Cooper's Choice, page 4
“I’m afraid to find out.” Mia’s tone was blunt. “I have no idea how wide and deep this criminal organization is.”
She was describing a mafia type of organized crime. But that sort of thing didn’t happen in Gatlinburg.
Did it?
“I don’t mind having you stay here with me,” he said softly. “Let’s give Sean a little more time.”
“Okay.” Mia didn’t look convinced. “I would rather go with Sean, a man I trust, rather than talking to strangers about my situation.”
He wanted to reassure her, but he didn’t know anything about the criminals she was running from. Organized crime sounded serious. “I’m here for you, Mia.”
She dropped her gaze to their clasped hands. “That’s twice now that you’ve saved my life. I’m really worried that those men will continue to hunt you down long after I’m gone.”
Gone. His heart squeezed painfully, but he pushed the depressing thought away. “I’m glad I could be there for you.”
A tremulous smile curved her lips. “Me too.”
He wanted to sketch her again so badly. Almost as much as he wanted to kiss her. He refused to cross that boundary. The last thing he wanted to do was to make her feel uncomfortable staying here with him.
He’d promised her no strings. A platonic arrangement. And he’d meant it. He’d didn’t plan to repeat the mistakes in his past. Mia deserved better.
“I think it’s time for another sketch.” He released her hand and stood. “Before we lose the afternoon light.”
“If that’s what you’d like,” Mia agreed.
He’d like far more and almost drew her up and into his arms. How he’d managed to resist, he had no idea. Cooper took a step back, glancing around the room.
Focus, he told himself sternly. “I’d like you to sit here.” He gestured to a different spot on the sofa than where she’d been earlier.
“All right.” She scooted over to the area he’d indicated.
Cooper turned to set up his stool, sketchbook, and easel. He opened his box of colored chalk and took a moment to decide where to start.
Once again, he rubbed his sore knuckles, then went to work. As he drew, he was struck by the look of longing in Mia’s dark eyes.
The same longing that was mirrored deep within him too. A longing for something they could never have.
Mia told herself to get over her fear and to allow Cooper to take her to the closest police station. He was right. The likelihood of a Gatlinburg cop being on Frankie Germaine’s payroll was slim to none.
This dependency she had on Cooper wasn’t healthy. He wasn’t a surrogate for Sean McCarthy. It wasn’t Cooper’s job to protect her. Yet she was having trouble keeping a safe, emotional distance from him.
His intense gaze as he sketched was mesmerizing. Mia knew she could watch him for hours. Had in fact done that earlier today.
She wasn’t an artist, but if she were, she’d want to draw Cooper. He had the most arresting features of any man she’d ever met. She’d dated a few good-looking guys at Northwestern University where she’d initially gotten a degree in fine arts, only to decide to go back to study biology with a plan to go into the medical field, but none who could come close to Cooper’s attractiveness.
Get a grip, she ordered herself sternly. She was acting like a silly adolescent schoolgirl rather than a twenty-five-year-old woman.
A woman who’d been living a lie in Gatlinburg for the past three months. Oh, how she’d longed to tell Cooper everything about herself.
A foolish, selfish thought. Hadn’t she put the poor guy in enough danger?
If Sean was right, Frankie Germaine was more ruthless than his father. Witnessing Frank Senior shoot her father and stepmother in cold blood had been awful enough. What Frankie Junior had in mind for her was unimaginable.
Her thoughts drifted back to that fateful day. Mia had come home for her father’s sixtieth birthday bash a day earlier than planned. She’d been up in her room when she’d heard muffled shouts. After making her way down the stairs to the study, she’d recognized Frank Senior’s voice. He’d been introduced at a charity function as her father’s business associate.
She’d been out of sight when Frank had pulled a gun and shot her father and then her stepmother. Mia had stood frozen for what seemed like forever before easing silently away from the study. She’d slipped through the house, headed out through the back, much the way Cooper had done in the restaurants, and had ran as fast as she could down the street. There had been a squad parked just a couple of blocks away, so she’d rapped on the cop’s window for help. He’d lowered his window, told her he was in the middle of something, and couldn’t be bothered, until she’d told him her name. Instantly, he’d told her to get into the squad right away.
The tiny hairs on the back of her neck had risen in alarm. The way he’d recognized her name, the way he’d first tried to get her to leave but then wanted her inside his squad had seemed wrong. She’d turned and ran, firmly believing God had been watching out for her.
The cop had followed, red lights and all, but she’d dodged through several streets and happened upon a taxi. This time she’d asked the driver to take her to the FBI office, rather than to the police station, where she’d gotten the help she’d needed.
Was she just being paranoid about heading to the Gatlinburg police? Probably.
Mia made a mental promise to ask Cooper to take her to the police station as soon as he’d finished his drawing. The sooner she was out of his apartment, and his life, the safer he’d be.
Yes. She swallowed hard. If Sean hadn’t returned her call by the time Cooper was done, she’d go to the police.
It was the right thing to do.
“Mia?”
His low husky voice sent a shiver of awareness down her spine. She looked at him. “Do you need me to move a certain way?”
