"Give me your keys. I'll check it out."
"I'll come with you."
"You can stay out here. Just get in the car and lock the doors."
"I'd rather stay with you. I've been jumping every time someone comes down the street. I know whoever searched my place is probably long gone, but I can't seem to stop reacting to every shadow."
"I get it. Come on then."
"The door was open when I came home," Shayla said as they entered the building and walked up the stairs. "It doesn't always latch, so I wasn't that concerned at first. But when I saw the state of the bedrooms, I knew someone had been inside." She slid her key into the lock and opened the door.
Shayla stayed right behind him, her hand on his back, as he entered her roommate's bedroom and then hers.
"What do you think they were looking for?" Shayla asked as they returned to the living room.
"Did you bring home anything from the clinic in Colombia?"
"No. I never went back to the clinic after we were rescued. When we were evacuated, we were given ten minutes to grab our clothes before we were put on a plane."
"So you did leave with a suitcase?"
"With jeans and t-shirts in it."
"Nothing else? No trinkets? Souvenirs? Books? Photos?"
She frowned at his series of questions. "No. There wasn't a shopping mall nearby. We were in a very remote part of the country."
"Then maybe they came here to look for Robert's notebook."
"They wouldn't have seen us take the notebook out of the office. You had it under your shirt when we left. I don't think it would have been visible to the security cameras."
"No, but the cameras picked us up. If someone was watching the traffic to Robert's office, they would have seen us go inside."
"But for someone to watch those security cameras, they'd have to be able to get access, and who would have those credentials? I can't imagine anyone at the hospital doing this, unless the police or the FBI or someone else is involved."
"And we know they are. When will your roommate be home?"
"Not until next Wednesday. She's going out of town."
"Good. I think you need to get out of town, too."
"That's impossible. My brother is getting married tomorrow, and if I don't show up, the Callaways will call out the cavalry."
"I don't think you should stay here, Shayla. Maybe you should go to your parents' house or spend the night with one of your siblings."
"If I go to anyone's house, they'll ask questions, a lot of questions that I can't answer. And won't I be putting them in danger?"
"I don't think you're necessarily in danger," he said quickly. "If someone wanted to get to you, they could have done it before now. The fact that they waited until you were gone to come in and search your apartment is a good thing."
"Is it?" she asked in bewilderment. "That's some pretty positive spin from a cynical man."
She had a point.
"What about your boat?" she asked. "Can I sleep on your couch?"
Her suggestion made his gut clench for an entirely different reason. His boat was even smaller than this apartment, and the idea of her in his bed…
"I don't think that's a good idea," he said.
"Why not?"
"Things already got out of hand this morning, remember?"
She met his gaze head on. "I haven't forgotten, Reid, but that won't happen again. I was half asleep, and so were you."
He couldn't make being half asleep an excuse. He was attracted to Shayla, to her intriguing mix of logic and emotion, brains and beauty. But she wasn't a woman to just mess around with and walk away, and that's the only kind of woman he got close to these days.
"Come on, Reid. You're not going to say no, are you?" Shayla asked, a plea in her pretty blue eyes.
As if he could say no to anything she asked.
Before he could reply, the buzzer to her front door rang. Shayla almost jumped out of her skin. "Who's that?" she whispered.
"You're not expecting anyone?"
She shook her head.
He moved to the window, being careful not to be seen by anyone out on the street. He couldn't see who was standing at the front door, but he could see a dark sedan parked in front of the building. He backed away from the window.
"Did you see someone, Reid?"
"I think the feds have come to question you again, or maybe the local cops. Hard to say."
"Should I let them in?"
He debated that as the buzzer pealed again. "Let's not."
"Someone else might let them into the building if they start buzzing other apartments. It's happened before. People don't care that much about security."
"Let's wait. If they're on the right side of the law, they won't try to enter without a search warrant."
"And if they're not?"
He didn't want to have to answer that question. He really wished he had a weapon with him.
The buzzer rang again.
Shayla moved next to him, and he put his arm around her. They waited another two minutes, but no footsteps came down the hall, no knock came at the door.
"Right side of the law?" she murmured.
He nodded. "Looks that way." He went back to the window. The sedan was pulling away from the curb with two men inside. "They're gone. Get whatever you need for the night, and let's go."
"Okay."
While Shayla grabbed her things, he pulled out his phone and called Matt. "We need to meet."
"Where and when?" Matt asked, without bothering to ask why.
"Twenty minutes, my favorite place."
"Got it."
"Who were you talking to?" Shayla asked as he slipped his phone back into his pocket.
"Someone who might be able to help us."
She stared back at him with concern. "You weren't supposed to tell anyone, Reid. Robert was very emphatic about that."
"No,
you
weren't supposed to tell anyone. My job is to actually find a way to save Robert, and for that I'm going to need a little help."
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see when we get there."
* * *
They took Reid's truck to the meeting. While Reid drove with a lot of speed, Shayla didn't feel at all nervous. There was something about Reid that made her believe he could do anything. That was probably a dangerous feeling to have, and more than likely untrue, but right now she found it a comforting thought.
They ended up north of San Francisco in the Marin Headlands, on a magnificent bluff that overlooked the city of San Francisco. While the area would be crowded on the weekends, on a Friday afternoon, they had the scenic spot to themselves.
She followed Reid down a path to a bench that had an incredible view of the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Pacific Ocean flowing into the bay.
"Nice," she murmured.
"I've always liked this view of the city," he said as they sat down on the bench. "This is one of my favorite places."
"I can see why, but I've actually seen a better view of the city than this one."
His eyebrow shot up in disbelief. "There's a better one?"
"Yes, from a helicopter flying in from the ocean and over the bridge. My brother, Drew, is a helicopter pilot. He took me up a few months ago. It was amazing." She paused. "You and Drew would probably get along. He was in the Navy for eight years."
