Second Chance Hero Read online

  David rubbed the skin between his nose in frustration. “Lil, if someone’s out there looking for this kid and they see us leave together, you’re screwed. I’m not willing to take that chance.”

  She hated the way her body responded when he looked into her eyes and poured on his whole concern routine. “You’re worried enough to give me a gun I have no idea how to use.”

  David closed his eyes, rubbed the scar on his eyebrow, the one he’d gotten because of her, then blew out a long breath as he looked out her window again before speaking.

  “I need you to trust me here, Lil. Trust me when I say you’ll be safe.”

  Trust him? With her heart, absolutely not. With her safety, maybe. Still, there was something… “How can you be sure?”

  David looked down at Rafe, out the window, then back at her, and she wondered about the resignation she saw there a moment before he spoke. “There’s a black car at the end of the street just beyond the playground.”

  Peeking out the window, she followed the line of his finger, saw the car at the same time he held up his phone, switched it to speaker and spoke. “I’m in the classroom with Lil Palmer. I’m going to leave the building within two minutes. You stay behind and follow her. Just like before. Flash your lights now to show her you understand.”

  The car’s lights flashed once and Lil looked from David to the car and back, confused, but David didn’t give her a chance to ask questions.

  “I’ll tell you everything when you get to the apartment. But the kid and I need to get out of here now, Lil. I don’t want you hurt, and this is the only way I can see to make sure that happens.”

  Okay. She could agree to his plan. She didn’t have to like it, but obviously David was involved in something big here.

  “I guess I don’t really have a choice.”

  His sexy smile back in place, he once again looked like the playboy she’d almost fallen for instead of the serious secretive man from a minute ago. “Give us five, then do what I said. We’ll be waiting for you at my place.”

  With those words, David grabbed Rafe’s hand, looking like a sexy single dad with a kid in detention, and walked out the door.

  A few seconds later they were in his truck, leaving the gravel parking lot as if some monster named Degas wasn’t going to kill them both if he found out the truth. The black car didn’t move and she wondered how often it had been there, blending in with the rest of the cars parked on the side of the road.

  She packed her bag with shaking hands, then made sure she had the gun covered with her sweater and her keys out and ready if she needed them.

  The halls were dark and cool and down at the very end she saw Mr. Pipes swirling the mop back and forth across the floor. The buffing machine must be broken.

  “You calling it a day Miss Palmer?”

  Try to be normal. Lil said the words to herself as she forced a smile. “Oh, it’s definitely been a day. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Mr. Pipes laughed as he continued mopping the entry to the school. “You can count on that, Miss Palmer. You can count on that.”

  By the time she made it to David’s apartment, Lil was feeling a tad bit cranky and a whole lot scared. A monster by the name of Degas was out there stalking the citizens of San Mario, Texas, and David—playboy, goofball, great for a good time—Martinez knew about some unknown person in a black car she hadn’t seen since leaving the school.

  The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and she turned, but once again, no one was there.

  She climbed up the stairs armed with a mental list of questions. Only she didn’t get a chance to ask them. Because the minute he opened the door, David claimed her mouth with his in a very public kiss that reminded her again of why she’d told him to hit the road.

  David Martinez kissed with the promise of heaven, delivered just that and then left a girl feeling all alone when she couldn’t give him what he wanted. He wanted too much and not enough. He wanted her heart, but only on his terms. No promises of forever. She wasn’t even sure the kind of love David wanted existed. Without a commitment, she hadn’t been willing to try to hard to find out.

  Still, she couldn’t help giving back as good as she got. When he came up for air, she saw the glazed, determined look in his eyes and frowned. It didn’t matter how he kissed. No way was she willing to play pretend. He was going to answer her questions and he was going to answer them now.

  She started to push her way past, but he leaned in close to her neck.

  Oh Dear Lord. He remembered.

  Only he didn’t. Instead he put his mouth right next to her ear and whispered, “You’re doing a great job, Lil. They’re watching. Make this one better.”

