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Chapter Four
Eight days after watching Bree drive away, Tanner walked from the department’s office over to the Sunrise Diner. His body nearly dragged with exhaustion. He wanted a good meal and fifteen hours of sleep in his own bed, as soon as possible.
He’d spent the last eight days working almost nonstop on an interstate task force a couple hours away, in a town only slightly larger than Risk Peak, combating a rising gang problem plaguing Colorado more and more. Tanner didn’t mind helping out, even though he’d never be able to put in for all the overtime hours he’d worked.
The way he saw it, stopping these types of criminal situations before they made it to Risk Peak was worth the extra hours.
And the hours had been hell. As he and his fellow law enforcement officers had moved in for arrests after days and multiple sleepless nights of undercover work and observation, one of the suspects had grabbed a preteen boy—skinny and terrified—as a human shield. Before Tanner could even talk the perp down, he’d stabbed the kid and run.
They’d caught the guy, but someone way too young and completely innocent had paid the price.
The overall outcome had been heralded a success. The gang had been broken up before it could take root in the community. But none of the men and women working the case had felt like celebrating. They’d driven out a criminal element, but not in time to save the life of that one boy.
Tanner knew it could happen in any town at any time. He was willing to volunteer hours to keep the front lines away from Risk Peak. Because if he didn’t fight it when he could, it might end up being some kid from here in the morgue.
He walked down the streets he’d been walking his whole life. These people were his to protect, and he took that very seriously, just like his father had.
He was looking forward to a meal with friendly faces and people dropping by his table just to say hello. Today he would not be taking for granted that there was always tomorrow to chat.
But inside the Sunrise, everybody seemed too busy to pay him much attention. The diner wasn’t particularly full even though it was nearly dinner, but everyone seemed preoccupied.
A couple of people gave him a little wave, but nobody came over to talk to him. He rubbed his fingers against his tired eyes, then down his cheeks that definitely needed a shave again. He was being too sensitive. Exhaustion could blow a lot of things out of proportion.
But why the hell were five people huddled around the back corner booth—including Mrs. Andrews? He couldn’t recall her sitting down during a dinner shift his entire life.
Judy Marshall, who’d gone to school with Tanner’s younger sister, brought his normal cup of coffee over to his table. “Haven’t seen you around for a while.”
“Yeah, I’ve been working over in Pueblo County helping out with a gang issue. I’m ready to sleep for a week. I’ll just have whatever’s on special.”
“Sounds good. I’ll get Mr. A started on it for you.”
“Is Mrs. A feeling all right? Why is she sitting in the booth rather than working? That’s not like her.”
Judy rolled her eyes. “She finally found something she loves more than Mr. Andrews and the Sunrise. Not that I can blame her.”
Tanner raised an eyebrow. The older woman might have found someone she loved more than her husband, but more than this diner? No way.
Whatever was causing the commotion over in the corner, it definitely had everyone’s attention. He was too tired to worry about it. Nobody was hurt or breaking the law, so he was just going to sit and enjoy his meal and get home.
That resolution lasted about two minutes.
He grabbed his coffee and started making his way toward the corner booth, to see for himself what the fuss was about. He wasn’t quite there when he heard a baby’s muffled cry. That would explain it.
And it immediately made him think of Bree. She hadn’t been far from his mind all week. Was she all right? Had she and the babies made it safely to wherever they were going?
The chances of him ever knowing were slim to none.
He caught Mrs. A’s gaze and gave her a little salute with his coffee cup. Then the woman uncharacteristically shifted her eyes to the side and down. If Tanner had been interrogating a suspect, he would’ve taken it as an indication that the perp was hiding something. Acting suspiciously.
Exhaustion was definitely clouding his judgment. The Andrewses were as straightforward and honest as people came. And Mrs. Andrews wasn’t someone who hid her actions from anyone. Other people’s opinions had never concerned her.
He shrugged it off and was turning back to the table when a second cry joined the first. Even louder.
That set of pipes Tanner recognized. He immediately spun back toward the booth, marching all the way to the edge. Sure enough, there they were. Twins.
He didn’t know a lot about babies, but he was willing to bet these were Bree’s. He looked around but didn’t see her anywhere.
