Excerpt of Nothing To Lose by Christy Reece

Headlights blazed through the front windows. Nick tensed, waiting, anticipating. Seconds later, the front door opened and closed. Footsteps sounded as Kennedy walked into the foyer.

He heard beeps as she tapped her security code into the small box beside the front door. Even though she was in another room, he imagined that he could already smell her sweet scent, feel her vitality and essence. For the first time in almost two years, he felt alive.

When he heard the click of a revolver, he smiled. Her instincts were good. She’d detected something off almost immediately. He felt a moment of pride that she was prepared to protect herself. The tension in the room increased. She was only a few feet away from him now. She was silent, but he knew she was there. Alert…waiting.

“Relax, Kennedy. It’s me.”

“Nick?”

She’d said his name with a slight hitch in her voice, and despite his best intentions, he went hard at the soft, breathless sound.

“Yes.”

“How did you find me?”

“Wasn’t easy.”

“I…” She swallowed. “How are you?”

“Healed. Took awhile.”

“I know…I watched the news as much as possible, looking for information on you. I’m so sorry for what happened.”

“What do you know about it?”

“I assumed it had to do with the Slaters.”

“Why would you assume that?”

“Because of Thomas’s murder…and all that happened. Was I wrong?”

“No, you were right on target. I was meeting a man who was going to give me information on them.”

“And it almost got you killed. Did you get anything from him?”

“Nope, just a hole in my head.”

“I’m glad you can joke about it now.”

“I’m not joking…I’m dead serious.” He leaned forward, his eyes trying to pierce the dark. “What the hell do you think you’re doing here, Kennedy?”

“For right now, I’m holding a gun on you, that’s what I’m doing.”

Nick’s burst of laughter held no humor. “I remember the day Thomas and I took you for your first target practice. You’ve come a long way from the frightened girl who shook the first time she held a gun in her hands.”

“I’ve come further than you’ll ever know. What do you want?”

“A helluva lot of things, kitten, but for right now, I want you to tell me what you’ve got planned.”

Several seconds of silence followed. Was it because of the obvious anger in his voice or because of the endearment that had slipped out? She did remind him of a kitten, wary, untrusting…vulnerable.

“I’m going to make them pay.”

“And how are you going to go about doing that?”

“It’s not something you need to be involved with. I’ve got this covered.”

Got this covered, my ass. His hands gripped the arms of the chair to keep himself from jumping to his feet and shaking some sense into her. Deciding on a less drastic alternative, he asked mildly, “Mind if we turn the lights on?”

The instant after he said that, light flared in the ceiling fan. Kennedy stood only a couple of feet away from him. Damn, she was beautiful. Not like the old Kennedy, who had been serene in her beauty. This woman was slightly flamboyant and sexy as hell, as if she wanted to attract attention. Something else was different—not in appearance, but demeanor. She’d always had an air of delicacy about her, and after Thomas’s death she’d been understandably fragile. Now she had a new awareness, a surprising toughness.

Unable to sit while she stood as if on guard against him, he got to his feet. Just like that, she took a step back. A fist twisted in his gut. Was she afraid of him? Did she think he was somehow in on the shit that had happened to Thomas?

Putting that aside for now, he began walking around the room, picking up small items and setting them back down. Yeah, it was a delaying tactic, but the monumental weight of fear he’d had for the past twenty months had been lifted from him. That was a damn hard thing to adjust to.

The items he could pick up were few and far between. In Houston, her house had been nice and homey, filled with framed photographs and little knickknacks scattered around. By comparison, her house here was Spartan and utilitarian, like she knew she might have to up and leave without taking any belongings with her. He didn’t like that. Kennedy deserved to be surrounded by beautiful things.

“Would you stand still already? You’re making me nervous.”

He turned to face her. Amazing the difference a change of hair color could do to a person.

“In case you’re wondering, I checked for intruders when I came in.”