  Chapter Two

  David took her mouth with his and slowly worked them into his apartment, closing the door with his foot and then locking all four locks with pure Lil Palmer Sex Goddess between him and the outside world.

  He wanted to take this kiss to the next level. But Degas was out there and he finally had a chance to catch the bastard. Forcing himself to lighten his response, he stepped away.

  “Whoa, Chiquita. That was some serious lip action.” He licked his lips and shook his head, and then looked out the peephole to see if their audience was still out there. Who the hell was it? Not Degas. He didn’t bother watching and waiting. Not the Feds. Them he knew.

  He turned his gaze back to Lil. She still looked a little shell-shocked, and he wondered if it was his kiss or the whole life and death shock thing settling in. Sometimes he remembered what it was like to be a normal guy with a normal life. Kissing her again almost made him wish that life was possible.

  “Come on in. Rafe’s playing a video game. And I’m making supper while I wait on a phone call.”

  “A phone call from the man in the black car.”

  No sense denying it. “Yeah.” Damn she was going to hate him.

  “So who is he?”

  Trying to block thoughts of her lips on his, he uncorked a chilled bottle of the sweet wine he knew she loved, poured it into a glass for her then grabbed Rafe a Coke at the same time Scamp came running to investigate who was visiting. No doubt the poor pooch remembered Saint Lil and her rescue attempts.

  Saint Lil wasn’t willing to let this one wait. “You said trust you. You said you’d tell me everything when I got here.”

  He stepped into the living room, handed Rafe his drink and tried to act normal. Over the last few years he’d learned that was the key. Don’t act suspicious and no one suspects. Lil did more than suspect, and he was going to have to tell her the truth.

  Just not yet. Walking back into the kitchen he thought through his options. “I will tell you everything, Lil. But not right this minute.”

  He nodded his head toward Rafe and they both watched as the boy gulped down the soda in a few seconds and set the cup on top of the Sports Illustrated on the coffee table. Poor kid was a great diversion.

  Because Lil took one look at his worried face and caved. “Okay, fine. But we are going to have this discussion.”

  Reprieve sweet reprieve. For a few minutes at least he could enjoy Lil’s company. Could imagine those lips of hers on his once more. Hell, he could imagine a lot more than her lips. Damn, she was hot.

  In the living room, Rafe obliterated giant frogs with a hammer. Doing to them what he hadn’t been able to do to Degas.

  “I can’t believe he can play video games right now,” Lil’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

  Definitely time to stop thinking about how to get her naked.

  “I’ve seen kids play video games in the middle of what looks like World War III. Blood. Gunshots. Handcuffs and screaming parents. Sometimes it’s the way kids cope. It’s good for him. Takes his mind off….” He didn’t finish and he didn’t need to.

  She shivered. “Who is this Degas?”

  She’d moved to town right about the time the Feds had shown up and asked for his help. How did his little miss do-gooder not know Degas?
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br />   “Think of everything bad you’ve ever heard of since you moved to the border and then multiply it by a thousand. That’s Degas.”

  “But Rafe said he saw the police.”

  “Yeah. Probably police and federales and Degas thugs. Not a good thing you’ve gotten mixed up in here, Lil. Not a good thing at all.”

  “I didn’t exactly volunteer this time, but I’m not sorry Miguel sent Rafe to me.” Suddenly she seemed to remember something. He didn’t even bother to hide his appreciation at the way her hips moved as she walked across the room. Grabbing her bag, she tossed a red sweater on the counter then handed him the gun. “Here. You might need this.”

  He shook his head. “You keep it. I’ve got others. And before this is said and done, who knows what’ll happen.”

  “Oh. Well.” Flustered she put the gun back in the bag, then moved the bag to the top of the fridge. “I don’t want Rafe….”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He didn’t tell her Rafe’d probably been messing with guns since he was born.

  “Shouldn’t we be calling the police chief or something?”