“No, but you look sad.” His gaze held hers. “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing.” Everything. “I’m sorry. I’ll try to smile.”
He shook his head. “No need, I managed to capture your expression before you drifted away into sad thoughts.”
His keen observation was unsettling. “How much longer until you’re finished?”
“Not long.” He smiled. “What’s wrong, getting tired of sitting in one spot?”
“No, unfortunately, I sit all day long.” The comment slipped out before she could catch herself. She really, really needed to keep her guard up around Cooper. “But I could use a bathroom break.”
“Oh, sorry.” He looked contrite. “Go ahead.”
The apartment was small, so it was easy enough for her to find the bathroom. There were only two doors, and one was hanging ajar, providing a glimpse into his bedroom. She found it surprisingly neat and tidy. Maybe it was a stereotype, but Cooper being a guy and an artist, she’d expected to find a mess.
After using the facilities, Mia took a moment to freshen up. Being the center of Cooper’s attention made her feel self-conscious about her appearance. Her nose looked pink from the sun, but otherwise, she was her same unexciting self.
Audrey, her stepmother, had been stunningly beautiful and constantly tried to get Mia to glamour up. As if Mia’s everyday appearance was somehow lacking. Looking at her reflection now, Mia couldn’t figure out why Cooper had been so set on sketching her image.
Not that it mattered. She wouldn’t be here long enough for it to matter. Even a simple friendship was out of the question. Once Sean had relocated her to another city, she’d never be able to reach out to Cooper again.
When she emerged from the bathroom, she found Cooper still at work. Since he didn’t seem to need her to continue sitting for him, she went around to see what he’d done.
As before, he’d drawn her features in a way that actually made her look stunning. An image that Audrey would have wholeheartedly approved of. Adding the colors had given her a bolder, brighter dimension.
And the look of longing in her eyes made her realize Cooper had captured exactly how she felt about the situation.
“Wow,” she murmured. “You’re looking at me through rose-tinted glasses.”
“I’m not.” There was an edge to his tone, but he didn’t look away from what he was doing. “I don’t know who did a number on your self-confidence, Mia, but stop putting yourself down. You deserve better.”
Ouch. His comment stung, but deep down she knew he was right. She was one of God’s children and therefore beautiful. She’d always considered herself to be more attractive on the inside as compared to her outward appearance.
A long silence hung in the air between them. Cooper finally dropped the square stick thing he was using to draw and flexed his injured fingers. “I’m sorry.” He glanced at her. “I shouldn’t have snapped.”
“No, you were right. I—well, I thought I’d overcome my issues, but apparently not as much as I’d like.” She gave him a look of admiration. “You’re incredible. Your talent is wasted doing sidewalk sketches. You should be in a premier art program.”
“Not interested.” His curt tone did not invite discussion. Hmm. Now who had a self-confidence issue? She wasn’t the only one.
“The art world’s loss,” she said lightly. “Listen, Sean still hasn’t returned my call, so we probably should head out to talk to the police. It’s obvious something has gone wrong.”
Cooper raked his hand through his hair, pulling the long strands from his face. “Are you sure you don’t want to wait until tomorrow?”
She grimaced. “I wanted to honor my commitment to you by sitting for your sketch, but staying here any longer isn’t smart. We don’t know if or how the bad guys found us at the restaurant. I’m concerned they’ll find a way to track us here.”
“I don’t see how they could,” Cooper said with a frown.
She was growing exasperated with him. “How many of the local shop owners know you by name? If those guys went around asking for the sketch artist that was recently sitting across from the church, I’m pretty sure someone will tell them what they want to know.”
Cooper rose to his feet. “Knowing my name is different from finding out where I live.”
“These guys are not amateurs.” Her voice rose with annoyance. “Don’t you get it? These guys have connections you and I don’t. Trust me, these guys want to find me very badly.”
“Yeah, I think I figured that part out for myself.” Cooper sighed and softened his tone. “Fine. If you want to go to the police station, I’ll make sure you get there safely.”
“Thank you.” She glanced again at the sketch. She doubted she’d ever meet anyone else who looked at her the way Cooper had, and it pained her more than she wanted to admit to leave him behind.
Yet she desperately needed him to be safe.
She cleared her throat and forced a smile. “We should go.”
“Okay, just give me a minute.” He disappeared into the bedroom for five long minutes before returning to the living room. He’d changed his clothes and approached with a T-shirt in his hand. “Will you change into this for me? It’s dark blue and won’t be as noticeable as the pink blouse you’re wearing.”
She took the soft shirt from his fingers. “Sure. I see your point, but I didn’t expect to be on the run from bad guys when I dressed this morning.”
“Of course you didn’t,” Cooper agreed. “But the small things we can do to change our appearance might help.”
“Okay.” Mia took the shirt into the bathroom. She stripped off her pink blouse and donned his dark T-shirt. It was large on her and carried his musky scent.
She held the fabric to her face, inhaling deeply. Feeling foolish, she straightened, looped her handbag across her chest, and finger-combed her hair. Enough mooning over the guy.
