A Promise to Protect. Liz Johnson

was his plan.” She said the words without really thinking, but they rang true.

      The truck rumbled along, filling the silence, and she knew he recognized the truth of it as well. “I’ll be in town for a while. I’ll take you anywhere you need to go.”

      She smiled, really looking at him for the first time since she’d run into him that morning. His jacket hung open, and his snug T-shirt revealed that the man didn’t have an ounce of fat on him, despite his injury. The loose curls on top of his head that might have made another man look boyish, just made Matt look like the statues of Greek gods she’d studied in art history.

      His presence was reassuring at the least. And strangely familiar, even if she hadn’t seen him for more than four years. Matt had accompanied Tristan home for Christmas that year, and, at barely twenty, she’d had a bit of a crush on him. That was before Paul had come into her life.

      She’d never been sure if Matt had been aware of her feelings for him back then. Of course, when they started, she’d been just sixteen. That had been more schoolgirl crush than full-on attraction. With time, and increased maturity, her feelings had grown. But Matt had either never realized or never acknowledged her interest in him. In the handful of times he’d visited their home during her senior year of high school, he’d teased her just like Tristan. Just one of the family.

      She’d never told her mom—let alone Tristan—how much she liked Matt back then.

      And then Paul happened.

      So exciting at first. Rappelling and midnight swimming in the lake. He drove fast and broke the rules, ditched class and stayed up all night talking with her.

      Despite Tristan’s warnings that Paul might not be everything he seemed, she’d fallen for him. Hard.

      Just as hard as his fist the first time he had hit her.

      She hadn’t thought romantically about any man since Paul. Not Matt or anyone else.

      But now that Matt was here, sitting next to her and filling the cab more than he should have, her mind wandered to the past and dug up memories that had no place in her current situation.

      In the edge of her line of sight, he twisted, rubbing his calf. She’d never seen him fidget before, but every time she ventured a glance in his direction, he shifted, turning his body toward her, but his leg away.

      “Your leg bothering you?”

      “Not really.”

      “I thought they taught you to be better liars in SEAL training.”

      This whipped his gaze in her direction, and it landed heavily on her face. But a quick glance his way revealed an accompanying grin. It was lopsided and immensely endearing, despite her desire to think of him as nothing more than an extra set of hands to protect her charges.

      “So what’s for dinner at Lil’s tonight?”

      Ashley shot him a pointed look, and the corners of his mouth arched into an even wider smile, forming almost-dimples to his jawline. He was far too charming for his own good. It was distracting, which would have been dangerous enough at any time. Just now, when she needed all of her wits about her, it could be disastrous. Was it really safer for everyone involved—especially her—to let him help with this situation?

      “I’m not sure. Why?”

      “Thought you might invite me to join you.”

      “Whoa.” She held up her hands. “That’s a bad idea. Very bad idea.”

      “Why’s that?”

      She studied the small black purse in her hands, turning it over several times, hoping it would give her the right words. “It’s just that the women at Lil’s have had hard lives, been treated horribly by the men they trusted. I try not to bring guys into the house unless absolutely necessary.”

      “Don’t you think this might be absolutely necessary?”

      “What? Feeding you dinner?”

      He pulled up to a red light and turned his head to look into her eyes. She blinked twice but forced herself to maintain eye contact. “Listen, Ashley, you don’t have to act like this with me.” She almost asked what he meant, but she already knew. “You’re in trouble. You and the girls at Lil’s. Until this letter-writing lunatic is caught, someone needs to watch your back. And your brother asked me for a favor. We’ve been watching out for each other since day one of BUD/S, and I’m not going to let him down. He’s the only family I’ve got.”

      She already knew that Tristan and Matt had met on the first day of BUD/S—Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training. But how did Matt not have any other family? He’d visited their home for years, but he’d never really talked about his own background. Tristan had always been the talker, and early on, he’d told her not to grill Matt about why he wasn’t going home for the holidays. She hadn’t cared, really. She had just wanted Matt to keep coming back to the house. But had he really never mentioned his family?

      Before she could ask, Matt leaned toward her, his face drawing nearer to hers, setting her heart thumping painfully. He took a deep breath, his shoulders rising and nostrils flaring slightly as he let it out. “That makes you family, too. So I’m going to be in Charity Way until I’m certain that you’re absolutely safe.”

      His tone brooked no argument, but a second later, the fierce intensity gave way to the serene calm she expected from him. He turned his eyes back to the road and pressed the accelerator. “It’s just dinner. I promise not to scare anyone.”

      Didn’t he realize he was already scaring her?

      She’d already relied on him more than she had any man since Paul, letting him make her feel safe just by standing next to her. She already hated the thought of him leaving, the thought of losing his steadying presence in the midst of something she couldn’t explain or understand.

      And for someone with her history, that was the scariest thought of all.

      * * *

      Apparently Matt had said the right thing.

      Ashley nodded but changed the subject, diving into the discussion of possible threats. “The notes have to be connected to one of the women at Lil’s Place.” Ashley’s teeth found her lower lip, chewing away. “They refer to someone’s property. That’s got to be one of the women.”

      “Probably. But just for the sake of argument, could it be personal against you, since the house hasn’t been targeted yet? Have you had any personal arguments or disagreements with anyone lately?”

      “Of course not. I’m far too sweet for that.”

      He shot her a raised eyebrow.

      Ashley laughed behind her hand. “Fine. But I’m not usually one to pick a fight. Besides, I’m usually busy taking care of things at the house, so outside of running errands and going to church, I’m hardly ever in town.”

      “So you haven’t had any run-ins with anyone in the last month or so?”

      “Most people in this town leave me and Lil’s Place alone. We’ve had a few vocal citizens who think we should stay out of other people’s business. But they’re pretty few and far between. We have a couple regular volunteers, and Chief Donal notes all of my concerns, but other than that, we’re a quiet house on a block with a bunch of other quiet houses.”

      “What about friends? People at church? Has anyone seemed strange lately?”

      She pursed her lips to the side, her nose wrinkling as she thought out loud. “Well, Miranda’s been a bit more scatterbrained than usual.”

      “Who’s Miranda?”

      “She’s a volunteer and a friend of mine.” Ashley’s head swiveled to watch a green station wagon roll past them before continuing. “She missed two volunteer kitchen shifts last week, but she said that work has been crazy lately. The tire plant had layoffs