  “Or something.” He popped the top off a beer, thought about telling her now, just getting it over with. But once he did…damn, how was he ever going to justify using her like that? “Just remember the more we pretend everything is normal, the less we create questions.”

  “So that kiss was normal to you?”

  Oh, hell no. He tried to play it off. “Come on, Lil. You know we’ve always had great chemistry.”

  She didn’t deny it, which surprised him. “Don’t do it again, David.”

  “You kissed me back.” He couldn’t help but tease.

  “I wanted to make you suffer. It won’t happen again.”

  No it wouldn’t. Because he was making sure she took her too hot to handle trust fund self and got the heck out of Texas until this was over. Of course he knew Lil well enough to know telling her that wasn’t exactly the way to get her to agree to his plan.

  He leaned in close enough to her that he could smell her clean soap scent. “Care to make a wager on that?”

  Her cheeks flushed and her eyes narrowed, but after a few seconds she smiled knowingly. “You can take it to the bank, David. It won’t happen again.”

  For a moment he toyed with the idea of showing her just how quickly he could change her mind, but his phone rang and when he checked the caller ID, he knew his time was up. Reprieve over.

  The debutant scene had prepared her for all kinds of men. Until now, Lil had understood what and who David was. The charmer. The rake. The sexy bachelor perfectly content with his single status.

  Now she wondered if she’d ever known him at all. When he opened his door and invited a blond, ski slope, X-Game lover look alike into his kitchen, she told herself to bite her tongue. To wait and see what exactly what was going on before getting too upset.

  “Lil, meet Ryan Jamison. Ryan, Lil.” David waved the new man into the room as he continued. “We’re glad you’re here because we’re in one hell of a mess, and you’re not going to like it.”

  “I love it when you introduce me to a girl with words like hell of a mess and you’re not going to like it.” Ryan laughed then pointed to the living room where Rafe sat huddled on the couch, his eyes wide and frightened, the game forgotten. “Who’s the little man?”

  “Just another part of the equation.” David poured Rafe another Coke and set it in front of him. “Don’t worry kid. This guy’s a white knight. You’re safe now.”

  Rafe trusted David’s word completely, but Lil wasn’t so sure. There was something a little off putting about the excitement she saw in Ryan’s eyes. Something that didn’t quite add up. If she was supposed to be a hell of a mess and bad news all mixed up in one package, how come he was smiling so big? And how come David seemed to be enjoying himself?

  “Okay boys. Time to spill. What’s going on?”

  If possible Ryan’s smile got a little brighter. “She doesn’t know?”

  David shrugged. “No sense telling until now.”

  “This is Lil, right? The one?”

  Were they seriously having a conversation about her as if she weren’t standing right there? “The one?”

  David smiled sheepishly. “I might’ve mentioned you. You were pretty special.”

  Special. Yeah, she was special all right. “Uh huh. So what’s going on here, David?”

  Ryan faked a small salute. “I’m going to go shoot some bad guys with the kid. You call me when it’s safe to come out and play.”

  And then he was gone and she was alone with David and his guilty bad boy smile and those lips that rocked her world.

  “Okay, David. Enough. Tell me what’s going on.”

  “Babe.”

  She shook her head. All the babe’s in the world weren’t going to work. “Babe nothing. What’s going on? I want the truth.”

  Okay, the smiles weren’t working. Neither was the wine. She needed to know anyway, but damn she was going to be pissed. “Ryan’s sort of my boss.”

  Her eyebrows nearly disappeared as she looked into the den. “Sort of your boss? What happened to Mr. Andrews?”

  Fast and painless like a Band-Aid. That’s what he told himself as he explained. “Andrews is my boss, too. Ryan Jamison’s my boss, but no one knows that because he’s an undercover FBI agent and I’m working with him and have been for five years, but just on the fringes. Looking for Degas links.”

  She opened her mouth, closed it, looked from him Ryan and back. “You’re kidding me, right? This is a big joke.”