He crossed his arms over his chest. “What’s going on, Mrs. A?”
The older woman raised a single eyebrow. “I’ve got a couple of infants here crying. It happens. You cried quite a bit too when you were this age, if I recall.”
Tanner just studied her. Overfamiliarity was an issue from time to time, since he’d known most of the people in Risk Peak his entire life. Generally, Tanner used it to his advantage.
But today it wasn’t going to be so easy.
“I have no problem with babies crying,” he finally answered evenly. “I’m fairly certain they’re not doing anything against the law. Where is their mother?”
Because she, he wasn’t so certain about.
“To be honest, I’m not entirely sure right at this moment.” Mrs. A shifted the baby in her arms and wiggled a pacifier in its mouth until it latched on and stopped crying. Across from her, Glenda Manning, who had a couple of teenage children of her own, cooed at the baby she was bouncing.
“Whose children are these, Cheryl?” He didn’t take the use of her first name lightly.
Neither did she. “Why do you care, Tanner?”
One of the women sitting across from Mrs. Andrews looked like she might speak up, but was given the stink eye so quickly she abruptly looked away.
Why would Mrs. A be making such a big deal out of this if Bree wasn’t in more trouble? Why wouldn’t the older woman just say they were holding the babies while the mom was in the bathroom or at the gas station or wherever she was? Tanner would’ve believed that with no suspicion at all. The fact that Mrs. A refused to give any information was what made it suspicious.
A husky feminine voice spoke behind him. “I’m through for the day, Cheryl. Thank you again so much for watch—”
Tanner spun around to see the woman who hadn’t been far out of his thoughts since he’d watched her drive away over a week ago. His breath almost whistled through his teeth. She was definitely as beautiful as he remembered. The long brown hair falling around her shoulders made him want to reach out and touch it to see if it was as soft as it was in his dreams.
“You.” Her big green eyes widened, and the small smile faded from her face. Tension instantly ratcheted through her slim body.
He tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. “Me.”
“You two know each other?” Mrs. Andrews asked.
Tanner nodded then looked back at Bree. “We met at the drugstore a few days ago, although I don’t think you got my name. Tanner Dempsey.”
“Bree,” she whispered.
“I remember. I was under the impression that you were in a hurry to get out of Risk Peak.”
“I, um...” She looked over at Mrs. A. “I, um...”
Mrs. Andrews stood with the now-quiet baby and walked over to stand beside her. “Bree was kind enough to come work for Dan and me. We needed some help around here.”
There was definitely more to this story than was being given, evidenced by the silence surrounding them. But no one seemed to want to provide any details.
“Tanner, got your dinner here,” Judy called out from behind him. “Mr. Andrews made country-fried steak just for you.”
The Andrewses never let anyone forget that they’d lived in Georgia before moving to Colorado. This was probably the only place in the whole state where you could find genuine Southern cooking.
Tanner studied the two women in front of him. Bree was reaching over to get the baby Mrs. Andrews was holding. This one was in pink.
“Thanks for watching them, Mrs. Andrews,” she whispered before kissing the child’s fuzzy head.
“Call me, Cheryl, sweetheart. We’ve already talked about that.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Why does she get to call you Cheryl and I have to call you Mrs. Andrews?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Because I haven’t known her since she was in diapers. And I didn’t have to take her out of a Sunday School class one time and swat her butt because she put a frog down Linda Dugas’s dress.”
Tanner chuckled with everyone else. It wasn’t the only time he’d been dragged out of Sunday School class.
And he was smart enough to know when a battle wasn’t going to be won head-on. He gave them both a nod. “Fine. I’ll go eat. There will be plenty of time to talk later.”
Because he sure as hell wasn’t going anywhere. The exhaustion that had plagued him was gone. He ate his food, watching Bree pack up the babies and get ready to leave. The other women tried to get her to sit down and talk, but she didn’t seem interested. And she was very careful not to look over in his direction.
This woman had trouble written all over her. Whether she was chasing it or it was chasing her remained to be seen.
He grabbed Judy as she drifted by with a coffee cup, watching Bree walk out the door without once looking his way. “Is the new girl with the babies staying at one of the hotels?”
Judy looked uncomfortable. “Actually, I’m not exactly sure where Bree is staying.”