Her mouth twitched with a slight smile. “An intruder checking for intruders. That’s different. Why would you check?”

“Because you’re working for the spawn of Satan, that’s why. Even though the Slaters don’t seem to know your identity, you’re too smart not to be wary.”

Kennedy almost gasped at the fury in Nick’s eyes. He’d been acting so easygoing, almost unconcerned, that she had let her guard down. But it had all been an illusion. He was furious with her. “How do you know who I’m working for?”

“I’ve been looking for you for over a year. Do you have any idea what you did to me…to your friends when you left? How worried everyone has been? Dammit, Kennedy, you disappeared without a trace.”

Though a part of her acknowledged his right to feel angry, she would not back down. She raised her chin stubbornly, refusing to justify her actions. Hurting her friends had never been her intent, but she’d had no choice. “I did what I had to do. If I’d told anyone, I’d have been putting their lives in danger.”

“How the hell did you find out about the hit on Thomas?”

As quickly and succinctly as she could, she explained about finding the safe-deposit key and the packets of information and instructions Thomas had left her.

“What was in them? Did you find something you could use?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“On my way back from the bank, a man ran me off the road. I thought he stopped to help, but when I opened the door, he took the packet I had lying on the seat. He told me if I told anyone about what had happened, I would be killed and so would the person I told. I believed him.”

He’d gotten paler as he listened to her story, but what a relief to be able to say it out loud. For so long she’d been too terrified to tell anyone and fearful that if she did reveal what happened, no one would believe such a wild story. But she saw the confirmation in Nick’s eyes.

He did believe her.

“If the packet was stolen, how do you know about Slater, or what Thomas wanted?”

“There was a letter the man didn’t take. I’d stuffed it inside my purse, but the other packet was too large to fit. I’m sure the man thought he got everything.”

“Then why run?”

“Because I opened the letter in my house and read it.”

“So?”

“Don’t you see? How would anyone even know I found the safe-deposit key…that I was going to the bank, unless I was being watched?”

“Someone put cameras in your house.”

“That was my only theory. And if he saw me open the letter, he could have seen that Thomas named the Slaters as responsible for his death. I had to leave.”

“And you told no one?”

“No. It crossed my mind to go to one of the attorneys I’d worked for and then I decided against it. Thomas said trust no one.”

“Did that include me?”

“No, of course not. Thomas wanted me to take the information to you and then disappear. I tried calling you several times. I didn’t know you’d been shot. I had no choice but to run.”

“I’m not saying you didn’t. I’m glad you had the good sense to get away. But my question is, why haven’t you tried to contact me since? If you were following my progress, you had to know that as soon as I could, I’d be searching like hell for you.”

She shook her head. “It almost got you killed before. I couldn’t take the risk of involving you.”

“You were protecting me?”

She hadn’t thought his eyes could blaze any brighter. “What’s wrong with that?”

Once again, he was silent, as if struggling to keep his temper in check. This wasn’t a Nick she recognized. She’d often thought about what she would do when she saw him again. She had imagined he’d give her that gentle smile that he seemed to save especially for her. He had been such a good friend, and she’d thought the first thing she would do was throw herself into his arms and hug him. But this Nick wasn’t the easygoing, compassionate friend she’d leaned on after Thomas’s death. This Nick frightened her a little. So why then was her blood zinging through her veins and her breath quickening? She was mature and self-aware enough to know that it wasn’t just fear. This man excited her in a way her friend Nick never had.

“Let me get this straight. I’m a cop, with years of experience in bringing down hardened criminals and murderers. You’re a law student…or at least you were.”

She straightened her shoulders. “You’re the one who got shot. Not me.”

Instead of answering with an angry rebuttal, he closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Did he still suffer from headaches because of his injury?

When he raised his head, a glint of amusement had replaced his anger. “You got me there.”

Happy to see that some of his good humor still existed, she let the muscles in her body relax slightly.

