not parting until the last of the shockwaves had passed through them.

Matt rolled onto his side, pulling Claire against his chest. She cuddled close to him, her hands still moving lightly over his skin. Matt was almost asleep when he felt Claire stir against him, rising up on one elbow to look into his eyes.

"What are we doing?" she asked softly. Matt smiled a little.

"I don’t know. But I can’t keep pretending I don’t want it to happen," he said truthfully. He looked deep into her blue eyes, trying to read what she was thinking.

"Me either," she finally said, leaning forward to brush her lips against his. Her practical inner voice was screaming at her, telling her it was wrong to want Matt so much. She barely knew him. But she also realized that she was more attracted to him than she had been any other man in her life. She felt a pull toward him that she’d never felt before, and it was exciting and scary at the same time.

"Then let’s get back to the cabin so I can make up for being such a rotten jerk," Matt said playfully. Claire giggled and sat up, then let him pull her to her feet. He embraced her again before she could retrieve her clothes, and she had to pull away before they both ended up on the forest floor again.

23.

Patsy was stretched out on the bed when Mark finally made it home late in the evening. He stood in the doorway and watched her sleeping, knowing that she had been awake for the better part of 2 days. He took a quick shower then slipped into bed beside her, pulling her close to him.

"Three down," she mumbled against his chest. Mark smiled a little.

"One to go," he finished for her, then kissed the top of her head. She snuggled closer to him, hugging him tight. Mark closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of the honey suckle shampoo that she used. She had completely changed him during the course of their partnership, both business and personal. He didn’t want her to be involved in the business anymore, but she wouldn’t hear of it. He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the argument that would happen if he mentioned her giving it up.

"I’m not even going to ask if you want me to go with you," Patsy said, and Mark felt her smiling against his chest.

"I’d feel better if you stayed here. It’ll probably be another dead end," He said, running his hands down her back.

"I’d feel better if you’d let me go," she said, kissing his chest. Mark chuckled. They had the same argument every time an assignment came up.

"I’d rather know you were here safe. Just this once," he added, sliding his hands under her shirt. Patsy made a low sound in her throat as his hands moved over the skin of her back.

"Just this once, right," she said, laughter in her voice. She grew serious quickly. "I hope she’s OK."

Mark sighed. "I know. So do I. You need to try to forget about it for a while, relax a little. All this worrying isn’t good for you."

Patsy smiled again, running her hand down his side and over his hip. "So help me find something else to concentrate on," she whispered, making him moan as her fingers moved over him.

Shawn was livid. First Matt turning on him, then Steve disappearing. He picked up a glass paperweight and threw it against the wall, feeling no satisfaction as it shattered. He wanted the girl, he could almost hear her screams. All of his other business was stalled while he waited for one person. He stood up and paced his office, mumbling under his breath.

Shawn never did like it when things didn’t go his way. It was a fact that he always got what he wanted. And now he wanted Claire. With possibly Matt thrown in on the side. He wasn’t a man to be crossed.

Most of the people that worked with him noticed his mood and headed for high ground. Shawn didn’t blame them. He had a legendary temper, and could snap at any of his ‘friends’ at any time. He had no remorse over the fact that he could kill them all and not blink at the carnage.

Shawn sank back into his chair, smiling a little. There was another way to get what he wanted. He was tired of waiting. If he didn’t find Claire by the morning, there was a way to bring her straight to his door.

24.

Claire threw together a light supper and she and Matt sat on the floor in front of the couch, talking quietly and eating. Matt offered to clean up, and Claire headed for the shower. She was amazed by Matt’s sudden turnaround. This morning he’d been distant, now he was talkative. She shook her head, wondering what he was hiding from her. She could sense something there, running deep in him. Something that weighed on him. She found herself wondering again what his reasons for helping her were.

Sighing, she got out of the shower and toweled off. She wrapped a towel around her then went into the main room of the cabin. Matt was gone, and soft light glowed from the loft. Smiling, Claire walked slowly through the first floor. She stopped and looked down as her foot brushed against something on the floor. There was a small blue flower on the wooden floor. Claire picked it up, then looked again. She couldn’t help but laugh a little. There was a trail of wild flowers leading up the stairs. Picking them up as she walked, Claire built a bouquet as she made her way to the loft.

Matt waited until he heard the shower kick on, then went outside. He didn’t know what the hell he was doing, he just knew he wanted Claire to feel special. He spotted some flowers at the rear of the small yard, and made his way over to them. He picked a few absentmindedly, then smiled. Quickly he filled his arms with different colored blossoms and took them back into the house.

He didn’t know why he was doing this. He’d never tried to romance anyone before. And he couldn’t really expect anything to come from it. Not in the midst of their situation. But he wanted to know what it was like to love someone, and he was taking this chance while he had it. Matt wasn’t trying to kid himself now. He realized he was in love, or at least falling in love with Claire. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. For the first time in his life something had broken through his iron focus and made him stop to see the bigger picture. He didn’t want to be a hired gun anymore. He didn’t know what he wanted. But he knew that whatever he was going to be, wherever he was going, it was going to start with Claire.

Matt went up to the loft and dropped the flowers on the bed. He searched through the kitchen cabinets and found 3 fat candles. He carried them upstairs and lit them, then turned off the other lights. He smiled a little then sat on the edge of the bed, picking up the first of many flowers. He thought for a second, then stood and pulled the blanket from the bed, exposing the white cotton sheet. His fingers worked quickly, pulling petals from the stems and spreading them out over the mattress.

When he was done, he grinned at the results. The white was totally covered by a rainbow of color. Matt ran back outside and picked more flowers, then went into the cabin, setting a trail that led from the bottom of the steps to the floor near the bed. He eyed his handy work, then smiled when he heard the shower cut off.

25.

Claire froze at the top of the stairs, taking in the bed covered with petals, the candles flickering, and Matt looking pleased with himself. She smiled at him, then bent to pick up the last flower off the floor. She breathed in the sweet smell of the blossoms, then stood in front of Matt, a little smile playing on her lips. She held out her bouquet.

Matt took the flowers from her hand and set them down on the end of the bed. He faced her again, reaching for her to pull her into his arms. Claire waited as he stared into her eyes, his fingers lightly moving over the soft skin of her cheek. Matt finally lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her deeply, running his tongue into her mouth to taste her. Claire sighed and leaned against him, kissing him back.