"And he jumped to the Coast Guard? Why?"
"I'm not sure. He said he wanted to be closer to home, but maybe there were other reasons. He's not a big talker, especially when it comes to his years in the Navy."
Reid nodded. "Understandable."
"Is it?" she questioned. "Why can't you talk about what you went through?"
He met her eyes with a steady gaze. "Do you really need to ask me that after what you went through in Colombia?"
"That wasn't the same thing." But wasn't it close enough? And hadn't she found it impossible to talk to anyone in her family about what had happened? "You're right, maybe it is the same."
"There are a couple of reasons for not talking. You don't want to burden the people you care about. It's difficult enough carrying around your own memories. You also don't want to relive the experience by sharing it. And maybe you want to try to forget it ever happened."
"Is there a lot you're trying to forget, Reid?" She couldn’t help wondering how all those years in the Army had impacted him. He had to have a lot more nightmares running around in his head.
"Too much," he said, gazing out at the view.
"Why did you stay in the Army so long? Surely you could have gotten out a long time ago?"
"Sure, I could have left, but I'm a soldier. That's who I am."
"It's who you were," she corrected, then wished she'd kept the comment to herself as Reid's eyes filled with anger. "Sorry, that was thoughtless."
"No, it was accurate," he said harshly. "I'm not a soldier anymore."
"You can't go back when your leg is fully healed?"
"No, I'm done." There was not a speck of doubt in his voice.
"So, what's next?"
He let out a heavy sigh. "That's the question of the year. I don't know. Maybe private security."
"What does that involve?"
"I'm not sure."
"You might want to find out before you sign up."
"That would probably be a good idea. My friend, Matt Kelton, runs the company. We served together for a few years. He's a good guy. He seems to think I could offer him something, although I'm not sure what."
"I'm sure you could offer him a lot. I know it sucks to not be able to do what you love, Reid. But while you may have lost some mobility in your leg, you still have your head and your heart. You're still you, just a different version of you. Maybe even a better one. Did you ever think about that?"
He turned to look at her, a thoughtful gleam in his eyes. "You don't feel sorry for me at all, do you?"
She shook her head. "Not really. I have empathy for you. I'm sure it's going to take you a while to figure out your next move. But you will, because you're not a quitter. And I don't think you're going to quit on your life."
"Some might say that's what I've been doing the last nine months."
"Let's just call that a break," she said, certain that Reid would never live an idle life forever. He had too much drive. He cared too much. Not that he'd ever admit it. "But the break is over," she added. "It's time to get back in the game. You already know that."
"I do," he agreed. "But you might need to take your own advice, Doc, and get back in your own game."
She sighed as she glanced out at the ocean, her thoughts turning to her own problems, her own doubts.
"When did you know you wanted to be a doctor?" Reid asked.
"When I was seven years old."
"Very early achiever."
She smiled as she looked back at him. "I had a reason. I was playing in the backyard with my cousin, Allison. We had a big play structure with slides and tunnels. My parents put it in so that they wouldn't have to take eight kids to the park every day. The boys usually hogged the fort, but that day it was just Allison and I. Allison was climbing on to the slide, and her foot slipped. She tumbled off the side and onto the ground. She was holding her wrist and screaming with pain, and her knee was all bloody. I wanted to help her, but I didn't know what to do. Luckily, my mom did. She took Allison and me to the E.R. While Allison was getting her broken arm set in a cast and the gash in her leg stitched up, I was watching the nurses and doctors rushing around. I decided right then that was what I wanted to do."
"I guess the sight of blood didn't bother you."
"Not then," she said. "Now…I'm afraid I'll never be able to go into an examining room without worrying about the door blowing open and someone coming in with a gun."
"It's going to get better, Shayla."
"I want to believe that. I thought I was a strong person, that I was brave and fearless. When I was younger, I was never afraid to try something new, to risk failure, but I think that's because I never really thought I would fail. Now I can't imagine any other scenario. In Colombia, I realized I wasn't invincible or unbreakable."
He nodded, an understanding gleam in his eyes. "I know that shocking feeling. But you didn't break, Shayla. You're just a little bent."
"I'm practically doubled over."
"But not broken," he said. "You have to stop punishing yourself for what you perceive as your failure to save your patient, Shayla."
"It was my failure. I should have found a way to get to him."
"You need to stop focusing on what you didn't do then and what you can do now, because you're still alive. You couldn't save that man, but you can save other people, lots of other people."
"If my hand stops shaking."
He reached out and covered her hand with his. A jolt of heat ran through her. "It will, as soon as you decide you've punished yourself enough."
"I hope that's true. I've spent the last ten years of my life in pursuit of this goal. I don't want it to be all for nothing."
"Then don't let it be for nothing. You've been knocked down. It's time to get back up. The only way you'll ever banish the fears is to face them." He let go of her hand and cupped her face, holding her gaze to his. "You're stronger than you think, Shayla. My grandfather always told me that steel is forged in fire, and he was right." He smiled as his thumb ran across her mouth. "Sometimes I can see the steel in your eyes, the prettiest blue steel I've ever seen."
She caught her breath at his words, at the intense look on his face.
Desire crackled the air between them.
Reid lowered his head. She leaned in. They met in the middle. It was the most perfect kiss. Tender, passionate, and filled with promise. The warm summer breeze blew around them, and for just a moment she let all of her troubles slip away.
Then a black Porsche sped into the parking lot, kicking up a whirlwind of dust. They broke apart.
Reid jumped to his feet, and she quickly followed.
"Tell me that's your friend," she said. With the cliff behind them, there was nowhere to run.
Chapter Eleven
"That’s Matt," Reid said, as a man stepped out of the car. "He always did like showy cars."