Flynn watched the array of emotions flutter across Carina’s expressive face. It took everything in him to focus on that, and not just her eyes, which were the palest blue he’d ever seen, like the sky on a spring day. To not drag his gaze down to her full lips, which were currently opening and closing in quick succession. Lips that would be far too easy to obsess about. To dream about how they’d feel pressed against his own.
Shut it down, Flynn. The woman was investigated for stealing drugs. You shouldn’t be thinking about her like that.
When Carina stood, she smoothed her hands on her jeans like she was trying to compose herself. He didn’t miss the slight tremble in her fingers. She was trying to act confident, but she was nervous. And hell if that didn’t tug at his damn chest.
When she looked up, those pale blue eyes bore into him. “I can see how the information makes me look bad. But if you found that, I’m sure you also found that the allegations were dismissed. I was falsely accused. And my statement stands—your mother would have the best care with me.”
Flynn watched her eyes. Listened to her voice, her breaths. She seemed to be telling the truth, but she was still a risk. And anyone with a questionable background check could not work for his mother.
“I’m sorry, Miss Murphy. I can’t take that chance.”
Frustration suddenly drowned out every other emotion on her face. “My name’s Carina. I would love for you to use it. And why exactly can’t you ‘take that chance’? I did nothing wrong.”
“She’s my mother.”
That was all he should say—all he should need to say. But at Carina’s pleading eyes, he continued.
“I don’t know you, Carina.” Her name felt smooth on his tongue. “All I have to go by is a background check that tells me you have a red flag.”
She took a step closer, and her scent permeated the space. It was peaches and vanilla—all sweet.
Damn, he hated that.
“Then get to know me,” she said quietly. “You could even stay at the house while I care for your mom. Please. Give me a chance.”
He’d expected the woman to turn up. He’d expected anger. Frustration, maybe. But pleading? “Why do you need this job so badly?”
“Because I went through hell in Michigan to keep my nursing license, and this is my first job since. Because Joy told me about the wildflowers and the quirky coffee mugs and the ice cream that tastes so good, you’d want to bathe in. All of that disappears without a job. And because I don’t quit. I started this job, and I want to finish it.”
He gave her a small smile, knowing she wouldn’t like what he said next. “You’re not quitting. I’m letting you go.”
A puff of breath escaped her mouth, and for a second, his gaze lowered to her lips. His groin tightened, and he forced his attention back up.
She took another step forward. He thought she was leaving, but instead, she wrapped her fingers around his biceps.
That simple touch sent heat spiraling through his body and flaring in his gut.
Jesus Christ, what the hell was wrong with him? Or better question, who the hell was this woman that she could do this to him?
“Please.” Her soft plea had his chest constricting. Or maybe that was her touch again. Whatever it was, he almost caved. Because really, who the hell could ever say no to this gorgeous woman? Everything about her had his senses on high alert.
He took a step back, forcing his body to turn it off. The heat. The emotion. All of it. Something he’d become good at after everything life had thrown his way.
Her hand dropped.
He almost wanted to look away and save himself from seeing the gut-wrenching disappointment that would cross her face. He didn’t. “I can’t.”
Yeah, there it was. And for some reason, it hurt like hell.
She gave one small nod before stepping around him and leaving his office silently.
The silence was the worst part. Fuck, but he wished she’d screamed at him, made some sort of huge fuss. At least then he wouldn’t feel like an asshole.
The second he heard her footsteps on the stairs, he moved through the hall, stopping at the doorway to Tyler’s office. “You couldn’t have called? Given me a heads-up before walking her over to my office while I was busy?”
Tyler leaned back in his seat. “Sorry, I thought you were almost done with Victoria.”
“I was actually moments away from breaking up with the woman.”
That had Tyler straightening. “Don’t mess with me, brother. Are you serious?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. I should have done it a while ago.”
Their relationship was only ever a casual one, but the woman was starting to want more. More of his time. More overnight stays at his place. Hell, she’d even started holding his hand when they walked down the street. He didn’t have a problem with PDA, he just didn’t want that kind of relationship with Victoria.
Tyler nodded. “About damn time, man. She’s a good enough doctor, but she’s too…”
“Cold?” Flynn finished for his friend. Plenty of people had used that word to describe her. And it was true. He hadn’t cared before because she wasn’t cold to him. But now? He was starting to care.
“Yeah, cold. You need someone warm.” One side of his mouth lifted. “Someone like that woman who just came in. She kind of reminded me of sunshine and flowers.”
