Heather Woodhaven - Protected Secrets

“Which will be when?”

“I can’t say. It usually takes two weeks to get the Marshals involved in a case. The fact that I’m here on the same day should tell you how important it is to the federal government to handle this matter swiftly.”

Bruce’s legs suddenly felt weak. He sat down on an ugly yellow-and-brown-striped love seat. Winnie climbed onto his lap. “Are you telling me we’re being put into WITSEC?”

“No. At least, not right now. It’s not off the table, though.” A knock sounded on the door. She pulled out her weapon and peeked through an eyehole. “Friendly,” she said softly as she reholstered the gun and opened the door.

The police officer on the porch reported a clear perimeter. “We got your stuff out of the trunk like you asked.” He handed her a bright blue bag with the Marshals logo on the side. She set it down next to the couch, unzipped it and retrieved a laptop.

“I thought electronics were frowned upon,” Bruce commented.

“The Marshals make sure we use only the most secure devices.”

So did he. It was tempting to argue with her, but he gave her the benefit of the doubt that she knew what she was talking about. Delaney sat down next to him on the couch, and Winnie reached her arms out for her.

He’d never seen his daughter act so forward, and he’d never seen a woman bolt so fast. Delaney popped up and moved to a wooden chair across the room. “I can probably type better over here.”

Bruce wasn’t so much offended as perplexed. Winnie didn’t have a cold at the moment so it couldn’t have been a germ-related phobia.

Delaney typed rapidly on her keyboard. “I’m afraid I need to get a few questions out of the way to provide the best protection possible. Do you have any loved ones in town?”

“Besides my daughter? No.”

“What about your parents?”

He sighed. If only. “My mom remarried and retired in Arizona. My dad died when I was young.”

Her gaze snapped up as if to comment but instead she returned to typing. “Your case file says you have a stepbrother.”

Wow. They were going to hit on every sore point of his life in one swoop. This was going to be more fun than a visit to the doctor. “Trevor Schultz. He’s also my former business partner. He asked me to buy him out six months ago. Last I heard he was catching rays in the Cayman Islands.”

“I see you divorced over a year ago. Know the location of your ex-wife?”

“No.”

Delaney stared at the screen for a bit before she looked back up. “Listen, I know this is hard. I really do. But I need to find out if there are any weaknesses someone might exploit to get to you.”

If there was one thing Bruce had learned over the past couple of years, it was how to spot sincerity. He could see Delaney’s genuineness. She hated asking the personal questions as much as he hated answering them.

He leaned over and pulled out Winnie’s favorite pop-up book from the duffel bag, hoping it would keep his daughter distracted. “Shannon left over a year ago. She...” He let his voice trail off because he wasn’t sure how to explain. Shannon had thought Bruce became boring after they got married. She’d wanted to live in Silicon Valley instead of the Silicon Prairie. She’d said she wasn’t cut out to be a mother, but only brought that up after they had adopted a baby. He couldn’t see a reason the Marshals would need to know all of those things. “Shannon left me for another man,” he finally said. “I didn’t ask who, and I honestly don’t know where she landed.”

Delaney’s gaze flickered to Winnie and back.

“I have full custody.” The fact was that Shannon didn’t want anything to do with Winnie, something Bruce still couldn’t understand.

Delaney twirled a strand of hair from her ponytail as she stared at the computer screen. It was a cute gesture that he doubted she did consciously. “How well did you know Andy Williamson before he was hired?” she asked.

“Not at all. In fact, Trevor hired him. He ran the daily operations of the company and had the final word in all marketing and HR matters. I took care of the product development.”

“Did you socialize with Mr. Williamson after work hours—or speak to him about your own social behaviors? Any hobbies, activities or locations you frequent that he might have known about?”

“I don’t do any socializing with my staff, and aside from the office, church and day care, no other recurrent locations.” He used to have personal goals, aspirations...friends, even. There were more important things in life now.

Delaney blew out a breath as if gearing up for another onslaught of questions. “Dating?”

“No.” It wasn’t a ridiculous question. He’d thought about dating before, but how could he risk bringing another woman into Winnie’s life after what had happened with Shannon? He didn’t have the best track record at picking trustworthy people.

Her fingers flew over the keyboard. “What about the gym?”

He raised an eyebrow. “The gym?”

Delaney glanced at his arms before staring wide-eyed at her screen as if berating herself for looking at him. A fiery red began at her neck and worked its way upward. Bruce fought a grin, though he’d admit building muscle came relatively easy as long as he had time for strength work. “I have a jogging stroller. Otherwise, I work out with weights at home.”

Delaney closed the laptop without comment and avoided looking in his direction. “I think I’ll check in with the team and see how close they are to arriving.” She strode in and out of the bedrooms located on each side of the living room. “It looks like we need a portable crib, and I imagine you’re getting hungry.” She put her hands on her hips. “How about I have someone pick up some barbecue?”

Bruce didn’t eat out often. He liked real food and found cooking relaxing. Besides, he hated to spend the money on restaurants if it was something he could cook, but the suggestion made his stomach growl. “If you know a place that’s good.”

She leveled him with a look that said “Trust me.”

He answered the unspoken challenge. “I’m placing our safety in your hands. Obviously, I’m willing to trust you to pick the food.”

Her bravado faded and her long eyelashes fluttered. She straightened as if bolstered with a new thought. “You won’t regret it. I’ll make sure of it.”

Bruce felt certain neither one of them was thinking about the food anymore. She strode to the back door, one hand on her weapon and one hand on her phone.

He closed his eyes and nuzzled the top of Winnie’s head as he prayed that, for once, he’d placed his trust in the right person.

* * *

Monday morning, Delaney pumped her arms in rhythm as she ran around the block. The weekend had been torture. She’d been assigned to protect the most handsome man and the cutest little girl on the planet. Every time Winnie smiled it felt like a vise around Delaney’s heart, reminding her that she could’ve been a mother if only she’d gotten her life back together a little sooner. And Bruce...

Everyone liked Bruce. He stayed remarkably positive about their time cooped up in the house. He made comical faces to keep Winnie laughing and took turns playing two of the deputies in a game of Scrabble while the third was on patrol. He provided a list of groceries and made the most delicious stir-fry she’d ever tasted. In her line of work, often the witnesses had their own seedy, criminal pasts. While she appreciated their willingness to testify, it often stemmed from wanting to make a deal for themselves rather than from any genuine sense of public responsibility. But Bruce was a hardworking, upstanding...

She couldn’t even let herself think about it or she’d start wishing for what she couldn’t have. Deputy Marshal Francine Jackson and Deputy Marshal Jim Lewis were guarding Bruce and Winnie while she took an early morning run. It gave her a chance to clear her head and work out, but more important, to get a feel for the neighborhood and potential risk areas. Her phone buzzed and she slowed to a walk to answer. “Deputy Marshal Delaney Pat—”