Undercover Passion

Chapter 2

Liz exhaled, overwhelmingly glad that her shaggy-haired neighbor had shown up. She didn’t know Harley all that well, but just his brick-wall appearance was enough to make her breathe a little easier.

As he bent to speak to her Teegan, she gave the back of his head a surreptitious, grateful look.

In the week and a bit since he’d been staying at the studio adjacent to her apartment, he’d been friendly and helpful. Ready with a smile, but not overbearing. He had a nice-guy vibe that she’d liked since the second she’d met him. His wide shoulders and solid build weren’t exactly off-putting, either. And at the moment, not only was his presence a soothing buffer but he was also a good distraction for her too-intuitive daughter.

“You completely kicked my butt,” he said to Teegan, before shooting a conspiratorial wink Liz’s way. “Don’t tell your mom I said that.”

Teegan gave him an eye roll. “I’m pretty sure she can hear you.”

“Darn it. You might be right.”

Harley grinned, and Liz did her best to smile back. She knew her effort was probably lacking. Her teeth felt wooden, and the rest of her mouth was still dry with fear. Being held at knifepoint and having her daughter’s life threatened wasn’t exactly something she would forget anytime soon. In fact, she was pretty sure her brain hadn’t even started to process it, let alone figure out what to do about it. The adrenaline still coursed through her body. And she knew that the second it stopped, she’d probably collapse, if not physically, then at least emotionally.

Which you don’t need to do here.

“Teegan,” she said, her voice shakier than she would’ve liked, “I think we should go inside and get cleaned up for dinner.”

“Did you even see me, Mom?” her daughter countered, still clinging to Harley.

“I did. You were so high up that I just about had a heart attack.”

“Mom! That is not true, and you always say—”

Teegan’s protest cut off in a giggle as Harley stood up with her still attached to his arm. She dangled from his bicep, her bare feet almost a yard from the ground, utterly pleased by the situation. Harley spun, and Teegan sailed in a circle. The spinning motion gave Liz another few seconds to scan the surrounding area.

Was her assailant still watching from somewhere she couldn’t see? Had he spied Harley’s broad shoulders and goofy display of strength? Did it make him think that she and Teegan weren’t completely unprotected?

God, she hoped so.

She turned her attention back to Teegan and Harley. The well-muscled man spun in a final slow circle, making her daughter’s laughter echo through the otherwise quiet street. As he came to a stop, his sleeve slid up, revealing a circle of scrawling ink around his arm. The tattoo was distracting. Sexy, even. For a moment, it actually held Liz’s attention long enough to keep her from her worried thoughts.

Crashing into Harley the way she’d done just a few minutes earlier had emphasized the quiet strength he possessed under his clay-speckled T-shirt. She couldn’t say why, but it’d been almost unexpected. It seemed silly, really. His body was visibly tanklike. Liz had admired it more than a few times. So why it stuck out now was a mystery. But it was definitely not unpleasant.

Unless the guy with the knife thinks he’s a threat, said a voice in her head. Then it’ll be anything but pleasant.

Liz fought both a shiver and a stab of guilt.

“Come here, baby,” she said to Teegan, her voice not quite as firm as she would’ve liked. “Let Mr. Maxwell go. Contrary to popular belief, he’s not a jungle gym.”

Her daughter finally disentangled herself and moved to stand in front of Liz, her eyes still sparkling. “Were you watching, Mom? I was practically flying.”

“Uh-huh. And between that and the climbing, I think we should probably go inside before one of the neighbors comes out and complains about my parenting and your safety.” She said it lightly, but she couldn’t quite keep from shooting another nervous look up the street.

“You can use me as your scapegoat,” Harley offered. “Bad-news artist influencing your daughter’s precious mind.”

Liz couldn’t help but smile. “You’re the least ‘bad news’ artist I’ve ever met.”

He grinned back. “I feel like I should be insulted by that compliment.”

“Don’t be. It’s refreshing to see someone with more talent than ego.”

Teegan groaned. “Are you guys just gonna stand there all night talking? Because if you are, I’m gonna go climb some more.”

“No!” The word came out of Liz’s mouth a little sharply, and both Teegan and Harley blinked at her.

The big man recovered quickly, his surprised look relaxing into a smile. “Well. Since apparently you really want to get the kiddo home...mind if I walk with you up to the apartment? I think I might’ve dropped my phone in the hall between your place and the studio.”

“Sure.” She wondered if the relief she felt was evident in her reply.

But if he noticed, he didn’t say. Instead, he offered her a grin and gestured toward their shared building. “Women and children first.”