Matt pulled away, his breathing ragged, and smiled as his fingers tugged at the towel. It fell to the floor and Claire stood motionless in front of him as his eyes explored her again. Matt’s hands came up to rest on her shoulders. Claire shivered a little as his fingers traced her skin, moving down her arms and back up. He used his palms to touch her shoulders again, sliding his hands down over her breasts, moving across her ribs, feeling the smooth skin of her stomach. He moved down, rubbing her hips and thighs with the stroking motion of his fingers.

Claire watched his as his hands touched every part of her body. His attention was focused solely on her, his hands sampling the texture of her skin, not stopping anywhere, just moving and caressing. Matt finally stood up in front of her again, his hands sliding around her waist, pulling her close to him. His lips found hers again, and she had to grip his shoulders tightly to keep herself standing up. Matt slowly backed her toward the bed until her knees came into contact with the mattress. He helped lower her gently onto the petals scattered there, and Claire was surrounded by the flowers’ soft scent.

Smiling, Matt watched as Claire closed her eyes to breathe in the warm fragrance of the blooms. He sat on the bed next to her. She opened her eyes to smile at him. Matt reached down and picked a yellow flower from the bouquet she had gathered, then leaned down to kiss her lips softly again. He pulled away and smiled, then brought the flower to her lips, moving the petals over her skin. He trailed it down her neck slowly, then lowered his head and kissed his way along the skin that touched the flower.

Claire moaned softly as he moved over her, the flower tickling her skin and his lips tasting her. Just as before, he didn’t stop anywhere for more than a moment, he kept moving until he had kissed every inch of her body. He looked into her eyes and smiled as she took the flower out of his hand and held it against her lips for a moment. Matt lowered his head, taking her mouth with his again, exploring her tongue with his. Claire sighed against him and reached up to run her hands through his hair, holding him to her in a passionate kiss.

Matt pulled away again, pausing to catch his breath. Claire ran her hand down the front of his shirt, her fingers toying with the buttons. Matt grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers, making her smile at the warm sensations that traveled up her arm from the touch of his lips. Matt picked up a handful of petals from the bed and scattered them across her stomach and chest, making her giggle a little as the blossoms tickled against her skin. He stood up and took off his shirt, aware with each movement he made that Claire never took her eyes off of him. He slowly stripped off his jeans, then stood for a moment while Claire let her eyes roam over his body. He had never been with anyone who could turn him on so much with just a look.

Matt lowered himself onto the bed and pulled Claire into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him against her, feeling him breathe in sharply when her skin made contact with his. Claire kissed his neck, lightly nipping his skin, as her fingers slid down his shoulders. His skin was warm and smooth, her fingers ran down his body, her lips moving across his chest. Matt slowly stroked her back, fighting the urge to rush. He wanted her badly, but didn’t want to end this quickly.

Claire’s mouth slid lower, her hand resting on his hip, her tongue dipping into his navel. Matt hissed in a breath as her fingers explored him, cupping him in her hand and lightly stroking him. Matt reached down and pulled her hand away from him, then slid her up the bed until her was looking into her eyes. If she touched him again, it would be over. Matt was aching for her.

Claire smiled a little, as if reading his thoughts, then touched his lips with hers. Her tongue traced his bottom lip, nipping it lightly with her teeth. Matt slowly moved until he was positioned over her, looking into her eyes. He slowly entered her, and Claire held his gaze as he filled her, then stopped. His hips moved slowly against hers, and Claire had to bite her lip to keep from crying out at the sensations that moved through her body like lightening.

She closed her eyes, feeling his body move against hers, smelling the flower’s perfume in the air, feeling the petals on the bed moving silkily beneath them. Matt murmured softly into her ear, sending warm shivers down her back, and Claire felt like she was going to explode as Matt propped his weight onto his elbows to look into her eyes. He watched her face as they moved together, sensing when she was on the brink, then slowing down even more to prolong the sensations for her.

Claire finally couldn’t take it anymore, she wanted him completely. She smiled up at him, her hands sliding up his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist, urging his movements. Her nails dug into his skin as he complied, straining against her moving hips. Matt called out her name as she tensed up, whimpering as her climax washed over her. He felt his own body release as Claire trembled beneath him, whispering his name softly.

They were both breathing heavily, giving their muscles time to recover. Matt slowly rolled, pulling Claire with him, cuddling her close in his arms. Claire smiled and let her fingers brush against his chest, feeling his heart beat against her cheek.

"Thank you," she whispered, her smile broadening when she felt him chuckle.

"For? I feel like I should be thanking you," he said, his voice a low rumble in her ear. Claire reached to the mattress and picked up some petals, then scattered them over Matt’s side.

"For giving me the most romantic night of my life," she said, a laugh in her voice. She’d never had anyone do anything remotely like this before.

"The night’s not over yet," Matt said, making Claire look up at him with a grin.

"You have more planned?" she asked, her eyes sparkling in the light of the candles.

"Mm," was Matt’s only answer as he brought his lips to hers again.

26.

Mark got up even earlier than he’d planned on. Patsy was still sleeping peacefully beside him, curled on her side. He smiled and kissed her softly on the cheek, then went to take a shower. He wanted to get out and get the last location checked out quickly. For some reason his nerves were jumping, and as much as he didn’t want Patsy to go with him exploring, he didn’t want to leave her to fend for herself for longer than necessary.

He quickly got dressed and made his way downstairs. Mark scribbled a note to Patsy, telling her when to expect him back. He sighed as he left the house, hoping for Patsy’s sake that Claire would be all right.

As soon as his truck disappeared from sight, a sleek black car pulled into the driveway. Shawn stepped out and looked around, smiling a little before heading toward the front door. He had no clue where the big guy was going, he only knew that him leaving was the perfect opportunity for what he’d planned. Shawn tried the door, and wasn’t surprised that is was locked. He pulled a small metal jimmy from his pocket, and silently worked the lock until he heard it click.

The door opened slowly, and Shawn stepped inside. He left the door open behind him; it would be easier that way. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a bottle of chloroform. He hated to use it, he preferred for his victims to see him coming. But in this case it was needed. Although he had no idea what Patsy and Mark did for a living, Shawn’s only reason for using it was to keep the woman alive for a while. She would be no use to him if she were dead.