“If you were afraid for your life, why not just disappear completely? That’s apparently what Thomas wanted you to do when he gave you those instructions.”

“The Slaters are responsible for his death. I couldn’t let them get away with it.”

“And what do you intend to do? Make a couple of data-entry mistakes and bring down the empire? Or was your plan more deadly?” His eyes flickered to the gun she now held at her side. “Did you just plan to kill them?”

“Of course not.” Pride and anger stiffened her spine. “Mock me all you want, but I do have a plan.”

“And it is...?”

She chewed her lip. To a trained professional, her plan would probably seem weak or disorganized. She threw off her doubts. She’d given this plan more than enough thought. It might not be the most direct path, but she had a lifetime to succeed.

“I’m going to get as much information as I can and find a way to destroy them.”

Nick stared hard at her for several silent, nerve-racking seconds. She held his gaze, refusing to flinch. He had to see her determination…that she would not back down, no matter what.

Finally, he huffed out a breath and said, “Then I’m in.”

“In? What do you mean?”

“I’m going to help you.”

Elation warred with panic. Having Nick’s expertise and guidance would be a godsend.

How she had longed to call on him and ask his advice the last few months. But she couldn’t help but worry. She was willing to take this risk because of what she had lost. Putting someone else at risk, especially someone she cared for, didn’t feel right.

“I can see you have your reservations. Don’t.” Guilt darkened his expression. “Despite my lapse in judgment that allowed another man to die and almost got me killed, too, I am quite capable.”

“You feel responsible for that man’s death?”

“Hell, yes. He came to me, asking for protection. He was my responsibility. I failed. I won’t fail you.”

“I’m not your responsibility.”

“You’re a lot of things to me, Kennedy. But for right now, think on this. Thomas was my best friend. I loved him like a brother. On top of that, I almost died because of the Slaters. I have more than enough reasons for wanting to bring those responsible to justice.”

She understood his reasoning. And despite her anger at his sarcastic comments about her training, he was right. She wasn’t trained for this…she was going on instinct alone.

A disturbing thought came to her. “How did you find me?”

“I’ll tell you all of that later.” He glanced down at his watch. “But for right now, we’re due at a meeting. Do you need to freshen up before we go?”

“What kind of meeting? Where are we going?”

“We can talk on the way.”

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me—”

She gasped as he grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. Cupping her face in his hands, he leaned down till his forehead touched hers. Kennedy’s heart pounded, her knees weak. Was he going to kiss her?

The warmth of his breath covered her face as he said in a growly voice that sent an electrical charge zipping up her spine. “Either go freshen up or…”

“Or?”

He took a long, ragged breath and then dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Just go freshen up. Okay?”

Heat spread throughout her body. What the hell was happening here? When had Nick become someone that could turn her on with just the sound of his voice? Why, from the moment she’d seen him, had she wanted to hurl herself into his arms and kiss that firm, unsmiling mouth?

His hands on her felt right…exciting. Was this sexual deprivation? Maybe having had no human contact for so long, these feelings were just a normal reaction. So why didn’t she want to hug him as a friend? Tell him how good it was to see him again, like she would if it had been Julie standing here. That wasn’t what she felt. The images flashing through her mind had nothing to do with a platonic friendship.

“What’s wrong?” He dropped his hands and stepped back…was now looking at her quizzically.

What would he do if he knew her thoughts? Would he be surprised? Maybe embarrassed for her? To him, she was Kennedy, his best friend’s widow. She needed to remember that.

“Nothing’s wrong. Guess I’m still startled by all of this.”

Something gentle, like the old Nick, flashed in his eyes. “Go freshen up. We need to leave soon.”

Questions trembled on her lips, but instead of asking them, Kennedy turned to her bedroom. He’d made it clear he wasn’t going to tell her anything until they were in the car.

The sooner they left, the sooner she could find out how he had found her and, more important, how he planned to help her bring the Slater family to justice. These incredibly odd feelings he invoked in her would have to be explored later.