Teegan immediately took off at a happy skip, and Liz’s heart thundered nervously in response to the open space between them. She took a step forward without even realizing she was doing it until Harley spoke.

“You want me to catch her?” he asked.

She didn’t stop walking, but she made herself answer calmly. “She’ll be fine. It’s only a hundred feet between here and the door. And Lord knows she’s done more dangerous things in the last five minutes.”

“True enough. Guess I’ll just have to settle for protecting you instead.”

He said it teasingly, but she noticed that he was quick to step between her and the road, and she couldn’t help but wonder if it was on purpose. Had he picked up on her distress? She suspected she hadn’t hidden it very well. She’d been so worried about watching the man who was watching her that she hadn’t even stopped to think if Harley was paying attention.

He gave her shoulder a nudge. “I sometimes think I might be one, by the way.”

“One what?” Liz replied, puzzled.

“A jungle gym.”

She let out a genuine laugh. “I’m sure Teegan agrees. I’m sorry if she’s bugging you too much.”

“I don’t mind. She’s got enthusiasm.”

“That’s a nice way of saying she’s a pain in the butt, huh?”

“I can hear you!” called Teegan from a few steps in front of them.

“Well, there wouldn’t be much point in saying it if you couldn’t hear me, would there?” Liz called back.

In typical Teegan-style, her daughter turned and stuck out her tongue before flinging open the door that led to the units above the shop.

“Still think she’s just ‘enthusiastic’?”

Harley grinned. “I plead the Fifth.”

“Yeah, I don’t blame you.” Her tone was ruefully amused. “And speaking of self-preservation...any idea where the sitter disappeared to? Did Teegan scare her off?”

“I can still hear you,” her daughter yelled from the top of the stairs. “And I didn’t scare her away. You were late, and Miss Wanda had to go pick up her boyfriend from work.”

“Late by five minutes,” Liz muttered under her breath. “I think I pay her enough to cover that.”

Harley took the handrail and gestured for her to take the first step. “To be more accurate, Wanda’s boyfriend had some kind of emergency—sliced finger or something—so I volunteered to bring Teegan down to you.”

“It doesn’t make me feel any better than my sitter left my kid with a strange man.”

“I’m not all that strange.”

“Ha ha. You know what I mean.”

“I do,” he agreed. “But Teegan assured Wanda that I was—and I quote—the best old man ever. And she was happy to remind Wanda that I was the one watching her the other day when you ran to that store.”

“I forgot about that.” She smiled ruefully. “I think my kid would make one heck of a lawyer.”

“She would. And she also used her powers of persuasion to rope me into the hide-and-seek.”

Liz sighed. “You really don’t have to indulge her like that. Because I promise you, she’ll take full advantage and have you wrapped around her little finger faster than you can blink.”

“I don’t mind. Really. I needed a break from work anyway.”

“Sculpture’s not coming along?”

“Sculpture’s actually shaping up well.”

“So you made some progress?”

“Well. I don’t know what it is yet. But yeah. The clay’s slightly more than a lump now.”

Liz laughed again. “I guess that’s good.”

“It’s awesome, Mom,” Teegan interrupted. “It looks like a mountain. But also a dragon.”

She groaned. “You have got to stay out of Mr. Maxwell’s workspace.”

“Since we rent it to him, isn’t it really our workspace?” countered her daughter.

Liz’s face heated. “Teegan!”

But Harley just chuckled. “Kid’s got a point.”

Liz shook her head as they started up the stairs. “Kid’s got an opinion. About everything.” She paused, then projected her voice toward her daughter. “And if you want to get technical, we sublet to Mr. Maxwell. But we lease the building from Jesse Garibaldi, so it’s his workspace, and his shop and his apartment, not ours. So just stay out of everything!”

She turned back to Harley and was surprised to find that his expression had gone stiff.

The sound of the so-called business owner’s name dug at Harley in an unexpected way. Not unexpected in that he was surprised to hear it. After all, Jesse Garibaldi had his finger in every pie Whispering Woods offered, and Liz’s Lovely Things was no different. Harley had known the man held the deed before he ever set foot in the building. The pretty brunette’s financial ties to the man were one of the main reasons she’d come under the microscope in the first place.

So, if you knew all that...then what’s bothering you?

It only took Harley a moment to answer his own question. It wasn’t hearing Garibaldi’s name. It was hearing it from Liz. He didn’t like the way she dropped the criminal’s name so easily. The way she made him a part of her lighthearted joke.

