All of them were adopted, which explained how Dani could be blonde and fair-skinned next to Cole’s swarthy complexion and darker hair. But they all did have law enforcement backgrounds, as Cole mentioned. Dani and Ethan Justice were experienced FBI agents. Kat and Derrick were former Portland police officers. And Cole was a former U.S. Marshal, like he’d said.
There were testimonials from clients gushing about the Justice family’s ethics, compassion and top-notch abilities. All services were provided for free, assuming the client met their needs assessment.
Could her luck be changing? Had God heard her prayers and led her to a family who could help her?
“I’d really like to think you’re good guys.” Alyssa tried to put strength she wasn’t feeling into her tone.
“But something’s stopping you,” Cole added.
“It’s just—” She paused to formulate her sentence so she didn’t come off sounding ungrateful for their offer and didn’t share too much about her situation until she was sure she could trust them. “The men chasing me are police officers, and unless I misunderstood what I overheard, they’re drug dealers, too. So the fact that you once worked in law enforcement might be a big selling feature for potential clients, but not for me. Law enforcement backgrounds don’t prove you’re honest or trustworthy. Plus it can’t be a good sign that all five of you left that line of work.”
“We weren’t kicked out, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Cole chuckled, a cute dimple piercing his cheek.
Dani sat forward, her usual smile missing. “Our parents were murdered a few years ago and the police couldn’t find the killer. We each took a leave of absence to find who was responsible. We discovered we liked working together, so we formed our agency.”
“I’m so sorry about your parents,” Alyssa said sincerely. She knew how hard it was to lose parents. Hers had died in a car wreck during her last year of college.
“Turning our focus on helping people in need has made the loss easier to handle.” Dani closed her computer. “I don’t know what’s going on with you yet, Alyssa, but we’d be glad to help if we can.” She squeezed Alyssa’s hand.
After spending nine years married to a police officer and hanging around others in the profession, Alyssa had developed a discerning ability to weed out the fakes. At least she thought she had before Nolan revealed his secret tonight. Could she trust her instincts anymore?
Still, these people didn’t appear to be fake. They seemed good, strong—amazing. Starting with Cole, who risked his life to bring her here, and extending to Dani, who let a stranger into the house without question. Tears threatened to flow as a result of their kindness, and she swallowed hard to hold them back.
She looked at Dani and kept her tone light. “How can I turn down help from a woman who reacted so calmly when her brother dragged in a strange woman off the beach?” Alyssa forced out a chuckle to lighten the mood and glanced at Cole.
Abruptly he grinned, exposing that dimple in his left cheek again.
Oh, wow, she thought. Wow.
He was gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous and would have women falling all over him. And that included her. The memory of being carried up the beach flashed into her mind. She’d felt safe and secure, like nothing could harm her. That was even more attractive than his smile.
How long had it been since she’d felt safe and cared for? Cherished? Had she ever truly felt that way with Todd? Not really. Not even before the night two years ago when in anger he’d hit her and she’d asked him to move out of the house, basically ending their marriage.
Dani cleared her throat, and the memory washed away like the mighty waves pounding the shore. The feeling of safety ebbed away with it.
This couple might want to help her, but she still wasn’t cared for. She’d known that since she and Todd split up, especially after he started hounding her at all hours of the day, wanting to get back together. She needed to keep remembering the way he’d failed her so this pair of amazing blue eyes still fastened to her didn’t make her forget what she knew with a certainty.
Men couldn’t be trusted.
No matter the first impression, no matter the connection, they all disappointed when it came to the important things of life. She just had to keep remembering Nolan’s most recent betrayal, and she’d be able to avoid any man. Even this one who set her heart beating faster than it had in years.
* * *
Cole watched Alyssa. Something shifted in her eyes, making them dark and unreadable. It’d been a long time since he’d connected this strongly with a woman. Not since he’d received the Dear John letter in his first tour of duty two years ago. On his thirty-first birthday, no less. On that day he’d said goodbye to a potential wife and family. After the daily worry over his safety in Iraq, Laura said she couldn’t handle having the same angst when he returned to his job as a U.S. Marshal, putting him in danger every day.
Now he was out of practice when it came to women. But not so out of practice that he didn’t recognize interest when he saw it. Her eyes had heated up and flashed an awareness of him for a brief moment. Of that he was certain.
Now she just looked sad. Wounded. So wounded. And he wanted to help her. To find out what made her tick. To ask why she’d shut down so fast. But Dani was scrutinizing his every move the way a parent would watch a baby needing to be coddled. He didn’t need more of that kind of scrutiny from his family. They’d had him under a microscope since he’d come home from Iraq. Maybe waiting for him to crack up and fall apart.
He would keep things professional and settle for finding out why Alyssa ended up on that rock with him in the middle of a winter storm. “If we’re going to help you, we’ll need to know what happened tonight.”
“It’s a long story,” she answered vaguely.
Not unusual. Getting a client to share what was frequently an emotional topic—or at the least very personal—was often the hardest part of helping them.
He sat back to give her more space and make her feel more comfortable. “We have time. Start at the beginning and be honest with us. No matter what the problem is, we won’t judge you.”
She looked warily at him and pulled the blanket tighter as if she felt a need to protect herself. He glanced at Dani. She’d already noticed Alyssa’s uneasiness and had reached out to squeeze her hand.
“We’ve all made mistakes,” Dani said. “Or have things in our lives we don’t want to share with others. What you tell us stays with us and the rest of our family.”
Alyssa squared her shoulders and that steely resolve he’d seen at the beach returned to her face. “I guess it started when my husband died.”
A husband, huh? Unexpected.
No way Cole would’ve missed seeing a wedding ring, but he glanced at her hand to be sure. Just like he’d thought. Her finger was bare and didn’t have a telltale circle from recent wear, meaning her loss happened a while ago.
“He was a police officer,” Alyssa continued. “He was found murdered in his patrol car. A bullet to his chest and a stash of meth in his possession. The sheriff’s department investigated and when his tox screen came back positive for meth, they dug