For some reason, the idea of Tyler being anything but cordial to Carina had his gut twisting. But that was ridiculous.
“She was assigned to be Mom’s nurse while Mrs. Anderson attends to some family emergency in Florida.” Flynn leaned his shoulder against the doorframe. “I was in the hospital after the car crash when Mrs. Anderson left, so they couldn’t reach me for approval.”
That damn car crash. Every time he thought about it, every muscle in his body tightened in anger. He’d been assigned protective detail to his friend’s wife and daughter. A car had hit them, and while he’d been unconscious, the woman and child were taken. They were okay now, but the memory would probably always haunt him.
Tyler’s smile grew. “So, you’ll get to see a lot of her, then.”
“No. She actually applied for the job to temporarily replace Mrs. Anderson a few months ago, when Joy took a vacation. I did a background check then, and it showed she was investigated for stealing prescription pain medication from a patient in Michigan.” The smile slipped from Tyler’s face. “The allegations were dismissed, but…”
“You don’t know her well enough to trust her with your mother. Gotcha.”
Of course Tyler got it. His entire team had relocated and started the security business here in Cradle Mountain, Idaho, specifically because Flynn needed to be with his mother. Her advancing Alzheimer’s meant she needed significant in-home care. Some days she was fine. Others, she left raw meat in the microwave, got lost on her walks, and thought Flynn was his deceased father.
He pushed off the frame. “Anyway, I’m gonna follow up on a job before stopping to see Mom and letting her know what’s going on.”
Tyler dipped his head. “Send her my best.”
“Will do.”
Flynn headed back to his office, where he checked the time on his phone before opening up his laptop, ready for his Zoom call with a potential client. Having a big team of eight guys running the place meant they could offer a good array of security work, including private and corporate protection, consultation, personal security, and self-defense education.
They also did a bit of off-the-books work for the US government. Steve, their FBI liaison, contacted them whenever he had a job.
When the Zoom call came through, he clicked on to find a middle-aged bald man on the other end.
“Hi, Paul. I’m Flynn Talbot. Good to finally meet.” They’d connected a bit over email before initiating the Zoom call.
Paul Simmons smiled, but the expression was strained. “Hi. Thank you for getting in touch.”
“You said in your email that you feel you and your wife are being stalked by someone. Is that right?” Flynn wouldn’t be surprised. The man was a high-ranking attorney for a private company. His position and income made him vulnerable to that kind of thing.
“We just moved to Idaho Falls from Chicago. I get the feeling that not everyone in the office is happy I got the promotion. Not that I thought anyone would go to this extreme to scare us away.”
Flynn nodded. “Have you seen the person you suspect to be stalking you?”
The guy’s eyes flared. It was quick, and Flynn almost missed it, but it answered his question before the guy spoke. “A few times. Once at my kitchen window. I have high-security gates, so he shouldn’t have been able to get in. My wife also saw a guy following her when she went on her morning run. And then…I thought I saw him chasing my car. He was fast.”
Flynn’s brows tugged together. “Fast?”
Simmons swallowed, pausing for a moment before answering. “That’s actually why I contacted your company. I think he’s like you guys.”
Flynn almost laughed, even though there was nothing funny about the situation. No one was like him, bar the seven members of his team, and another team in Marble Falls, Texas.
Three years ago, he’d been part of Combat Applications Group, or what civilians knew as Delta Force. Then he’d been taken. Held in a compound. Routinely drugged. Trained. And changed irrevocably. Now he was faster and stronger than he should be. He healed quickly. He could see through a pitch-black night. Hear things he shouldn’t.
All of that was supposed to remain hidden from the public. But several months ago, the media found out and leaked the story. Now everyone knew.
“That’s not possible,” Flynn said quietly. “But we’ll look into your situation, investigate your coworkers, and put a guy on you.”
Paul didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t argue the point either. “I’d like to hire your company to provide twenty-four-hour security for both me and my wife.”
Flynn dipped his head. “We can do that.”
He spent the next twenty minutes asking Paul questions about his colleagues, his job and his and his wife’s everyday routines, all while noting everything down. Once the call ended, he sent the notes to his team. From there, they’d come up with a schedule that worked for everyone.
Flynn didn’t believe for a second that whoever was stalking this guy and his wife was like him. What he did believe was that fear muddied the mind. It could make you see and believe things that weren’t true.
