Lynette Eason - Agent Undercover

“Sure. You’ve got my cell number. Just give me a shout when you want me to come pick it up.”

Dylan and Paige made their way out to his car. She slid in, breathing in the familiar scent of leather and new-car smell. The sun beat down, warming the interior of the car to an uncomfortable temperature. She lowered her window and he flipped on the air-conditioning. “Sorry to pull you away,” she told him. “My head is really hurting.”

“No problem. I wasn’t doing anyone any good just standing around watching them work.” He shot her a worried look. “Any nausea? Dizziness?”

“No, it’s just a headache.” The nausea had faded.

Red flashing lights jerked her attention to the side mirror. A fire truck approached, sirens screaming. Dylan’s face paled, and his hands clenched the wheel so tight his knuckles went white. He pulled to the side and let the truck fly past. For a moment, he just sat there, not moving.

She laid a hand on his arm. “Are you okay?”

He blinked. “Yeah.” His hoarse voice said otherwise. “Tell me how to find your house.”

She gave him the directions, then asked, “That fire truck really sparked some memories, didn’t it?”

“They always do. I can’t see one without …” He broke off and swallowed.

“Will you tell me more about the fire that killed Will’s mother?”

Eyes on the road, Dylan blinked at the question, then supposed it was only natural that she ask. Still, it threw him. Then again, she seemed to have some sort of connection with Will, so maybe it wasn’t so odd she’d want to know more about the boy’s mother. He gathered his scattered nerves and said, “Sandra was my sister. She was a good mom. Most of the time.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, Dylan.” She paused. “What do you mean most of the time?”

“She did drugs.” Blunt, straight to the point.

“Oh, my. Poor Will.”

“Yes. At first, it wasn’t like she was an out of control junkie. She was more recreational than anything, but …” He bit his lip.

“She ended up hooked?”

He drew in a deep breath. “In a big way.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me, too. Anyway, she had this new boyfriend that seemed to be making a big impact on her. Larry something. He was a math teacher out at the high school. Sandra did a lot of subbing at all three schools in town. But I remember her coming over one night and telling me about this great guy. And she was going to change her life. I only met Larry a few times.” A smile crossed his lips.

“What’s the smile for?”

He shook his head. “Just thinking about the two of them. I was really skeptical when she first told me about him. Figured he was just another drug source, but he wasn’t. I could tell he was clean the moment I met him, and he really did seem to care about Sandra. In fact, they reminded me of a couple of teenagers who’d just discovered true love.”

“True love?” She sounded skeptical.

Dylan eyed her from the corner of his eye then asked softly, “What? You don’t believe in true love?” He really didn’t have the right to ask, but he wanted to know. Even though his experience with Erica had cut deep, he still felt like God had the right person in mind for him.

He couldn’t help wondering if that person was Paige.

He could feel her embarrassment as she cleared her throat. “Maybe. For some people.”

“But not for you?”

A pause. “This isn’t about me,” she finally answered, sounding subdued. “So Sandra and Larry were in love?”

Making a mental note to come back to her feelings about love, he let her direct him back to the topic. “I don’t know, but Sandra finally seemed happy. Like she’d gotten rid of a few of her demons. Larry even got her going to church. And Will was crazy about the guy …” He sighed. “But I just … don’t know … It was hard for me to hope because … she was still Sandra, you know?”

“Yeah. I know.”

Dylan glanced at her. “You sound like you mean that. Is someone you love a drug addict?”

Paige flinched and he reached over to touch her shoulder. The warm zing that skittered up his arm surprised him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to find a painful subject. Are you okay?”

She placed a hand to her head. “Um, yes, just a headache. I’ll take one of those painkillers as soon as I get home and sleep for a couple of hours. That should do the trick.”

Dylan frowned at her but let that explanation work for now. He had a feeling she’d been going to say something else and had decided against it. He didn’t let it bother him. He usually wasn’t so open with people he’d only just met, but there was just something about Paige, something that made him want to explore the possibility of a relationship.

Plus, he had Will to think of. What if Will’s reaction to Paige was just a fluke? Then again, what if it wasn’t? Their connection seemed real.

He had to keep Paige around in order to find out. Of course, with the way he was attracted to her, it was obvious that wasn’t going to be a hardship. At least not for him.

He cut those thoughts off as she directed him to turn into the drive of a small, yet cozy-looking house with gray vinyl siding and green shutters. “Ah, you rented this from the Jacksons, didn’t you?”

“Yes. My … brother found it for me.”

“Well, I know they’re relieved to have it rented. They’ve had some serious financial difficulties since he was laid off six months ago. Rose Mountain is a great little town, but unfortunately, it doesn’t offer much in the way of employment unless you have a specialty.”

“Like medicine?”

He smiled. “Like medicine—or teaching. Or owning your own business.” He turned the engine off and started to climb out.

“You don’t have to get out. I can make it.”

He knew she could, but for some reason he wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her yet. “Do you mind if I see you in? Make sure you have everything you need?”

She narrowed her eyes and he held his breath until she said, “Sure. Thanks.”

The joy that stirred in his heart didn’t shock him at this point, but it did make him remind himself to take it easy. His heart ignored the reminder and thumped faster.

He followed Paige up the steps to the covered porch. She slid the key in the lock and opened the door. “My garage door opener is in the car.” She froze. “My bike! I totally forgot to ask anyone about it.”

Dylan grimaced. “I’m afraid it was pronounced dead at the scene.” He flushed. “But I told Principal Bridges I would keep it at my house until you could decide what you wanted to do with it. The dump is probably the best place for it.”

She eyed him and he squirmed under her gaze. She asked, “It’s that bad?”

“Trust me. It’s that bad.”

She sighed. “Okay. I’ll come by and take a look at it when I’m feeling a little better.”

A bush rustled to her left and she shot a glance over her shoulder. Visions of the car speeding into the school crosswalk flashed momentarily, and she blinked.

Another rustle. An animal? A neighbor child playing hide-and-seek?

Dylan must have heard it, too, as he turned to look at the bush.

She tensed. Or something more sinister?

The bush shook and she heard—a sneeze?

She moved toward the sound. “Whoever you are, you better come out now, or I’m calling the police.”

Absolute stillness.

Paige narrowed her eyes. Was she being paranoid? Dylan walked up the steps of the porch and grabbed the broom she’d left next to the door.

Coming back down, he flipped it so the handle pointed toward the shrubbery.

Paige’s adrenaline rushed through her as he poked into the bush.