Keeper of the Bride

Sam woke up to the smell of coffee and the aroma of something cooking, something delicious. It was Saturday. He was alone in the bed, but there was no question that someone else was in the house. He could hear the bustle in the kitchen, the soft clink of dishes. For the first time in months, he found himself smiling as he rose from bed and headed to the shower. There was a woman in the kitchen, a woman who was actually cooking breakfast. Amazing how different that made the whole house feel. Warm. Welcoming.

He came out of the shower and stood in front of the mirror to shave. That’s when his smile faded. He suddenly wondered how long he’d been asleep. He’d slept so heavily he hadn’t heard Nina get out of bed this morning, hadn’t even heard her take a shower. But she’d been in here; the shower curtain had already been damp when he stepped in.

Last night someone could have broken into the house, and he would have slept right through it.

I’m useless to her, he thought. He couldn’t track down Spectre and keep Nina safe at the same time. He didn’t have the stamina or the objectivity. He was worse than useless; he was endangering her life.

This was exactly what he’d been afraid would happen.

He finished shaving, got dressed, and went into the kitchen.

Just the sight of her standing at the stove was enough to shake his determination. She turned and smiled at him.

“Good morning,” she murmured, and wrapped her arms around him in a sweetly scented hug. Lord, this was every man’s fantasy. Or, at least, it was his fantasy: a gorgeous woman in his kitchen. The good morning smile. Pancakes cooking in the skillet.

A woman in the house.

Not just any woman. Nina. Already he felt his resistance weakening, felt the masculine urges taking over again. This was what always happened when he got too close to her.

He took her by the shoulders and stepped away. “Nina, we have to talk.”

“You mean…about the case?”

“No. I mean about you. And me.”

All at once that radiant smile was gone from her face. She’d sensed that a blow was about to fall, a blow that would be delivered by him. Mutely she turned, lifted the pancake from the skillet, and slid it onto a plate. Then she just stood there, looking at it lying on the countertop.

He hated himself at that moment. At the same time he knew there was no other way to handle this — not if he really cared about her.

“Last night shouldn’t have happened,” he said.

“But nothing did happen between us. I just brought you home and put you to bed.”

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Nina, I was so exhausted last night, someone could’ve driven a damn train through my bedroom and I wouldn’t have moved a muscle. How am I supposed to keep you safe when I can’t even keep my eyes open?”

“Oh, Sam.” She stepped toward him, her hands rising to caress his face. “I don’t expect you to be my guardian. Last night, I wanted to take care of you. I was so happy to do it.”

“I’m the cop, Nina. I’m responsible for your safety.”

“For once, can’t you stop being a cop? Can’t you let me take care of you? I’m not so helpless. And you’re not so tough that you don’t need someone. When I was scared, you were there for me. And I want to be here for you.”

“I’m not the one who could get killed.” He took both her hands and firmly lowered them from his face. “This isn’t a good idea, getting involved, and we both know it. I can’t watch out for you the way I should. Any other cop could do a better job.”

“I don’t trust any other cop. I trust you.”

“And that could be a fatal mistake.” He pulled away, gaining himself some breathing space. Anything to put distance between them. He couldn’t think clearly when she was so near; her scent, her touch, were too distracting. He turned and matter-of-factly poured himself a cup of coffee, noting as he did it that his hand wasn’t quite steady. Her effect, again. Not looking at her, he said, “It’s time to focus on the case, Nina. On finding Spectre. That’s the best way to ensure your safety. By doing my job and doing it right.”

She said nothing.

He turned and saw that she was gazing listlessly at the table. It had already been set with silverware and napkins, glasses of juice, and a small crock of maple syrup. Again he felt that stab of regret. I’ve finally found a woman I care about, a woman I could love, and I’m doing my best to push her away.

“So,” she said softly. “What do you propose, Sam?”

“I think another man should be assigned to protect you. Someone who has no personal involvement with you.”

“Is that what we have? A personal involvement?”

“What else would you call it?”

She shook her head. “I’m beginning to think we have no involvement at all.”

“For God’s sake, Nina. We slept with each other! How can two people get more involved than that?”

“For some people, sex is purely a physical act. And that’s all it is.” Her chin tilted up in silent inquiry. For some people.

Meaning me?

Damn it, he refused to get caught up in this hopeless conversation. She was baiting him, trying to get him to admit there was more to that act of lovemaking than just sex. He was not about to admit the truth, not about to let her know how terrified he was of losing her.

He knew what had to be done.

He crossed the kitchen to the telephone. He’d call Coopersmith, ask him to assign a man to pull guard duty. He was about to pick up the receiver when the phone suddenly rang.

He answered it with a curt “Navarro.”

“Sam, it’s me.”

“Morning, Gillis.”

“Morning? It’s nearly noon. I’ve already put in a full day here.”

“Yeah, I’m hanging my head in shame.”

“You should. We’ve got that lineup scheduled for one o’clock. Bellhops from five different hotels. You think you can bring Nina Cormier down here to take a look? That is, if she’s there with you.”

“She’s here,” admitted Sam.

“That’s what I figured. Be here at one o’clock, got it?”

“We’ll be there.” He hung up and ran his hand through his damp hair. God. Nearly noon? He was getting lazy. Careless. All this agonizing over him and Nina, over a relationship that really had nowhere to go, was cutting into his effectiveness as a cop. If he didn’t do his job right, she was the one who’d suffer.

“What did Gillis say?” he heard her ask.

He turned to her. “They’ve scheduled a lineup at one o’clock. Want you to look at a few hotel bellhops. You up to it?”

“Of course. I want this over with as much as you do.”

“Good.”

“And you’re right about turning me over to another cop. It’s all for the best.” She met his gaze with a look of clear-eyed determination. “You have more important things to do than baby-sit me.”

He didn’t try to argue with her. In fact, he didn’t say a thing. But as she walked out of the kitchen, leaving him standing alone by that cozily set breakfast table, he thought, You’re wrong. There’s no more important job in the world to me than watching over you.

EIGHT MEN STOOD on the other side of the one-way mirror. All of them were facing forward. All of them looked a little sheepish about being there.