It was about eleven when he headed out of the office and down the stairs to his car. The drive to his mother’s house was short—a perk of living in a small town. It was the town he’d grown up in, although just about everyone he’d known from school had moved on. Another thing about small towns. People left.
Of its own volition, his mind trickled back to Carina. He’d re-read her entire background check last night. Both parents were still alive and living in Michigan, as well as an older sister who was married with kids. She’d graduated from the University of Michigan School of Nursing and had lived there her entire life.
So why had she left? Why was she here? She’d said something about the flowers and the coffee…
God. Why did he even care?
He pulled into his mother’s driveway before climbing out of the car and walking up the path. As soon as he stepped into the house, he spotted his mother by the stove.
Immediately, she cast a glance over her shoulder, smiling. “Hi, dear. For a moment, I thought you were Carina. She must be running late.”
He paused before moving across the room and pressing a kiss to her cheek. “How are you doing today, Mom?”
He studied her, noticing that, although there were exhaustion lines beside her eyes, she looked clear and alert. She’d had him when she was almost forty. So she’d always been older than his friends’ mothers.
“I’m okay.”
She moved to pick up the kettle, but Flynn slipped his hand below hers, lifted the hot water and poured it into her mug. “I’ve got it. You sit down.”
There was a slight shake in her hand as she patted his arm before nodding. His chest tightened at the sight. Despite being older, his mother had always been a vibrant and charismatic person. Watching Alzheimer’s and old age ravage her mind and body… It gutted him.
His mother had lost him for two years to Project Arma. Now he made sure he saw her every day. He couldn’t make up for the lost time, but he would sure as hell try.
He removed the tea bag before taking the cup to the table and sliding it in front of her. The second he lowered into the seat beside her, she slipped her hand over his.
“Thank you, dear.” A smile slid across her lips, and her eyes brightened. “Have you met Carina yet? She’s a sweetheart. I have a feeling you’ll like her.” Patricia moved her head closer. “She’s also very beautiful.”
Christ. Had his mother taken a liking to the woman already? It had only been a week.
He opened his mouth to tell her Carina wouldn’t be back when his phone rang from his pocket. He never let a call go without checking to see who it was. With his work, that wasn’t an option.
He glanced at the screen. Victoria.
He silenced the call before sliding it back into his pocket.
His mother’s eyes narrowed. “Was that the doctor woman you’ve been dating?”
If there was one thing that hadn’t changed, it was his mother’s judgment of the women he dated. Open judgment. And just like with most of the others, she hadn’t taken a liking to Victoria.
“Yes.”
She scowled. “I don’t like that woman. She’s no good for you.”
So everyone kept telling him.
“Do you want something to eat?” He rose, needing to distract her before she went on a rant. Because she would. When it came to Victoria, she usually did. “Lunch?” He opened the fridge, his gaze falling on the ham and cheese.
“No. I’m waiting for Carina. She’s going to make me a pumpkin salad. Apparently, she does something special with the pumpkin.”
Well, when the woman wanted to remember something, she definitely did.
He grabbed the ham and cheese before moving to the counter. “Carina won’t be working here anymore, Mom.”
There was a second of silence. Flynn almost groaned. The woman could be feisty when she wanted. But her silence… It was worse.
Finally, she spoke. “What happened? Is she okay?”
For a moment, he debated lying. But he’d never been able to lie to his mother. He could be the deadliest Delta operator in the world, and he couldn’t lie to the woman who’d given him life. “I asked the agency to find a new nurse.”
There was another heavy pause. His skin tingled in anticipation of what was to come. Give her a minute, and—
“Flynn Adam Talbot.”
God. She was full-naming him. This was going to be worse than he’d thought. Her chair scraped against the wooden floorboards as she stood.
“Tell me right now that’s not true!”
He looked up. Yep, his mother was giving him the same look she’d used when he was ten and had somersaulted off the porch and broken his elbow after explicitly being told not to.
“I had to. I did a background check and found that she—”
“Was accused of stealing prescription pain medication from a patient. Yes, she told me.”
How could the woman have such a good memory on some days, while not remembering a damn thing on others?
She moved across the room. “She also told me she didn’t do it. So is there another reason you fired her?”
“I can’t have her working here, Mom.”
“Like hell you can’t!” Was it him, or had all the lines of exhaustion left her face and she suddenly looked ready to battle? “Is she caring for you or me?”
He tilted his head. “Mom—”
“Well?”
“You.”
She gave a quick nod. “So it’s my decision, and I want her here. Make it happen.”
