at Andy’s funeral. Maybe that was just because Mark had been too friendly.
But Tammy wasn’t at the dad’s house. “They’re not going to hurt me,” she said. “I’ve known his dad for years.” But, truthfully, she hadn’t known Andy’s parents that well. They had usually hung out at her house or around town more than at Andy’s.
“Maybe his dad wouldn’t hurt you,” Blaine said. “But you’re wrong about his brother. The description of the guy who ordered the stolen vans matches Mark’s description.”
“Dark hair? Blue eyes?” She shrugged. “A lot of guys look like that.” Except for Blaine. She had never seen a man as attractive as he was, but it wasn’t just his looks. It was his protectiveness and his courage and his intelligence that she found even more compelling than his physical appearance.
“I sent someone a picture of Mark for a positive ID,” he said.
“It won’t be,” Maggie said. She refused to accept that Andy’s big brother could be robbing banks. “Mark wouldn’t hurt me.” He had promised Andy that he would take care of her. He would never break his promise to his brother.
Blaine sighed as if exasperated with her. Maybe that was why he wanted to leave her at the hospital. He was tired of her. “Don’t you think it’s strange that we were run off the road shortly after leaving his house?”
Her heart—that had finally slowed from a frantic beat—started pounding hard again. “No...” She really didn’t want Mark involved. “That van could have followed us from the bank.”
“I doubt it,” Blaine replied. “I was too careful. I didn’t see anyone following us. I think Mark was either in that house or his wife called him and told him where we were heading.”
“But you didn’t say where,” she reminded him. “You said that we would come back to their house the next day. If they were involved, wouldn’t they have just waited for us to come back?”
“Or they’ll make damn sure they’re gone before tomorrow.” He pushed a hand through his disheveled blond hair. “Hell, they could be gone now. I have to go.”
She didn’t release his arm. “You can’t go without me.” She hadn’t wanted to go back to Andy’s house, hadn’t wanted to relive the past. But now she was more afraid of the future. She didn’t want to be separated from Blaine and she wasn’t sure it was just because she was scared.
“I can’t put you in danger again,” he said.
“I won’t be in any danger,” she said. “This is Andy’s family. I’m carrying Andy’s baby. They’re not going to hurt me.” They wouldn’t want to lose that last piece of Andy any more than she did.
His mouth curved into a slight grin. “What about me?”
“They’re not bad people,” she said. “They won’t hurt you, either.”
“That wasn’t what I meant.” He stared at her, his green gaze tumultuous with regret. “I’m worried that I’m going to hurt you.”
“You’ve saved my life again and again,” she reminded him. She would never forget how he had protected her and her baby. Maybe gratefulness was the feeling overwhelming her and making her panic at the thought of him leaving her. But it didn’t feel like just gratitude. “You’re not going to hurt me.”
Physically—he wouldn’t. She knew that he would protect her from physical harm. He had proved that over and over again.
But he was only doing his job. And she had to remember that. She had to remember that, when he caught the robbers, Blaine would move on to his next assignment, and he would leave her.
For good.
So he probably would hurt her. Emotionally. If she let herself fall for him...
But she wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t risk her heart on anyone right now. She was going to save all her love for her baby.
Maggie was getting to him in a way that no one had ever gotten to Blaine before. He couldn’t even draw a deep breath for the panic pressing on his chest.
What had he been thinking to bring her along? He shook his head in self-disgust.
“What?” she asked from the passenger seat of the battered SUV.
“I shouldn’t have brought you...”
“I told you that I won’t be in any danger.”
Maybe she wouldn’t be. But he was worried that he was in danger. He was in danger of falling for her. And that would be the biggest mistake he’d ever made.
It wasn’t that he still believed she was involved in the robberies. But he would be a fool to totally rule out the possibility. Even though there were attempts being made on her life, it could be to silence her, so that she wouldn’t reveal her coconspirators. But he doubted that. If she actually knew anything about the robbers, she would have told him by now; she was too scared to keep secrets any longer.
The reason it would be a mistake for him to fall for Maggie Jenkins was because she was in love with another man. He suspected she would forever love her dead fiancé.
That was why she had insisted on coming along with him. To protect Andy’s family from him.
“I really don’t believe they’re involved,” she insisted. And he wondered now if she was trying to convince herself or him.
“Andy could have told them what you had shared with him about the bank,” he said. “What did you share with him?” And how did it tie in to the robberies?
“I rambled on,” she said, “like I usually do since I talk so much. I complained about working harder than the manager. I told him what my duties were—how I handled the money deliveries and pickups—how I knew the security code for the back door and the vault.”
That information had definitely been used in the robberies. Even at the other banks, the robbers had threatened the assistant managers and never questioned the managers.
“It sounds like Andy shared that information with his brother.” And Mark had used it to rob all the banks.
She shook her head, tumbling her brown curls around her shoulders. “Andy wouldn’t talk to anyone about my job.”
“Why not?” he asked, and he wondered about her dismissive tone.
She shrugged. “It’s not very interesting.”
“It’s not?”
“Most of the time it’s very boring,” she said.
Had Andy thought her job boring and uninteresting? “But you told him about it anyway?”
“I wrote about it,” she said. “I guess my letters to him were kind of like writing in a journal. I complained about stupid policies and procedures.”
“You