He made his way upstairs, stopping every time the floor creaked under his weight to listen. He walked up the hallway, looking into doors as he did, until he finally found her. Smiling, he went to the bed and opened the bottle, dumping a small amount of the clear fluid onto a white cloth. He brought the rag to Patsy’s face, covering her mouth and nose with it. Her eyes fluttered, then shot open, and she struggled against his hand, trying to pull away from the cloth and get some air. Shawn kept his grip, using his other hand to hold her still. She finally couldn’t hold her breath, and gasped in, filling her lungs with the vapors. Her eyelids fluttered again weakly then slid shut as her body relaxed onto the bed.

Shawn stood looking at her for a moment, still holding the rag to her mouth. When he was sure she was out, he stood back to look at her. His smile widened slightly. This was going to be more fun than he’d imagined.

He went to the closet and pulled out some clothes. He thought that he was being thoughtful in not wanting her to have to sit around in her silk nightshirt. Shawn threw the items into a bag he’d found, then went to the sleeping form on the bed. He picked her up easily, then turned and left the bedroom, whistling as he went down the stairs and out to the car.

Back at his place, he carried Patsy to the basement of his house. There was a small room there; he never used it anymore. Mostly it was just used to store things. Anticipating this abduction, he’d come down here last night and cleaned it out, leaving only a table and some chairs sitting in the middle of the floor. There was a cot in the corner, and he gently laid Patsy down on it, setting the bag with her clothes next to her on the floor. He hesitated, looking over the room to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. Satisfied, he turned and left the room, shutting and locking the door behind him.

Shawn climbed the stairs slowly, relishing the thought of his next task. He pulled a slip of paper from his pocket but didn’t bother to look at it. In the past few hours, he’d memorized the number. He went to his office and sat behind the desk, looking at the clock. It was only 7. Shawn chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. He’d wait until 9, let Matt and Claire sleep in. It was the least he could do since it was going to be their last day on earth to do it.

27.

Claire stretched, blinking her eyes against the bright sunlight that filtered through the curtain and onto the bed. She smiled as she looked down and saw the petals still scattered over most of the bed. She rolled onto her side, looking at Matt with a smile on her face. He was still sleeping, his features relaxed for the first time since she’d known him. She studied him for a moment, tracing the contours of his face with her eyes.

Matt’s eyes opened as if he sensed her scrutiny and he smiled at her, then pulled her close for a kiss. Claire snuggled up to his warmth, stroking the skin of his chest with her hand. She smiled and looked at him.

"I’m hungry," she said, watching as he raised an eyebrow at her.

"For what?" he asked, a teasing grin tugging the corners of his mouth. Claire giggled.

"Bacon would be nice," she quipped, kissing him lightly on the lips then sliding out of the bed. "Maybe some pancakes. Eggs. I’m starving."

Matt laughed and swung his legs over his side of the bed. "Well, we don’t really have all that. How about a pop tart or a donut?" Claire wrinkled her nose.

"Sounds healthy," She said, grinning when he looked over his shoulder at her.

"I’ll see what else I can scrounge up," he said, pulling on his jeans and walking toward the stairs. He paused to brush her lips again with his, then went to find breakfast. Claire watched him until he disappeared from sight, smiling when she heard the kitchen cabinets opening and closing below her. She pulled some jeans and a tank top out of her bag, and dressed quickly.

She lightly took the stairs down, smiling as Matt turned to watch her descend. She stood next to him in the kitchen as he produced the hot plate.

"What are you cooking?" she asked, as he took out a bowl and spoon.

"Pancakes. We have the stuff for it, and there’s even some syrup," He laughed, showing her the box he’d found.

"Mm, just add water," she said with a laugh as Matt tried to look menacing.

"Hey, don’t knock my water adding skills. I’m a pro at it," he told her, pulling her close. He kissed her quickly, taking her breath away. He grinned as he pulled back. "Now, go park somewhere and let me do my magic."

"Yes sir," she said, still laughing. Claire wandered over to the back door, opening it to lean outside and smell the air. It was really beautiful out here. She could hear Matt mumbling to himself behind her and couldn’t help but grin. She went outside, shutting the door behind her and sitting down on the steps. She let her mind drift over the night before, feeling dull heat low in her stomach as she thought of Matt’s passionate love-making. He was completely different from any man she’d ever known. Claire sighed. She wondered where exactly she hoped this relationship was going.

She was falling in love with him, she knew enough about herself to be able to admit it. There was still so much about him that she didn’t know. She still felt that he was hiding some things, keeping a part of himself separate from her. She wanted to know all of him, not just what he presented to her at any given time. Claire thought she should call Patsy and ask for some advice, then laughed at herself. "No phone, bonehead," she muttered, rising to her feet. Matt had said she could call home yesterday and she’d completely forgotten. Maybe she should remind him.

As her hand touched the door Matt opened it, carrying two plates stacked with hotcakes. "Breakfast, my lady," he said grinning as he handed her one. "Let’s eat out here. While it’s nice and cool." Claire smiled at him and nodded, then followed him toward the trees where they could sit in the shade.

28.

Mark pulled as close to the house as he dared, and walked the last quarter mile on foot. He’d made good time and had arrived sooner than he’d expected. He kept off the road, walking in the tree line until he came to the driveway. He studied the cabin, shifting his eyes from window to window. He took in the black car parked in the driveway and sighed. At least he knew Matt was here.

Silently, he made his way to the porch, listening and watching for movement. He tried the door and it opened easily. Mark stepped inside, his eyes taking in the whole place. There wasn’t much to take in. There was no one on the first floor, but the smell of freshly cooked food hung in the air. Mark spotted the steps leading to the loft and went to them, instinctively walking on the outer part of the creaking wood to minimize the noise.

He stood at the top and looked around. The loft was as empty as the rest of the place, but he still couldn’t quite come to terms with what he was seeing. There were flowers scattered all over the floor, and crushed petals littered the bed. Some candles were placed around the bed, long since burned out. Mark felt his hands clench into fists then turned and went down the stairs, not bothering to be quiet anymore.

Claire was laughing at something Matt had said when he suddenly cocked his head to the side. She watched as his eyes narrowed. Matt set his plate on the grass and stood up. "Wait here for a minute," he said, giving her a distracted smile. Claire watched in shocked silence as Matt jogged to the door and stepped inside.