“It’s okay, Judy. I’ll talk to the officer.” Mrs. Andrews put her hand on Judy’s shoulder before sitting down across from Tanner.
Tanner took another bite of his steak. “You going to threaten to snatch me out of Sunday School again? My mom might be a little shocked to get the call.”
“I just don’t want Judy stuck in the middle of anything. You seem pretty interested in our new employee.”
“My interest became piqued because you were dodging my questions.” He chewed his food. “That’s not something I’ve ever known you to do.”
Mrs. Andrews let out a little sigh. “That girl wandered in here last week half a minute from a complete breakdown. She needed help, so we offered her a job. Nothing wrong with that.”
Tanner took a sip of his coffee. “No, nothing wrong with that. Did she mention she and I met last week also, probably right before she came over here?”
This was obviously news to Mrs. A. The older woman bent her head to study her nails. “No, she didn’t.”
“I caught her shoplifting. Stuff for the babies, but Bree very definitely had no plans—and probably no means—of paying for it.”
Mrs. A straightened in her seat, eyes narrowing. “Well, you just tell me how much it was and Dan and I will pay for it ourselves. I’ll go over and talk to Gary, and we can get it worked out.”
“There’s no need. It was handled before she even got out of the store. So technically, no laws were broken. But the point is, she’s trouble. I’m not sure what kind yet, but I know we don’t have all the facts when it comes to that woman. Has she told you anything about herself?”
“No. She keeps quiet. Does any work we ask her to and either keeps the babies with her or lets us hold them out front. She’s got quite a fan club now. Everybody wants to hold them. But Bree never really talks much to anyone.”
All Tanner’s exhaustion was back. He rubbed a hand over his eyes. “And none of this seems unusual to you?”
“She’s not a bad person, Tanner.”
He gritted his teeth. “Let’s not forget that my father once felt that way about someone. That kid seemed young and innocent and helpless, too. Ended up costing Dad his life.”
Mrs. Andrews reached out and took his hand on the table. “It’s not the same. That gang situation was trouble from the first moment he got involved. The people were bad seeds. That’s not what this is.”
Wasn’t it? Not gang related, but definitely trouble.
“No offense, but we don’t know what this is. Maybe Bree isn’t a criminal outside of an occasional shoplifting charge—”
“She did that because she was desperate!”
Tanner let out a sigh. “Fine, let’s say I agree with you, which I actually do. Let’s say she’s not a criminal, only desperate. Desperate people do some pretty dangerous stuff, too. It’s my responsibility to look out for the well-being of the town.”
“So what do you want us to do? Just kick her out? Send her on her way?”
“How about if you just give me her full name and Social Security number from her tax stuff, and I’ll run her through the system. See if anything comes up. At least that way we’ll know.”
“I’m afraid we can’t do that.”
Tanner raised an eyebrow. “Can’t or won’t?”
Mrs. Andrews let out a sigh. “Can’t.”
He muttered a curse under his breath. “You’re paying her under the table.”
Her lips tightened. “We are allotted a certain amount of labor wages every year without having to claim it on our taxes.”
He rubbed a hand across his face. “I’m not going to turn you into the IRS, Mrs. A. I’m concerned for your safety. You don’t even know this woman’s Social Security number.”
“Actually, we don’t even know her last name. She didn’t want to give it, so we just let it go.”
Tanner swallowed a curse that would definitely get him snatched out of the Sunday School class. “I can’t just let it go.”
She nodded. “I understand, but she’s not the bad guy.”
Tanner thought of those big green eyes and the exhaustion and desperation that seemed to hang over her like a cloud even now. “Maybe not. But I’d still like to talk to her further. Which hotel is she staying at?”
“Neither. She’s staying at the apartment just outside town Dan and I spruced up last year for when the kids come to visit. We’re letting her have it for free for right now, until she gets back on her feet. And don’t you try to talk us out of it, Tanner Dempsey. Both Dan and I agree it’s the right thing to do.”
He took the last sip of his coffee. “I’m not going to try to talk you out of it. But I’m not going to ignore that she could be a threat to this town. That woman has secrets, and I intend to find out what they are.”
