He lifted his hand to guide her into the building. “This isn’t the safest neighborhood. Humor me. It’s my white knight tendencies.”
She should argue but deep down she liked him taking charge, making sure she was safe. No one had done that since her brothers tried to talk her out of going off with Eddie. Why hadn’t she listened to them?
She dug for her key and had it out by the time they got to her door. This time her hands weren’t shaking. Pushing open the door, she turned around to thank him one last time.
“Would you mind if I come in for a minute?”
Here it comes.The reason for being nice to her. Did he think they could have a quickie or did he have enough money that he didn’t care how long the cab had to wait? He crooked his head and quietly said, “Come on, Margaret, just for a minute.”
Chapter 3
Chris noticed her eyes widen in surprise. He’d stunned her with that little sentence. Katie, or Margaret O’Hara wasn’t expecting him to use her real name, probably hadn’t heard it in eighteen months. His information told him that’s how long it had been since she’d been home; not this flea-infested dive. He took advantage of her surprise and moved inside, closing the door behind him.
Her eyes snapped up. “How…?”
He pulled out his wallet, opening the hidden compartment in the back to slide out his identification. “Special Agent Christopher Shaunessy, I work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
Her face drained of color and her mouth dropped open as she whispered fiercely, “What do you want? I didn’t do anything.”
Her voice cracked. He hated that she was afraid of him. Or was it more than she could handle after everything else? Hopefully not. He neededherhelp now.
“Is it because I’m using a fake name?” Her lip trembled but her eyes grew determined, her jaw clenching. “I had to. I couldn’t tell him my real name or where I was from. He threatened me and Eddie and anyone else around us. I couldn’t let him find my family and hurt them.”
Her face now held determination and pride. Good for her. He liked her strength. She’d need it.
“Is that why you haven’t called them since you left?”
“How do you know that?” Her eyes narrowed and she chewed on her bottom lip.
He threw her a cocky grin, hoping to make her less anxious. “We’re the FBI. We know everything.”
She almost rolled her eyes, but not quite.
“Your parents filed a missing person’s report on you.”
Her eyes whipped up to meet his, the surprise in them clear.
“The Bureau couldn’t do much since you were over eighteen and you’d left of your own free will. But the report’s still on file.”
“I sent them a letter telling them I was fine and not to worry. I gave it to someone at work to mail. I guess it never got to them. I figured they were tired of bailing me out of trouble.”
She turned around, staring out the filthy window that looked as if it had been painted shut. Her shoulders moved up and down and her breath came out shaky. He gave her a minute to pull herself together, then walked closer, gently putting his hand on her arm so she faced him.
Tears glistened in her eyes, her voice barely audible. “I didn’t mean to cause them pain. I was scared that Mr. Moreno would find out who they were and hurt them if I didn’t do what he wanted. He threatened me and Eddie with all sorts of bodily harm, and that man is capable of doing what he threatens.”
“Wouldn’t they have come up with the money?”
“They don’t have the money.” She attempted to get her expression back in control. “That’s the problem. Plus, I left of my own free will as you pointed out. And it’smyproblem to deal with. They’ve paid out enough money because of me and stupid mistakes I’ve made. I’m not letting them do it again. As it is they had to take out a loan to pay for my sister’s wedding. To pay off the fifty thousand that Eddie lost, they’d have to get a second mortgage or sell the house.”
Her face was red, from the heat of emotion or embarrassment at her predicament? She lowered her eyes to the floor and her voice softened.
“If they thought I was really in trouble then I’m sure they’d do it in a heartbeat. This place is a dive and my life sucks but I’m certainly not in any immediate danger. Unless you count being evicted by the overwhelming number of cockroaches that think they have squatter’s rights in here.” Her eyes closed for a second and when they opened, all emotion was gone. “I don’t deserve the help--not after leaving like I did.”
He tilted her chin up. In a few short seconds she’d gone from stubborn and defiant to resigned and distressed then a few places in between. “How’d you like to get out of this jam?”
The defiance returned. “Iwillget out of it. On my own. It’s just going to take some time.”
Boy, she was stubborn. A grin forced its way onto his face and he attempted to push it back. “How’d you like to get out of this sooner?”