No one knew better than Harley that there was nothing funny about Garibaldi. A person responsible for so much death and chaos couldn’t provide any amusement. And for some reason, the way it just rolled off Liz’s tongue made it even worse.

You don’t want her to be involved.

The acknowledgment gave Harley serious pause. Obviously, he preferred it when people weren’t involved in illegal activities. Especially where Garibaldi was concerned. This felt different.

It was a part of his job to determine Liz’s guilt or innocence, not to be biased on whether it turned out one way or the other. Impartiality was the name of the game. Developing an emotional opinion would seriously hamper his ability to keep things as they should be.

“Are you all right?” Liz’s voice yanked him back to the moment.

He blinked, realizing the pretty brunette was three steps above him because he’d come to a complete stop in the stairwell.

And you’re probably not covering up your feelings very well, either.

That didn’t mean he could stop himself from staring at her for a second longer, wondering if he’d be able to get back that necessary neutrality. If his short time across the hall from Liz had already swayed him away from that even hand of justice, he had to consider whether or not he could maintain a professional distance. Or regain one, as the case might be.

“Harley? Seriously. Are you okay?”

He forced a rueful headshake and answered in a light tone. “Sorry. Spaced out. Guess the amount of work I did today wore me out more than I thought.”

Her face relaxed into a sympathetic smile. “It probably doesn’t help that you’ve been sleeping in the studio.”

“No. Not much. Mattress on the floor never quite cuts it.”

“Any news on when they’ll have the apartment fixed?”

“Not a word.”

“Well. I’m sure you know, but you’re welcome to stay at the studio as long as you want.” Her smile changed into a teasing one. “I might actually miss you a little when you go. It’s only been a week, but I’m already way too used to having a handyman around.”

“One unplugged toilet doesn’t make me a handyman,” he assured her.

“There was also the picture frame.”

“I caught it before it fell. That wasn’t handy. That was lucky.”

“But then you hung it back up again more securely.”

“I think you just have low standards.”

She laughed. “Even if that’s true, I’ll never admit it.”

They argued good-naturedly about it the rest of the way up, with Liz compiling a list of tasks Harley had completed for her since the flood had forced him from his rental unit in town. In their shared hallway above the shop, Harley finally lifted his hands in mock defeat.

“All right,” he said. “I’ll let you have this one. I’ve been mildly helpful since I’ve been stuck here.”

“Good. I hope you’ll continue to be mildly helpful for the duration of your stay.”

“If you need anything, you just let me know.”

“I will.”

He continued to stand there for a second, looking for a reason to continue the conversation. Thoughts of the hooded figure in the street below nagged at him and kept him from simply turning and walking through his own door. There’d been genuine fear on Liz’s face when she’d seen him. That alone was enough of an excuse to prolong their interaction.

Too bad you can’t just ask outright what it was that scared her.

A direct approach would’ve been smoother. Easier. A glance toward Teegan—who was hanging off the door handle with a bored look on her face—reminded Harley that even if he had been at liberty to ask, he wouldn’t have done it. That didn’t mean he felt right about just letting the little girl and her mother disappear into their apartment alone.

Will asking if they currently have any loose floorboards seem like a put-on?

He shifted from foot to foot, but no subtle segue came to mind. Not one that didn’t sound like a line, anyway.

“Well,” he finally said. “I guess this is good-night?”

He thought Liz looked a little disappointed, too. “I guess it is.”

“So.”

“So.”

“Good night.”

“Good night.”

“Good niiiiiiiight,” Teegan sang, breaking the awkwardness in the air.

Harley grinned, and Liz laughed, then tugged her kid close.

“We’ll probably see you tomorrow?” she said.

“Here’s hoping,” Harley said back.

As he turned to go, though, another worry occurred to him. What if Liz’s fear wasn’t limited to the man outside? What if it carried over into her home? Or worse. What if the hooded figure wasn’t alone, and the danger as well as the fear carried over?

After a nanosecond of consideration, he decided he didn’t care. Even though he’d only known the woman a short time—and in spite of the fact that her alliances in Whispering Woods were under his own scrutiny—he had an obligation to keep her safe.

Not just because it’s her. Because of the general protect-and-serve thing.

He rolled his eyes inwardly at his own need for reassurance, then started to turn back, a lie about hearing a knocking in the pipes springing to mind—and where was that ten seconds ago?—but Liz spoke first.

“Wait.”

“Yes?”

“Your phone.”

He frowned for a second before remembering his claim about dropping it somewhere in the hall. “Oh. Right.”

It wasn’t an invitation in, but at least it bought him another minute or two.