Chapter Five
Bree waited for the knock at her door she’d known would be coming from the moment she saw Tanner Dempsey in the diner. She’d done her best to avoid eye contact with the sexy officer but had no doubt he’d be showing up here soon.
He wanted answers. And he didn’t strike her as someone who would stop until he got them.
Should she run? Try to get out before he arrived?
She looked around the small one-bedroom apartment that Dan and Cheryl were letting them stay at as part of her “salary.” The last eight nights had been the closest Bree had come to a full night’s sleep in the six weeks since her life had been thrown into total upheaval with the care of the twins.
Those babies were a piece of her now. She would do anything to protect them, even what was almost impossible for her: trusting other people.
She didn’t know exactly why the Andrewses were helping her, just knew right now she didn’t have any other options, so she would accept it. She had a door that locked, a general feeling of security and their basic needs were being met.
Maybe she wasn’t exactly doing a great job with the twins’ care—Christian still cried all the time, obviously subconsciously aware in his little baby brain that Bree wasn’t a qualified caretaker—but hopefully if Melissa could see them now she wouldn’t completely regret her decision to trust Bree.
And being safe here had allowed Bree to start looking into the data on the hard drive Melissa had sent with the twins.
Very, very carefully.
The data on it could only be accessed by pinging off the Organization’s own servers. Bree was an expert at covering her tracks, but nobody could completely hide from them while simultaneously attempting to access their own network. The best she could do was make them think she was harmless.
And that she definitely wasn’t Bethany Malone, the hacker genius they’d helped create, forging her in brutality.
But coming at the data this way was slow, especially when Bree wasn’t sure what exactly she was accessing and how it might help Melissa. She just knew she had to take some time to try while she was relatively safe, even if it meant working for hours at night after already putting in long shifts during the day.
Christian began to cry, so she picked him up, walking back and forth while rubbing his back. “Come on now, kiddo. I’ve had a full day on my feet. How about if you settle down so I can worry myself sick before the big bad cop arrives.”
Beth, unlike her cranky brother, stayed asleep, as she tended to do. Even when she was awake, she was all smiles and big eyes. But both of them were growing more every day. Staying awake a little longer. Showing just a little more personality.
Soon they wouldn’t be content to stay in their carriers most of the time. They’d want to sit up and look around more. Not long after that, they’d begin crawling.
That was beyond scary to think about.
“I know your mama misses you, buddy. She wouldn’t believe how big you’ve gotten in the weeks since she’s seen you. I’m going to try to get you back to her real soon.”
As if those were the words Christian had been waiting to hear, he snuggled into her shoulder and closed his eyes.
Bree had only known these beautiful babies for a few weeks, and she already knew it was going to tear a hole in her when she had to give them back to Melissa.
But that was stupid. Bree had been completely alone for the past three years since her mom died, and really even before that, when her mom had started to deteriorate. She was used to being alone. Loved being alone. A few weeks couldn’t change her entire outlook on life.
But she was already afraid it had.
The knock she’d been expecting finally came. Now she was about to find out whether the choice to stay here was taken out of her hands. She opened the door.
“Officer.” She gave a nod of greeting.
“Looks like you were expecting me.”
God, he was still as sexy as she’d remembered. Half a foot taller than her with thick black hair and warm brown eyes, before she quickly looked away from them. He was dressed in jeans and a beige Henley that molded over his chest.
Studying his shoulders and biceps, Bree let herself imagine what it would be like to be in the arms of a man. Not any man, this man. Being on the run most of her life hadn’t left time for any sort of relationships. Not friendships and definitely not romantic entanglements. She’d never wanted to.
But, now...
She finally looked up and found him staring down at her. He was waiting for her to speak. “Um, yeah, I realized you would probably have some questions about why I was still in town.”
He gave a nod. “Can I come in?”
“If I say no, are you going to arrest me?”
“Have you done anything for me to arrest you for?” One dark brow raised.
“Not today.” She meant it as a joke, but he was obviously taking her seriously.
“Then I guess I won’t be arresting you today. And if you tell me I can’t come in then I’ll leave. But I’ll take Mrs. A’s lemon pie with me.” He held up a paper bag.
Her mouth immediately watered. “That’s not fair, it’s my favorite. How did you know?”
