Witness Undercover. Debra Cowan

edge.

      “Once we determine the contents,” he said in a low voice, “we’ll know if they meant to harm you.”

      “And how badly,” Laura finished quietly at the realization.

      Joy’s gaze went from her niece to Griffin. “Do you mean it might have killed her?”

      “Can’t dismiss the possibility.”

      “Oh, dear.” The older woman’s face tightened with apprehension. “Could Vin have had anything to do with this?”

      Griffin’s steel-hard gaze slid to Laura’s and held. “We have to assume so until we know differently.”

      Laura struggled to breathe past the crushing pressure in her chest.

      Could her ex have already found her? If so, how?

       TWO

      An hour later, Griffin had Laura settled in his house. Back at the hospital, she’d lost all color and had outwardly trembled at the thought that Arrico might have already found her. Griffin hadn’t seen fear like that since his last rescue two years ago. He didn’t like seeing it on someone he was supposed to protect.

      She’d hardly spoken during the drive out west of Oklahoma City. Joy was on her way, escorted by Sydney Tate, Enigma’s sole female operator. To be safe, Griffin had disinfected Laura’s arm. Then they had eaten dinner. She’d been quiet throughout the meal, a sense of dread palpable in the room.

      Before they’d left the hospital, Griffin had checked the security footage from the elevator. So as not to alert anyone else in the hospital, he had managed to keep that between him and the guard in the equipment room. It was impossible to tell who had jabbed Laura with the syringe.

      It could’ve been the kid in the hoodie or the nurse or the guy who’d gotten on last. The nurse would certainly have easy access to a syringe. Since they hadn’t reported the incident, only they and the person with the syringe knew what had happened. Before Griffin gave out that information to the nurse, he would observe her, see how she behaved around Laura. Griffin stood in the doorway between his kitchen and living room. Fluorescent light brightened the room, gliding over the white cabinets and light blue walls. His guest sat at the kitchen table in front of the bay window.

      It was weird having a woman here. He never had, not in this house, anyway. He didn’t bring dates here. In fact, he hadn’t had a date since his broken engagement to Emily. And so far in this job, he hadn’t needed to host a client—male or female.

      Papers were scattered across the table’s oak surface and Laura’s head was bent as she worked on the mountain of forms needed by the hospital and the transplant doctor. Her black hair was down now, sliding around her shoulders like a silky midnight cloud. He wondered if it was as soft as it looked.

      She glanced up and saw him. Griff braced one shoulder against the doorframe. “How’s your arm?”

      “A little sore. Not bad.”

      “Getting through all of the paperwork?”

      “There are a ton of questions, but I’m about finished.” She furrowed her brow. “I almost signed my real name a couple of times.”

      “It’s good you caught yourself.”

      “That’s one of the reasons WitSec likes witnesses to keep their real first name and the same first letter of their surname.”

      “Makes sense.” Griffin had never thought about it, but he imagined it would be second nature to sign or answer to your real name. “It probably helps keep any friends or relatives in the program from blurting out the wrong name.”

      She nodded, indicating the cell phone lying in front of her on the table. “Thanks for the phone. I called Floyd and explained that I’ll likely be my dad’s bone marrow donor.”

      Griffin walked over and picked up the burner phone he’d given her, planning to dispose of it downstairs in the computer room. “How often does Yates want you to check in?”

      “Every day until the procedure is finished. He’s planning to come down in a week or earlier if he needs to.” When Griffin nodded, she continued, “I still can’t believe I’m a match. From what Aunt Joy said, the doctor made it sound like it was a near miracle. I hope it makes a difference to my dad.” She finally stopped writing and put down the pen, frowning. “I hope it cures him. I don’t want to let him or Aunt Joy down.”

      “You won’t. Just your being here helps.”

      Her gaze searched his and after a moment, she smiled. “It’s nice to have someone to talk to about it.”

      It probably shouldn’t be him. For a second, he was struck by the clear blue of her eyes. He didn’t realize he was staring like an idiot until she looked away, pink blooming in her cheeks.

      He gave himself a mental kick. What was he doing? He needed to focus on her protection, not her.

      “Once Joy arrives, and we draw your blood, I’ll send everything with Sydney to a lab we use,” he told her again. He was nervous all of a sudden and couldn’t think of anything else to say.

      “How long will it be until we know something?”

      “If there are no glitches, twenty-four hours or less. The lab will email the results to me.”

      “Is that safe?” Laura tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I know email accounts get hacked.”

      “Everything on these computers is encrypted.”

      “Good to know.” She gave him a little smile, which hit him right in the gut. He didn’t like it. Suddenly he felt as if the walls were closing in on him.

      “There’s not a lot here to keep you entertained. TV or a few books, mainly thrillers. Or my gun range.”

      “Your gun range?”

      He nodded. “It’s underground.”

      “Really?” Interest flashed in her eyes. “I don’t know how to shoot, but I’d like to learn, especially after what happened in the elevator.”

      Being able to protect herself would give her some peace of mind. Griffin could do that. “If you’re serious, I can give you some lessons.”

      “That would be great. I’d feel better if I at least knew how to handle a gun.”

      “Whenever you’re ready.”

      She rose. “Now?”

      He nodded. He wasn’t wild about taking her downstairs to the security room, but on the off chance that she might be threatened here, he wanted her to know she had a secure place to go.

      After straightening her papers, she followed him across the wood floor of his large living area, then through the kitchen before they moved into the laundry room.

      Griffin opened the closet used to store the iron and ironing board, which also had a rod for hanging clothes.

      He pushed a button on the bottom of the clothes rod and the back of the cabinet swung open, revealing a set of stairs.

      “Oh, my word! Is there a secret room?”

      Laura’s question sparked a half smile. Instead of answering, he stepped inside and started down the stairs. Motion-triggered lights flashed on to show the way.

      She followed. At the bottom of the steps, the space opened into a large room that housed all his computers and security equipment. His guest stopped beside him and Griffin punched in today’s code, killing the laser security beams.

      He started across the dark floor, then realized Laura wasn’t behind him. He glanced back, stopping when he saw her stunned expression as she looked around the room with its long