"What the hell…" she muttered, finishing off her pancakes. She waited for five minutes, then stood up. Something must be wrong. He wouldn’t have just run off like that for no reason. Claire made her way to the door, trying to hear whatever it was that had made Matt’s internal alarms go off. She eased open the door and peaked inside. The main room was empty, and she moved inside and sighed. She was heading for the loft to see if he was there when she heard a familiar voice speaking outside.

Matt went through the house quickly, not sure what it was that tripped his senses. He threw open the front door and ran into Mark’s wide chest. Mark grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the house, making him land unceremoniously on his butt in the grass of the front yard.

Matt looked up at him through the hair that had fallen over his face. Mark stared back, his eyes cold. Matt slowly rose to his feet, wondering how the hell Claire’s friend had managed to find him so fast. Shaking his head, he realized as he thought it how he’d found him. It was his job after all.

Mark sized Matt up, his lip curling. "Where is she?" he growled, taking a step forward. Matt refused to back down from him.

"Safe here, with me," Matt said defiantly. "I’m going to make sure she stays that way." To his surprise, Mark barked out a sharp laugh.

"Safe, right," He took another step. The two men were inches away from each other. Mark’s voice was low, deceptively calm. "You call taking advantage of her keeping her safe?"

Matt narrowed his eyes. "I didn’t take advantage of her," he said through clenched teeth. Mark raised his hand and opened it, letting several petals flutter to the ground.

"What do you call it then?" Mark sounded completely disinterested. Matt shook his head, his brown eyes locking onto Mark’s green ones.

"None of your damn business," Matt said, not moving. "If it weren’t for me, she’d be dead now. Leave it at that and go away."

Mark’s cold smile chilled Matt. "I’m not going without her. You I don’t give a shit about, but Claire is coming with me."

"Like hell," Matt said, his voice remaining the same even though his stomach was tied up in knots. Mark was taller by almost a foot, and must have had a hundred pounds over him, but Matt wasn’t going to let Claire go without a fight.

29.

Claire followed the sound of Matt’s voice to the front door then stopped as a strange noise came from the couch. She looked over, frowning. It was familiar, and a smile crossed her face. Matt’s cell phone was sitting on the end of the couch; it must have fallen out of his pocket sometime last night. Claire picked it up and pressed send then put the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" she said, thinking momentarily that she should have just taken the phone to Matt. But old habits die hard, and she’d answered it as if it were her own.

"Ah, you must be Claire," a voice rumbled. Claire felt a chill go up her spine. It was familiar to her although she didn’t immediately place it.

"Yes, can I help you?" she asked, wondering who Matt had told about her being with him. She had never seen him use his phone, and this was the first time it had rung since they’d been here.

The man laughed. "Oh, I think so. You see," again the man laughed. "You know who I am already." As soon as he said the words, Claire finally placed the rough voice.

"Oh my God," she whispered, looking around.

The man chuckled. "See, I knew you’d remember me. Now, don’t go running to your boyfriend just yet. I have something interesting I’d like to share with you."

"What the hell do you want with me?" Claire asked. She had started walking toward the front door, but stopped to sink onto the arm of the couch.

"Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I just want to wreck your man’s life," Shawn laughed again. "He didn’t finish his job yet, apparently. Maybe I should have hired someone else."

"What are you talking about?" Claire whispered.

"Of course, he wouldn’t tell you. I mean, where’s the fun in that? You see, Claire, I hired Matt to kill you. And he obviously hasn’t gotten around to it yet." He paused. "What has he been doing with himself while I’ve been waiting patiently to hear that your dead?"

Claire stood up, feeling tears burn her eyes. She blinked, then said, "You’re lying."

"Am I? Why don’t you ask him? I’m sure he’d love to tell you about what he really does for a living," Shawn laughed again. "Better yet, don’t ask him anything. We can work this out. Just you and me."

"You’re crazy," Claire said, trying to keep a tremor out of her voice. "I’m not going to work anything out with you."

"Hm, that’s too bad. See, I didn’t really want to hurt your friend. But if you aren’t on my doorstep in a few hours, she’s going to be practice for when I find you. And believe me, it won’t be very pretty. How do you think her husband’s going to like coming home and finding her dead?" Shawn chuckled, making Claire break out into goose bumps.

"No," she said, starting to get mad. Matt had been hired to kill her, and he’d used her. This asshole had Patsy, Mark was gone. Claire wasn’t going to let Matt stop her from leaving.

"Oh, yes. Let me give you the address," Shawn said, keeping his tone low. "Now, this information is strictly for you, baby. If I even think that lover boy is with you, she’s a dead woman."

Claire agreed, and listened as he told her where she could find him. As he talked, she walked to the kitchen and picked Matt’s keys up off the counter. He was still speaking when she went out the front door. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Mark standing there, towering over Matt. Both men turned to look at her.

Claire threw the phone at Matt, who fumbled with it for a second before gripping it in his hand. She eyed him coldly for a minute, then strode to his car, climbing inside while both men looked after her, stunned. She started the engine and peeled off before either of them could say a word to her.

Keeping his eyes on Mark, Matt lifted the phone to his ear and immediately recognized the chuckle coming over the line. "What the hell did you say to her?" he asked, feeling his stomach clench up.

"Why, I just told her the truth, Matthew. She seemed to be taking it a little hard," Shawn laughed. "She and her friend ought to make for a very entertaining evening." The phone clicked in Matt’s ear, and he stared at it. His eyes moved back to Mark’s.

"She’s gone to meet Shawn," he said. Mark looked disbelieving.

"What?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"He said something about her friend," Matt looked out at the trees, then back at Mark. "I take it he meant your wife."

Mark’s back straightened and his eyes narrowed. He reached out and grabbed Matt by the throat. "If you’re lying to me…"

"Why would I lie to you now? I didn’t kill Claire. I’ve been protecting her," Matt managed to choke out. He sighed with relief when Mark relaxed his grip on his neck. "We have to stop her."

Mark was walking away from him, heading toward the main road. He stopped and looked back at Matt. "Come on. You wanna play hero so bad, let’s go do it."

Matt jogged to catch up, wondering what the hell he was going to do. The look in Claire’s eyes…he shook his head. He could explain it to her, if he could get to her before she got to Shawn.