“You’re breathing, aren’t you? Of course it’s your favorite. It’s everybody’s favorite. If it wasn’t your favorite then I would have to arrest you.”
She gestured for him to enter. “Since you have pie.”
“I also have a chicken sandwich from Mrs. A. She said you left without getting your normal meal and that you weren’t allowed to have the pie until you ate it.”
She took the bag and turned back toward the small kitchen table in the corner. He followed her in, closing the door behind him.
“Cheryl says I don’t eat enough.” Bree put the chicken sandwich on a plate. “She makes me eat at least one meal at the diner every day.”
He chuckled, a casually confident sound that mesmerized her. Bree couldn’t remember ever chuckling like that in her life. And if she had, it definitely wouldn’t have sounded that sexy.
“Mrs. Andrews says everyone doesn’t eat enough. I would find it less suspicious if she wasn’t the owner of a restaurant. But in your case, I think she might be right. Between being a new mother and working every day, you’re probably burning a lot of calories.”
“Do you want any of this sandwich?” She gestured for him to sit with her, but he shook his head.
“No, thanks. I already ate plenty.”
She nodded. “So, Dempsey. Is that the same Dempsey as the teenager that comes in a couple times a week to help out at the diner?”
“That would probably be my cousin Robbie. My father’s brother’s son. I’ve got a lot of family that lives around here. How about you, got any family?”
She took another bite of her chicken sandwich. “None here in Risk Peak.”
He leaned against the wall, stretching his long legs out in front of him. “Oh, I’m damn sure I would know it if you lived around here, believe me. Got any family anywhere else?”
She took another bite of chicken and chewed it slowly, more to give her time to decide what to say. She had a driver’s license that said Bree Daniels. If he checked that out, it wouldn’t bring the whole world crashing down. So she was probably best off sticking with it.
“No, no family. Just me.”
He tilted his head to the side, eyes narrowing. “And the babies.”
“Of course.” Damn it. She was so used to thinking of herself as alone. “Christian and Beth.”
“And their father? He’s family, too, in a way. He around anywhere?”
She stuffed more food in her mouth. “He’s not in the picture.”
She didn’t know if the twins’ father was friend or foe. There were so many things she needed to ask Melissa. Every day she waited for that phone to ring, but it never did.
He let her finish eating without any more questions, but she didn’t deceive herself into thinking he was done. She immediately unwrapped the pie when she finished her sandwich. Partially to hold off more questions, but she hadn’t been lying when she said it was her favorite.
“It looks like Cheryl put two slices in here. Do you want one?”
He nodded and sat down with her at the table. She got him a fork, and they both began to eat. She was only on her third bite when she looked over and found him finishing his.
“That’s good pie,” he said, shoveling the last bite into his mouth.
Bree watched with wide eyes, scooting her plate closer to her protectively. “You’re not one for savoring, are you?”
He leaned back in his chair and smiled.
Good God, that smile was lethal.
She sat frozen as he reached across the table and wiped a little piece of pie that had gotten caught on the corner of her mouth.
He brought the crumb up to his lips and licked it off. “Oh, I’m definitely for savoring when the time is right. For savoring every little bit as long as possible.”
She had the distinct feeling they weren’t talking about pie anymore.
But then he straightened in his chair, breaking the spell. “But when it comes to one of the Sunrise lemon pies, I had two siblings and a mother and father all vying for as much of one pie as possible every Saturday evening when I was growing up. Whoever finished first generally got to eat whatever bits had been left in the tray. I learned how to eat my slice in three bites when it counted.”
She put another bite in her mouth and chewed slowly. Except for the meals she’d eaten at the Sunrise Diner over the last week, she’d never really eaten with anyone else. Even her mother hadn’t been interested in family meals at the table. She’d been too paranoid.
“Wow.” She took another bite quickly, not completely sure he wouldn’t try to make a grab for hers. “I guess you can buy your own pie now.”
“Yeah, but sometimes my brother, sister and I still take a turn at it when we’re together for a meal. My mom gets in on the action, too.”
She could almost imagine it. A table full of grown people eating the delicious dessert as fast as they could to fight for leftovers.
It seemed...nice.
“Did your dad wise up? Does he stay out of the fray now?”