  He tried not to let her disbelief bother him. It wasn’t so far out of the question that he could work for the good guys. “No joke.”

  She sat at his breakfast bar and shook her head whispering oh my god a few times while looking at him like he’d grown an extra head or two. “I dated you for two years and you never once saw a need to mention you were working with the FBI?”

  He shrugged. “It never came up.” He felt like an ass. And it was going to get worse. Damn.

  “I guess I got it right when I called you today, huh?”

  The words might be right, but the tone. Nah, she was definitely ticked. “Yeah. I think we’ll be able to work something out.”

  “Work something out. Is that undercover talk for find a solution? Make sure Rafe and his family are safe?”

  “Rafe will be fine now. We’ll try to find his family. But Degas is bigger, Lil, way bigger than the Hernandez family.”

  “How big?”

  “I already told you. He’s a monster. Everything bad you’ve ever heard of.”

  “How big, David?”

  Okay. She needed to know. No matter what it made her think of him. “Those students you complain about disappearing? They’re not going back to Mexico. They’re going away. Forever. Courtesy of Degas and company.”

  “He’s killing them?” She looked like she didn’t believe it.

  “Sometimes. Sometimes they get sold into labor camps or as sex slaves. But yeah, sometimes they die.”

  The horror on her face made him want to find Degas now. Put him away for life.

  “Rafe’s family? Miguel and Solidad and their parents?”

  With all this honesty, there was no sense sugar coating it. “They’re probably gone, but Ryan will try to find them.”

  Her breath hitched and he hoped she didn’t cry. He couldn’t handle Lil tears. She bit her lip and looked down at her hands on the breakfast bar then back up into his eyes and he knew what was next. Dammit.

  “You’ve been working with Ryan for five years.”

  “Yeah.” He shrugged and turned away. He so didn’t want to get into this now. Not with Jamison sitting in there with that little boy listening to every word.

  “Before you met me.”

  “Yeah.” He turned back to face her, met her eyes without blinking.

  “You used me.”

  Ah hell.

  He took her small, soft hands in his.
Tried to sugar coat the truth. “It wasn’t like that, Lil. I met you and liked you just fine. The fact that you happened to teach at the high school was an added incentive.”

  She pulled her hands from his and smiled but he saw the wince, the pain, the decision it didn’t matter. “Well, I guess I totally understand now.”

  And then she turned all ice princess on him. God he hated it when she did this. “Lil, it wasn’t….”

  She held out her hand. “I get it, David. It’s okay. Like you said, you couldn’t very well just blurt out the truth now could you? It’s fine. Let’s get Rafe safe and then see what we need to do next.”

  All business.

  It was better this way. Way better.

  He rubbed his hands on his jeans and started cooking. “Supper will be ready in a few minutes. We’ll talk more while we eat.”

  Not the kind of talking she’d want to do, but it would have to suffice for now.

  Because she was right.

  He’d met her, thought she was hot and figured what the hell, he could kill two birds with one stone. Look into the Degas-school connection if there was one and get down and dirty with the hot new teacher. Then he’d discovered she was fun and smart. Not at all what he’d expected. She’d never let him get too close, though. Never fully trusted him.

  That was okay back then because it made walking away easier. And he’d had to walk away. Because if someone ever found a way to break through all the walls she’d built around her heart, Lil was going to be a white picket fence, two point three kids kind of woman, and he’d had all that he could stand for at least another decade after helping raise his five younger siblings.

  Now though, he needed her trust. He needed her to understand how serious this was. And when he told her to leave, to go back to her rich momma and all that money, that life she pretended to hate so much, he needed her to understand it was nothing personal. It was just about keeping her alive.

  Added incentive. That’s what she was.

  It shouldn’t hurt. She’d been that little someone extra her entire life. But with David it had seemed different.

  Of course, now she knew the truth. David was the great pretender and she’d fallen for every one of his lines. From the first sweet Lil to the last I like you a lot, but you deserve more than me. You deserve a man who will give you the family you dream of.