30.

Claire followed the directions Shawn had told her. She drove without thinking about it, trying to blank her mind out. But she couldn’t get thoughts of Matt out of her head. He’s used her. She couldn’t help but feel that all she’d been to him was a distraction. And all his romance last night…she felt tears in her eyes. It had all been a lie. She couldn’t believe how easily she had been taken in.

She was cursing under her breath, searching for the house number. She was on the coast again, back in Florida, only an hour from Mark and Patsy’s house. The houses here were huge, set way back from the road. Claire strained at the hidden driveways, finally spotting the landmark she’d been told to look for. There was a wrought iron gate, standing open, with an image of an eagle on top of each post. She turned into to drive, wishing momentarily she’d thought to bring Matt’s gun.

Claire climbed slowly out of the car, looking around. This was most likely the dumbest thing she’d ever done. Running off, not telling them where she was going. If anything happened to Patsy, Claire would be responsible for it now. She hadn’t even thought of telling Mark what had happened.

Claire climbed the porch, and hesitated. What the hell was she doing? The door swung open and Shawn stepped onto the porch, smiling at her. She looked at him in confusion. He was nice looking man, with long blonde hair and sparkling eyes. He looked like any other beach dweller in Florida. But when he spoke she froze.

"You made good time," He rumbled. He reached for her hand and pulled her into the house, closing the door behind her. "I’ve been waiting for this."

"Where’s Patsy?" Claire asked, jerking her arm from his hand. Shawn stopped and looked at her.

He sighed heavily. "You know, I’ve given it a lot of thought. I’m not sure if I can just…let her go. She’s seen me, after all."

"What?" Claire stared hard at him. Shawn’s happy smile never faltered. "You said if I came here you’d let her go."

Shawn shrugged. "What can I say? I lied," he reached out a hand and ran his fingers over her cheek. Claire pulled back, her eyes narrowing at him. "You look surprised. You should be used to lies by now."

Shawn reached out and grabbed her arm, roughly pulling her along behind him. "Since you were such a good girl, coming here to me, I’ll make sure she dies fast. That’s about all I can offer you."

He dragged her downstairs and unlocked the door. Shawn pushed Claire inside and she stumbled across the floor. Her shoulder slammed the wall and she leaned against it, dazed.

She focused her eyes on the table in the middle of the room. Patsy was sitting there calmly, her hands folded in front of her. She flashed Claire a smile, which made Claire frown and wonder if her friend was drugged. Shawn sat in the chair across from Patsy, then reached across the table to take her hands. He’d been down talking to her all day, and she seemed to be taking everything he said at face value. Shawn even had the impression that Patsy was interested in him. He smiled.

With one last look over her shoulder at her friend, Patsy shocked Claire by leaning forward over the table and stroking Shawn’s cheek with her hand. Shawn smiled triumphantly in Claire’s direction, not seeing the expression on Patsy’s face change. She moved her hand to his hair, pulling his head forward, slamming him nose first into the hard wood of the table with all her might.

Shawn slid off his chair, knocked out cold by the force of the blow. Patsy stood up and brushed her hands together, then turned to Claire. "Let’s get the hell out of here," she said, taking Claire’s arm. Claire nodded, her eyes going from her friend to the prone man on the floor. "Come on, Mark will be worried."

Claire finally let Patsy lead her out, then handed her the keys to Matt’s car. She stared at Patsy as she drove, humming a little under her breath. Claire shook her head and looked out the window, wondering if it was just her or if everyone around her was hiding something.

31.

The tires screamed against the pavement as Mark slammed on the brakes in the driveway. He was out the door and heading for the porch before Matt could even get his seatbelt open. He followed Mark inside, slowly moving though the lower floor and Mark’s heavy footsteps thundered overhead.

He came back down the steps and his eyes rested on Matt. "If anything happens to her," he said, clenching his fists. "Guess who’s getting blamed?"

Matt took a defensive step back. "I didn’t mean for you guys to get involved. How was I supposed to know he would do this?"

Mark wasn’t listening. He turned on his heel and slammed into the basement. Matt sighed and followed him down, wondering what he was doing.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, Mark was seated at a computer, typing in commands. "What are you doing?" Matt asked, regretting it as Mark’s cold eyes fell on him.

"Trying to find an address for Michaels. Since you don’t know anything about that," he sneered, and Matt shook his head. Shawn had been secretive. Matt had no clue where he was now.

Mark was cursing under his breath, wracking his mind, trying to remember all of the codes and passwords Patsy had implanted on the computer. They were both concentrating on the screen and didn’t hear the noise behind them on the steps.

Patsy cleared her throat and both men spun around. Both of their jaws dropped as Patsy walked across the room, Claire behind her. Mark stood up and pulled her close, smiling at Claire over her shoulder. "Why are you messing with my puter?" Patsy asked, her voice muffled by his chest. "I hate it when you do that."

Matt’s eyes followed Claire as she stood near her friends. She refused to look at him. He sighed and watched as Patsy moved past Mark to the computer. She exited all the programs, shaking her head at the error messages. "How did you get away from Shawn?" Matt asked her, watching as her fingers flew over the keyboard. At the sound of his voice, Claire’s eyes narrowed and she stormed up the steps.

Patsy shrugged. "He’s a total idiot. Now, go away people while I undo the damage." Matt looked up at Mark who nodded. He went up the stairs, moving slowly. He heard Claire climb the second flight and followed her, knowing he’d have to try to talk to her. He paused outside her door, then knocked gently.

"Go away," her voice was low and he could hear the controlled anger under the even tone.

"Claire, please," Matt said, resting his head against the wood. The door was flung open and he almost landed face down on the floor. Claire stared at him with hate for him in her eyes.

"Go the hell away," she said through clenched teeth. Matt looked into her eyes, almost feeling cold air washing from them onto him.

"Claire, I can explain everything…I can tell you…" he started. Claire laughed.

"I don’t give a shit," she said, putting a hand on his chest and pushing him back out the door. "Go away, leave me alone. I’m done being your plaything." She slammed the door in his face, then leaned against it and let tears slip down her cheeks. She heard him sigh, then move away from the door. She thought she’d feel relief that he had gone away so easily, but all she felt was a cold emptiness.

32.