“Maybe that exhaustion is affecting your short-term memory,” Liz teased.

“More than likely.”

She gestured to the kid. “Come on, Teegs. Help Mr. Maxwell look for his phone.”

The little girl executed a perfect eye roll. “Mom. It’s a tiny hallway.”

Harley stifled a laugh. “Yeah, but I’m old, so my eyesight’s bad. You know I wear glasses when I’m sculpting, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So, I need your eagle eyes. Or I’ll probably never find it.”

“Fine.”

Teegan made a big production of dropping to the ground and squinting at the carpet.

“Do you want me to describe it to you?” Harley asked, amused by her antics.

“I know what a phone looks like. Duh.”

Liz sighed. “Sorry. I don’t know where she gets the attitude from.”

Harley swiped his hand over his mouth to cover his smile. “She must be a future artist. We’re all full of bad attitudes, aren’t we?”

“I wish that particular bad attitude had been passed down from me to her,” said the pretty brunette. “But sadly, this one has it in her head that she should do something science-y.”

“That’s not a word, Mom.”

“Of course it’s not.”

“It actually makes you sound really un-science-y when you say it,” Harley added.

“Ugh! You guys are—”

“The grown-ups?” Liz lifted an eyebrow at the kid, then smiled. “Or close enough, anyway.”

“Guess that’ll have to do.” He paused, then prepared to drop the lie about the knocking in the pipes, but once again, she spoke first.

“Beef stew,” she said.

He felt his brow furrow. “Uh?”

Liz laughed. “Sorry. Apparently, I’m terrible at inviting a man for dinner.”

Relief—and true pleasure—rushed in, and he grinned. “Lucky for you, I’m very good at accepting poorly executed dinner invitations.”

“I won’t even make you clean up,” she teased.

He cast a rueful look down. “Whoops.”

He’d forgotten about the fact that he was wearing “work” clothes. In addition to providing him with a good excuse to stick close to Liz, Harley’s cover story had also given him a chance to do something he hadn’t done in far too long. Create a small amount of actual art. And he was enjoying it. As was evidenced by the mess on his T-shirt and jeans.

“I can get changed,” he offered, hoping she’d say no.

Thankfully, she shook her head. “And miss the chance to have evidence of a real artist in my house? No way. Don’t worry about your shoes, either. The only place we don’t wear them is in the bedroom. Old carpet.”

“Gotcha.”

“Now can we go inside?” Teegan pleaded.

“Now we can,” her mom agreed, then turned to Harley. “Unless you want to keep looking for the phone?”

He feigned a groan. “You know what? I just remembered that I stuck it in my back pocket.”

“In your pocket?” said Teegan. “Isn’t that where it usually goes?”

“Not for me, smarty-pants. I keep it in my coat. Which I’m not wearing, because someone insisted we hurry.”

Liz laughed, seemingly unaware that the lost phone had been a ruse. “Okay, you two. I’m going inside. You can stay out here and fight, or you can come in with me.”

“In!” said Teegan right away.

“Same,” Harley agreed with a wink.

He tensed a little as Liz moved to stick her key in the door handle, but the click of the lock reassured him enough that he kept down an urge to push his way through first in the name of safety. The dimness inside was reassuring, too, as was the evident tidiness when Teegan reached up to turn on the light. All were signs that no one had broken in or left in a hurry.

Unless he’s a very practiced stalker.

Harley gritted his teeth at his habitual detective brain. Liz didn’t seem worried about letting her daughter barrel through into the apartment, and she was the one who’d seemed so scared outside. He knew he could take his cues from her. Whatever her affiliation with Garibaldi, he couldn’t imagine—not for a second—that she’d put her daughter in harm’s way.

Okay, Detective Maxwell, he said to himself, time to stow away the mental badge and be a little more Harley-the-artist. At least until the beef stew is done.

Chapter 3

As Liz lifted the last dish in the pile and started to scrub, a knot of worry made her stomach ache. It’d been surprisingly easy to bury the earlier frightening events. Between Harley’s ease with small talk and Teegan’s nonstop chatter, the intruder and his knife had fallen miraculously to the back of her mind. But dinner had gone by quickly, and now the dread of being alone crept up a little more with each passing second. Even dragging the meal out to include pie and ice cream hadn’t slowed things down enough. In a few moments, the last drops of soapy water would be dry. The big dark-haired man—who’d taken a break from drying duty to read Teegan a noisy story in the other room—would probably yawn, thank her for dinner and be on his way. And while he might then be stationed directly across the hall, it wasn’t the same as having him just a holler away.