She peeked over at Tanner just in time to see the smile completely fade from his face. “No. My dad’s dead.”
She threw her gaze down to her pie again. “Oh. I’m sorry for your loss.”
Mentioning his dad had completely broken the mood. Tanner stiffened in his chair. “What kind of trouble are you in, Bree?”
“What makes you think I’m in any trouble at all?”
“You’ve got trouble all but tattooed on your forehead. It was one thing when you were just passing through. But now you’ve stuck around, so whatever trouble you’re in becomes my problem, too. I don’t want to see the Andrewses get hurt.”
“I’m not going to hurt them. I’m not going to hurt anyone.” She just needed to stay under the radar.
He ran his fingers through that thick dark hair. “The babies’ dad... Did he hurt you, maybe? I can help if that’s the case.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s nothing like that.”
“Are you in trouble with the law? On the run? You may not believe me, but I can help with that, too. Almost always, things go more leniently with a judge when a person turns herself in of her own accord.”
She let out a sigh. “I’m not wanted by the law, either. I just...needed some changes in my life. Then before I knew it, I was broke, but the babies still needed all their baby stuff.”
That was as close to the truth as she could come without bringing down the type of danger even the police weren’t equipped to deal with.
Tanner studied her with those deep brown eyes that missed nothing. She forced herself to meet his gaze, to remain calm.
To not act guilty.
“So, if you told me your last name, and I run it right now in our system, there’s not going to be some husband who has reported a kidnapping of his children by his wife? There’s not going to be an APB out for your arrest somewhere?”
She stood and walked over to the diaper bag and got out her driver’s license. She walked back to him and handed over the license. “Bree Daniels.”
She’d surprised him. He’d thought she was just going to tell him a name. A lie.
But he recovered quickly. “You won’t mind if I call this in and have them run it real quickly at the office?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Not at all.”
He stood and pulled out his phone, an old flip version like the one she had. That reassured her. The Organization couldn’t steal the info from that phone. Although if they figured out she was here, there weren’t many places to hide in a town this size.
Tanner turned away from her to talk to someone in his office, reading her name and driver’s license number.
Bree Daniels would look real in any system. She had a Social Security number, work history, even had a library card if someone searched that far.
Bree had built the identity herself after her mother died. Had thought she would use this identity for a much longer time. Had hoped to be Bree Daniels forever.
That might not be possible soon.
He hung up and sat back down at the table with her. “They’ll call me back in a few minutes. Shouldn’t take long.”
She stood and began clearing the dishes off the table.
“So you’re from Missouri. Were the babies born in Kansas City?”
Damn it. She hadn’t thought about Beth and Christian. Would he try to track down more information about them from hospitals? How many twins could possibly have been born there in the last few months?
She rinsed the plate off in the sink. “No, I was actually out of town when they were born.”
When she turned, she found him studying her. “Were they premature?”
The more information she gave, the more easily she could get caught in a lie. “Not by much, a little early, I guess. Not unusual with twins.”
He was still studying her too closely. “You look like you’re in amazing shape.”
She turned to wipe down the counter.
Keep calm.
He didn’t know anything. He was fishing.
After she finished wiping, she turned and gave him the biggest smile she could muster. “Well, Mrs. Andrews’s lemon pie certainly is not helping.”
He was going to push the issue, she could tell. But his phone buzzed in his hand. He kept his eyes pinned on her as he lifted it to his ear.
He listened to the report without saying much of anything. At the end, he thanked whoever was on the line and hung up. He stood.
“It seems I owe you an apology. Bree Daniels has no APBs out for her arrest, and no one has reported you either as a missing person or as someone of interest in any cases.”
“Glad to hear it.”
He wanted to say more. She could tell he wanted to say so much more, but one of the babies started to fuss from over in the playpen where they slept.
Tanner nodded. “You’ve had a full day of work, and I’m sure those kiddos don’t sleep very long. I’ll get out of your hair.”
She was surprised at the disappointment that washed over her. She wanted him gone, right? She didn’t long for a normal conversation with him, because that wasn’t very smart.
Smart is how you stay alive.
“Thank you for bringing dinner,” she whispered.
He nodded then walked to the door and opened it, looking back at her. “Bree?”
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