Matt could hear someone moving around in the kitchen, so he made his way to the front door. He stepped onto the front porch and right into Patsy. She turned to look at him.

"Leaving?" she asked, moving to lean against the porch rail. She kept her voice low.

"It’s better this way," he said, trying to sound like he meant it. "Claire doesn’t want me around."

"Can you blame her?" Patsy asked him, watching his eyes as they darkened. "I mean, you were sent to kill her."

"That was before…" Matt stopped.

"Before?" Patsy prompted, smiling a little.

"I think I love her. I know I do," he stated. He shook his head. "She thinks I was just using her, and maybe I was at first. But it changed. I changed."

"So prove it to her," Patsy said, standing up. Matt raised his head to look at her.

"How do I do that? She doesn’t even want to talk to me," Matt asked, throwing his hands up.

"There comes a time when talking isn’t enough," Patsy said. She stepped close to him and took his hand, pressing a piece of paper into his palm. "Prove you’ve changed, to her and yourself." She turned and left him standing there, holding the paper in his hand.

He slowly unfolded it and read the name and address written there. A smile spread slowly across his face. At least one of the three people in the house was willing to put a little faith in him. He only hoped Mark and Claire could be brought around.

Mark heard a car on the driveway and walked toward the front of the house. Patsy was standing in the living room, looking out the window as Matt’s car sped off. "You let him leave?" Mark said. He had wanted to kill Matt. He could see that Claire was torn up.

"Sure, why not?" Patsy shrugged and turned to face him. He frowned at her.

"What are you up to?" Mark asked, watching as she smiled.

"Nothing, nothing at all," her eyes went back to the window. Mark stepped behind her to put his arms around her.

"I was scared to death," he mumbled. Patsy stroked his arm, smiling a little.

"I’m fine. All in one piece. You worry too much," she told him, feeling his arms tighten around her.

Mark sighed. He couldn’t understand how she could just let what had happened to her that morning roll off her like it was a normal daily occurrence. But it was the way she had always been, it was one of the main reasons he’d fallen in love with her. He kissed the top of her head.

"How can I help but worry?" he finally asked, hearing her giggle.

"You can’t. You are such a mother hen sometimes. You can’t protect me from everything," she reminded him. "And if I needed that much protection, I wouldn’t be working with you."

"I wish you didn’t," he said. Patsy rolled her eyes.

"How many times do we have to have this conversation? I like working with you, Mark. If you want to find another partner, go ahead. But I’ll still be doing what I do. I don’t want to quit," she said, her tone final. Mark let it go, shaking his head. She was stubborn when she wanted to be. She sighed in his arms. "I should go up and talk to Claire. Make sure she’s doing all right." Mark let her go and watched as she went up the stairs.

Patsy went to Claire’s door and knocked, not waiting for an answer before she went inside. Claire was standing at the French doors staring out. "I didn’t say come in," Claire said, not wanting to take her anger out on Patsy but not able to help herself.

"My house, woman," Patsy wasn’t fazed by Claire’s attitude. She sat on the end of the bed and waited. Claire finally looked at her then heaved a sigh.

"Wanna tell me what’s going on?" Claire asked, leaning back against the doorframe. Patsy laughed.

"I could ask you the same thing," she said, watching as Claire’s eyes misted over. Claire sniffled a little then seemed to pull herself together.

"You first. Come on, spill," she said, trying for and almost making her usual happy tone. Patsy rolled her eyes.

"What do you want to know?" she asked, settling back on the bed.

"God, where to start? How about what do you do for a living for starters? Or maybe, how did you know where we were?" Claire laughed shakily. Patsy sighed and sat back up.

"It’s a long story. I can give you an edited version. You know how Mark and I met," Patsy said and Claire nodded.

"He did some work for your father," Claire said, frowning as Patsy shook her head.

"Not quite the truth. My dad owned a small computer parts business, as you know. He had some competition. They hired a guy to kill my family so that they could move in and take over. That’s where Mark came in. Someone sent him to help us," Patsy’s eyes wandered to the window.

"But I thought you’re dad…wait. Didn’t he die in a car accident?" Claire asked, moving to sit next to Patsy on the bed.

"No. He was killed and they made it look like an accident," Patsy smiled weakly. "If it wasn’t for Mark I wouldn’t be here. He saved my life more than once before it was all said and done. And for nothing, since we found out dad was going broke trying to keep up with the bigger companies." Patsy shook herself.

"That’s not my point though. I fell in love with Mark, I wanted to be with him, so I pretty much forced it out of him what he did, who he worked for. Then I trained for it," Patsy smiled. "We’re the good guys that stop innocent people from getting hurt, if you can believe that. That’s why Mark travels a lot. He feels like he owes something to our boss, and he’s been repaying him for as long as I’ve known him."

"Repaying him for what?" Claire asked. Patsy shrugged.

"Mark doesn’t like to talk about it, so I don’t press him," she said, looking at Claire as she snorted. "What?"

"Come on, I know you have probably bugged the hell out of him, trying to find out," Claire said, laughing a little. Patsy rolled her eyes.

"Well, that may be, but I gave up on it," she said, smiling. "He’ll tell me eventually." Patsy looked at Claire. "Now, your turn. What happened?"

Claire sighed and looked out the window. "I don’t know. I was a complete idiot. He saved my life."

"And?" Patsy said, nudging her.

"And, well," Claire took a shaky breath. "We slept together, OK? And today I find out that he was supposed to kill me. That he was just using me to get to that moron that had you. So that’s it, in a nutshell." Claire rose from the bed and started pacing.

"Who are you trying to kid?" Patsy said, watching as Claire shoved her hair away from her face. "Come on, woman. I’d like to think I know you well enough to know when you’re hurting."

"I am hurting!" Claire’s voice was raised, and Patsy looked at her trying not to smile. "I trusted him, and he used me."

Patsy didn’t say anything as Claire fumed to herself. Finally she stood and walked over to her, putting her hand on Claire’s shoulder. "You like him?"

Claire turned on her. "No. I hate him," she said forcefully. Patsy shook her head.

"Right. That’s why you’re so upset," Patsy said. She gave Claire’s shoulder a squeeze then turned and walked out of the room.

33.

Matt moved across the lawn, staying in the shadows as he made his way toward the house. Although a man with the intelligence of a fruit fly would be long gone, Matt knew Shawn. Among other things, he liked to underestimate people, which was why he relied so heavily on guys like Matt.

