A Deadly Business. Desiree Holt
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she was again dripping in sweat and breathing hard, but she felt exhilarated. She’d had greater success blocking his moves then previously, and got in a few hits of her own.
“You did great there at the end,” he told her, helping her out of the pads. “One of these days you’ll kick my ass but good.”
“Oh, right.” She snorted. “As if.”
“Seriously. You picked this up quicker than most people. You’re my star pupil.”
“I bet you say that to all your students,” she teased, grabbing a towel from the bench and mopping her face and neck.
“Not quite.” He checked his watch. “Listen. It’s eight thirty. You don’t open until ten. Want to grab a coffee and muffin at Fresh from the Oven like we did the last couple of times?”
Yes!
She was playing with danger here. Her life could blow up at any moment, dragging Justin in with her. But despite all her discipline, she couldn’t say no.
“You’ve got plenty of time.” He tapped his watch. “An hour and a half. Come on. You know what they say about all work and no play. Besides, you always end up having fun.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Right?”
She had really enjoyed the last two times. What could it hurt to do it again?
God, she certainly didn’t want to answer that question. But wasn’t she entitled to a little pleasure? As long as she kept remembering it was just coffee. Do not pass Go. Do not collect two hundred dollars or anything else. Suppress all those tantalizing feelings. It was becoming harder and harder to do that, but…
She blew out a breath.
“Okay. Sure. That would be nice.”
He burst out laughing. A deep, warm sound that tickled her nerve endings. “Not the enthusiastic response I hoped for, but I’ll take it.”
Heat suffused her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I—”
He waved a hand at her. “Just kidding. It’s fine. Meet you there in about a half hour? That will give you plenty of time to relax with coffee and a roll before you open the gallery.”
“I— Yes. That works out fine. Thank you.”
It might have been her imagination, but she was sure she could feel him staring after her as she walked out of the room.
The gym was housed in a long building next to the renovated Key West house that contained the Vigilance offices and electronics setup. She had just unlocked the door to her car when she heard a woman calling her and turned to see Avery standing on the porch.
“Hey, Avery.” She waved back.
“Come on in for a minute, can you?”
Marissa’s stomach knotted. This had to be bad news. And just when she was finally drawing a full breath and thinking she was safe.
“Sure.”
When she reached the porch, Avery gave her a hug. Marissa wasn’t sure if it meant the woman was glad to see her or was setting the stage to drop a bomb.
“Is everything okay?” She hated to ask the question.
“What? Oh, sure.” Avery grinned. “I just wanted to chat with you a little bit. Come on in for coffee.”
“Um, the thing is, I’m meeting Justin for coffee in half an hour and I still need to shower and change.”
Avery’s smile got bigger. “That’s better than a cup with me. You go on. I just wanted to check up on you. We’ve been a little busy lately and I haven’t had as much time to stop by the gallery.”
“No problem. It’s—I’m actually doing okay there. In fact, better than okay. Traffic is steady and I’m starting to show more local artists.”
“Glad to hear it.” Avery studied her face. “You’ve done a great job weaving yourself into the fabric of life in Arrowhead Bay without being front and center.”
Marissa squeezed the other woman’s hand. “Thanks. I feel good here, and I appreciate your concern. Not many people would have done what you did—taken in a complete stranger and helped her build a new life.”
“Brian Gould is a longtime friend,” she told her, referring to Marissa’s former boss at the CIA. “I owe him big time on a lot of fronts, so I was glad to do it.” She grinned. “The fact that you turned out to be someone I could really like and be friends with has been a bonus.”
“I don’t know what to say except thank you, to both you and Sheri.” She checked her watch. “And now I’m going to be rude and say I have to run.”
“Go ahead. Have a little fun.” Avery winked at her. “You could have a lot of fun with Justin.”
Marissa shook her head. “I—No. It’s nothing like that. He just wants to have coffee.”
“If you say so. But, Marissa? He’s safe, and you know what I mean by that. He’s also a really nice guy and you couldn’t ask for better protection if you need it.” She held up a hand. “Not that I expect you will. We’ve got you sewed up nice and tight down here. I just think you need to cut yourself a break now and then. I, of all people, wouldn’t encourage it if I didn’t believe you could have complete trust in Justin.”
Safe. Trustworthy. What dull ways to describe someone. But right now, it was what she needed.
“At least we’re having coffee,” she pointed out.
Avery started back into the building then turned. “I forgot to ask. Are you going to the Fourth of July boat parade and barbecue? I understand why you didn’t want to last year, but now it would be nice for you. Meet more people, promote the gallery a little.”
Marissa shrugged. “I haven’t given it much thought.”
“Well, let it roll around in your brain a while. I think you’d have a good time. At least meet me for lunch at the Driftwood on Friday. I’d be happy to pick you up.”
“Thanks. I’ll let you know.”
She climbed in her car, cranking the engine so she could turn on the air conditioning. She hated to throw snow on Avery’s obvious determination to help her lead as normal a life as she could, but she wondered if normal would ever be possible again.
Getting ready took little time. In her previous life, she’d learned to be a quick-change artist, so despite the few minutes she spent with Avery she was showered, dressed, and heading to Fresh from the Oven at five minutes until nine. One nice thing about Arrowhead Bay, nothing was very far from anything.
The gallery was only two blocks down from the café, so she parked in front and walked down. There was a decent parking lot in the back, but Marissa had learned to avoid places she couldn’t exit from quickly, as well as places where she was hidden from the public. After two years, she was almost sure every trace of her last identity had been wiped from the earth. Almost sure that even the most sophisticated computers couldn’t find her now. That the CIA had done a very good job of burying her.
And she prayed that was only a figurative expression.
She had woven herself into life in Arrowhead Bay, but her socializing was limited. She often had lunch with Avery and her sister, Sheri, the Arrowhead Bay chief of police. Sometimes one of the female Vigilance agents joined them. Sheri was the only person in town who knew who she was besides Avery. After all, who could be safer than a cop, right? She was grateful for both of them, and the way they had eased her into life in this little town.
On occasion, Avery invited her to join a group of people hanging out at the Purple Papaya or having dinner at the Driftwood. It was fun, and she appreciated being included. Avery had pointed out if she became a recluse not only would the gallery suffer but she’d cause more gossip, which was not what she wanted. Still, old habits died hard, and she was always so careful