After draping her pink blouse over the edge of the tub, she left the bathroom. Carrying it was impractical, and Cooper could either pass it along to a friend or toss it into the garbage.
“Ready?” His aquamarine gaze warmed when he saw her.
“As much as I can be.” She squelched the flash of nerves as she put on her hat.
Cooper donned his baseball cap and led the way outside. When he placed his arm around her waist again, she was secretly glad. If pretending to be a couple worked, she was all for it.
This time they took several different streets, and she trusted Cooper’s ability to get her to the police station. Still, she continued raking her gaze over the area, searching for any sign of the two guys who’d attacked her.
“The police station is just a few blocks from here.” Cooper’s voice rumbled near her ear. “But we’re going to head around the back, just in case.”
“Okay.” She had to admit that he was better at evading bad guys than she was. Likely from the time he’d lived on the street. She was grateful once again for his expertise.
Cooper turned into the parking lot of a small business, leading her around to the back side of the building. Across the way she could see the rear portion of the police station. There was a small parking lot along the left side of the structure with a couple of squads parked there, but most of the parking was located in front of the building.
How Cooper knew how to get to the rear of the police building was a mystery. As they approached, she stumbled to a stop when she saw someone standing behind one of the trees that wasn’t far from the building but also several yards away from the parking spaces that held several squads.
“Cooper?” Her voice was barely a whisper. “Do you see him?”
He dragged her down behind some brush. “Did you get a good look at his face?”
“No, he’s too far away. He might be dressed in black, but I can’t say for sure.”
Cooper’s expression turned grim. “I can’t think of a logical reason for him to be standing there, unless he’s watching and waiting for someone.”
“Yeah. For me.” Mia swallowed hard. How was it possible for these guys to know their every move?
How long would they stake out the police station, waiting for her to show up?
Chapter Four
As much as Cooper really didn’t want Mia to leave, he did not like the way these guys kept popping up everywhere they went. He could only see the one guy, but he figured the second man was stationed somewhere overlooking the opposite side of the building. It appeared they were hanging around the police station, waiting for Mia. Maybe they assumed she’d report the assault. Yet hanging out in an attempt to grab her so close to the police probably wasn’t smart. How could they know when a cop might walk out of the building?
Unless they had come up with a plan to drug her in order to get her quietly away from the area. The thought sent a chill down his spine.
No way was he letting either of these men get their grubby paws on Mia.
“Is there an FBI office in town?” Mia whispered.
“No. I’m not an expert, but I’ve been all through Gatlinburg over the past five years, and I’ve never seen an FBI office. I’m sure it’s too small, more likely to be in Nashville and Memphis. We’ll check later, after we get out of here.”
Mia didn’t move for long moments, but then she took a step backward. Moving slowly and as quietly as possible, they eased away from the police station.
Cooper took a different way back through the area in order to return to his apartment. Mia followed without complaint, staying close to his side. He wanted to reassure her, but there was no denying her situation was grim. The fact that neither of the men had found them at his apartment made him believe they’d be safe there.
For now.
Once they were back inside his apartment, he locked the door and leaned against it, regarding Mia thoughtfully. Neither of them spoke for several long moments.
“Now what?” Mia asked as she sank down onto the sofa. “Should we go back later tonight? Maybe when it’s dark?”
“No, I have a feeling those guys are planning to hang out there for a while. Let’s find the closest FBI office.” He used his phone to search. Mia came over to glance over his shoulder.
“Knoxville has one,” Mia said.
“Yeah, which is good because it’s only a little over an hour from here.” He was glad they had a destination.
She offered a wan smile. “I don’t suppose you have a car to drive me to Knoxville?”
“No, sorry.” His sketches didn’t bring in enough money for such a luxury. Especially one he didn’t need. Walking or using his skateboard were the best ways to get around. Even in winter, which were his leanest months as far as bringing in cash from his drawing.
But looking at Mia’s dejected features, he wished he could offer her the ease of being able to drive right on out of here.
“I can call and leave a message,” she said slowly. “There was something on the website urging people to call and report a crime any time, day or night.”
“That works. It’s Friday evening, though, and the website lists the office as closed.” His blue eyes captured hers. “I’m sure they have someone monitoring incoming calls.”
“I hope so.” Mia pulled out her disposable phone and dialed the number. The message announced to call 911 if this was an emergency, otherwise to leave a message. “This is Mia Royce, I need help getting in touch with the US Marshals. Please call me,” she rattled off the number. “Thanks.”
“There, now they know you need help. In the meantime, stay the night,” Cooper suggested. “I’ll throw in a frozen pizza for dinner. I’m sure we’ll hear from someone in the morning.”
“I hope so.” She drew in a deep breath. “I can’t help thinking that the longer I stay here, the more likely those guys will figure out where we are.”
“Mia.” He crossed over and knelt beside her. “We’re going to be okay. They staked out the police station because they have no idea where we are.” He glanced around the dim interior of his apartment. “We’ll keep the lights off and pull the drapes over the windows. You can take my bed, I’ll stretch out on the sofa.”
“I can’t take your room,” she protested.