Matt made his way to the rear of the house, keeping his eyes focused on the windows. He went up the steps onto the porch, pausing to listen for sounds that didn’t belong. He gripped the doorknob and turned it, smiling as it opened easily. He stepped inside the kitchen, hesitated, then grabbed a knife from the butcher’s block in the middle of the room.

His footsteps were silent as he went from room to room, searching for Shawn. Lights were on all over the house, but there was no sign of anyone. Matt searched the top floor, and the entire first floor, then made his way to the basement. There was a door standing ajar, a light burning on the other side. Holding his breath, Matt pushed the door open and looked inside. The room was empty except for a table and a cot. He was about to turn when something heavy hit him in the back.

Shawn leaped at Matt, using his weight advantage to knock him off his feet. He dived after him, plowing his shoulder into Matt’s mid-section, knocking the wind from his lungs. Matt rolled, pushing Shawn away from him, then moved in the opposite direction.

Without stopping, Matt rolled onto his feet, then reached down and yanked Shawn up by his hair. There was a small popping noise, and Matt felt a burning sensation in his shoulder. He ignored it; instead, he swung his fist at Shawn’s face, connecting solidly with his jaw. Even as Shawn’s head snapped back, Matt was swinging again, this time turning his hand so the knife he clutched went forward. Shawn’s eyes widened as the sharp edge of the knife cut through the skin of his neck. Matt let him go, pushing him onto the floor and watching as Shawn gasped for air, trying to grab at Matt’s leg. His eyes fixed on a point over Matt’s head and he heaved a breath, then was still. Blood still drained from the gash on his neck, staining the floor bright crimson.

Matt smiled coldly, then reached down to make sure Shawn was really dead. Satisfied that he was, Matt rose up and stumbled backward. He felt dizzy, and had broken out into a cold sweat. He leaned against the wall, crying out as pain flashed through his shoulder. He looked down at his arm, then at the front of his shirt. He was covered with blood, more oozing out of a small hole in his shirt. Matt forced himself into a standing position and shuffled toward Shawn fighting off waves of dizziness.

He pulled his leg back and kicked the lifeless body. "Thanks for shooting me, asshole," he muttered, then made his way out of the house.

He barely made it back to Mark and Patsy’s house. He was fighting darkness as it tried to overtake his eyesight. He finally managed to stumble up their porch, and hit the door with a thud before sliding down the wall in a heap.

The last thing he was aware of before finally giving in to the darkness reaching for him was Mark, leaning down to look at him.

Patsy came out of the spare room where she had been watching over Matt. She had managed to get the bullet out of his shoulder, and stopped the bleeding. Now he needed rest, and lots of it. He’d lost a large amount of blood. She smiled a little as she made her way downstairs. He’d regained consciousness long enough to tell her it was done, then slipped under again. Patsy had told Mark, and he went to take care of the mess. When he was finished, it would look like Shawn had packed up and left.

Patsy sank onto the couch, smiling even more when she heard the floor above her creak. "Somebody’s trying to be sneaky," she muttered, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.

Claire crept out of her room when she heard Patsy going down the stairs. She went to the door of the third bedroom and listened. She pushed the door open and tip toed across the floor, keeping her eyes on the form on the bed. She leaned down, looking at his pale face, feeling her heart twist in her chest.

Claire bit her lip and reached down to brush Matt’s hair off of his forehead. His eyes fluttered, and he looked up at her dazed. Claire managed to give him a small smile, and his eyes slid shut again. She sighed and stepped away from the bed. That was her goodbye to him, she wasn’t going to stick around until he got better, didn’t want to know what had happened, who had shot him. Feeling tears coming, trying to block them and feel nothing, she went to her own room and lay on the bed, finally letting the tears come.

Claire opened her eyes, blinking against the strong sunlight. She wasn’t aware of falling asleep, but she was still fully dressed and stretched out on top of the blankets. She moved off the bed, wincing at a pain in her neck. She rubbed it absently and went out of her room, stopping when she saw the door to the guestroom was open. The bed was empty.

Claire made her way downstairs, trying to shake the sleep off of her mind. Patsy was sitting in the kitchen, reading over some papers. She looked up and gave Claire a tired smile. "He’s gone," she said, watching Claire as she tried to hide her disappointment.

"Good," she finally said, moving to fix herself a glass of juice. Patsy sighed.

"He risked his life for you, C," she said. "Shouldn’t that count for something?"

Claire refused to answer. She stared out the kitchen window, knowing that if she wanted to get Matt out of her head, she had to start now.

Six Months Later

Claire smiled a little as she adjusted her uniform top. She’s given up her job and taken a new one, working with Mark and Patsy. Claire hadn’t wanted to stay. Patsy had hounded her about Matt to the point where Claire thought she would have to strangle her. She had finally dropped it though, once Claire started her new job. She had done some training, learned how to handle herself. Now she helped Mark and Patsy out when they needed it.

Especially now. Patsy had finally caved and went into semi-retirement. She stayed home messing with her computer a lot, letting Mark take care of the bad guys while she took care of him. Sometimes they needed her help, sometimes she went out on her own. She got email from the mysterious boss, and could pick and choose different jobs. Like this one. They were doing surveillance on a man who was holed up in this motel. Claire was supposed to go inside and plant a tracking device on his luggage. It would be a piece of cake.

Claire opened the door with a passkey and headed inside, carrying an armload of towels to help with her cover. She was humming a little under her breath as she shut the door behind her. She took the towels to the bathroom then walked back into the main part of the room. Her footsteps halted as she saw the man standing beside the door.

Matt smiled slowly at her, then used her passkey to lock the deadbolt. She’d left it hanging on the outside of the door when she’d come inside.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked, stepping past him and yanking on the doorknob. The door wouldn’t budge. Claire turned to glare at him. For the past few months she’s pushed thoughts of him aside, but at night she had been able to feel him, as if her were right with her in her bed. It made her angry that he had been able to invade her so easily.

Matt moved toward the bed, tucking the key into his pocket before sitting down. "Taking some advice from a friend. She said the only way to talk to you was to put you in a situation where you had to listen. So this is it."

Claire narrowed her eyes. "I’m gonna kill Patsy," she hissed out. No wonder she had dropped the subject of Matt around her. She’d been sneaking around behind her back, plotting this whole thing with Matt.

Matt was laughing. "No you won’t. She cares a lot for you," he said, watching as Claire’s shoulder’s sagged.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, her voice flat. Matt studied her face for a moment. A night hadn’t gone by that he hadn’t dreamed about her.

"I wanted to set things straight with you," Matt said, sighing. "I never meant to hurt you Claire." His eyes met hers, and she looked away from the look he was giving her. It hurt too much to look into those brown eyes and remember what had happened. "I’ll admit, at first, all I wanted was to get at Shawn. I hated him. So I was going to use you to help me do it."

Claire dropped her head. "If this is your way of making me feel better, you’re failing miserably."

Matt nodded. "That’s not what I wanted to say to you anyway. You already knew that." Claire looked back at him, as he toyed with a button on his shirt. "Something happened to me when I was with you. I don’t know when it happened, but I do know," he paused, then looked up at her. "I fell in love with you."

Claire’s breath caught as his eyes met hers. She felt a pull toward him, then stopped herself. "How do I know you’re not lying to me again?" she whispered. Matt reached into his pocket and pulled the key out.

"You know how I feel. I love you, I wanted to protect you. I didn’t give a damn about the rest of it anymore," he looked thoughtfully at the key, then held it out to her. "If you want to leave now, you can. I’ve had my say."

Claire bit her lip and stepped forward taking the key from his hand. She hesitated looking at him as he hung his head, waiting for her next move. Claire backed a step away, keeping her eyes on him, moving toward the door. She didn’t want to take the chance again, she kept telling herself that in her mind as she watched him.

Matt kept his eyes averted from her. He knew it wasn’t going to work. She was going to go, whether he loved her or not. He closed his eyes, feeling tears burning behind the lids. He waited for the sound of the lock opening. Instead of that, he felt Claire’s hand moving through his hair, pushing it away from his face.

Claire looked down at him as he turned his face up to meet her eyes. Claire felt tears in her own eyes as she watched him fighting against his own. She leaned down and pressed the passkey into his hand, almost sobbing as she did it. Matt pulled back to look at her.

"Claire. If you want to leave, go. But if you stay…" he managed a smile. "I’m never going to let you go. I don’t think I’ll be able to walk away again."

Claire smiled a little. She took the key from his hand making him raise an eyebrow at her. She looked at it a second, then threw it toward the corner of the room. Matt smiled and stood up to pull her into his arms, and Claire melted willingly into his embrace.

Claire sat on the beach, her arms wrapped around her legs, watching as the stars came out overhead. She sighed as she dug her bare feet into the sand.

"What are you doing out here alone?" Matt asked, coming up behind her. He lowered himself to the sand and pulled her against his chest. Claire smiled, shaking her head.

"Just thinking," she said, breathing in deeply, smelling the warm cologne he was wearing. They were on a small island in the middle of the Caribbean. It was privately owned by their boss, who had given them a week off to enjoy their honeymoon. At the end of the week, Matt would go back to partnering with Mark, and Claire would resume her new job, helping Patsy set up a computer network for all of their people to use. Patsy and Mark had already started their next assignment, protecting a girl named Shelly from an irate ex-husband who wanted her dead. For some reason the boss was taking even more interest than usual in the case. He wanted updates every day.

Claire sighed as Matt ran his hands down her back. "Don’t want to go back yet?" he asked, smiling.

"Nope. Happy to be here with you," she said, snuggling closer. "I love you," she said, smiling as he kissed her head.

"I know. I love you too," he said, looking down at her. Claire tilted her head up and kissed his lips softly. Matt chuckled as she ran her hand down his bare chest, stopping to rest on the waistband of his shorts. "Woman, can’t you wait til we get back to the house?"

Claire laughed. Among other things, Matt had started referring to her as ‘C’ or woman all the time. "Remind me to thank Patsy later for enforcing her nicknames on me," Claire joked.

"Aw, leave her alone. You know, pregnant ladies can be kinda hormonal and emotional about things. We don’t want to get her wound up, do we?" Matt asked. Claire giggled. Patsy was expecting the kid sometime soon, she complained a hundred times a day about the size of her stomach.

"Um, no. So, you were saying something about the house?" Claire said, her tone teasing him as she slipped her hand under the elastic waistband and stroked him with her fingers. Matt sucked in his breath, closing his eyes and holding her tight.

With a smile, Claire sat up and leaned into him, pressing her lips against him. Matt cupped her face in his hands, holding her against his mouth as his tongue explored hers. Her hand never stopped moving, stroking his smooth skin, making his hips move against her. Claire pulled away, making Matt moan in disappointment. She flashed him a smile as she rose to her feet and untied the string holding her bikini top on. Matt watched as she let the scrap of cloth fall to the sand. Claire pushed her shorts down over her hips, and Matt stared at her body. She knelt down beside him and urged him to lift his hips so she could pull his shorts off.

Claire straddled his legs, bringing her mouth to his again as her hands resumed their slow stroking of his body. Matt groaned, grasping her hips and pulling her forward, pressing her tight against his chest. He pulled his lips from hers and trailed his tongue down her neck, making Claire throw her head back to give him better access to her smooth skin. He kissed his way down her collar, her moans of pleasure almost driving him wild. His mouth found her breast, and Claire murmured as he caressed her nipple with his lips.

His hands pulled her even closer to him, stroking her skin, feeling her shake with need. Her nails were digging into the skin of his shoulder as his fingers moved over her thighs, tracing light circles, moving higher. She was whimpering, her hips moving of their own accord, and Matt knew she wasn’t going to take much more of his teasing. He leaned back on his hands in the sand and watched as she lowered herself onto him, her eyes closed against the sensations that went through her body.

Matt sat up and hugged her close, and Claire wrapped her arms and legs around him. Her hips moved slowly against him, and he moaned her name as Claire started moving faster, riding his body as he rose to meet her. He felt her start to clench up, the tightening of her muscles sending him over the edge. They clutched each other tightly in the sand, not wanting to move from the intimate contact they had.

Claire finally pulled her head off his shoulder to look into his eyes. She smiled a little and kissed his lips. Matt chuckled.

"Now we can go to the house," he said, making her laugh and hug him tight as the waves rolled in along the beach.