He blinked twice. His hold tightened. Finally, he ran a hand over his face. “I don’t know. I’m so sorry I brought them to you.” He shook his head. “I didn’t think—”
Malloy cleared his throat. “I heard back from Pendleton, Major Dean. You retired over two years ago, with full honors.”
Confusion swirled in Josie’s brain. She’d forgotten about Malloy. “No, no, that’s not right. He stayed in the marines. I always assumed he left on a mission.” That he’d be back for her someday.
“He retired on June first two years ago, Mrs. Dean.” Malloy studied them both, the gun at his hip outlined through his cheap jacket.
Betrayal hit her like a fist in the gut. Shane had left her in August—two months after retiring. Where had he gone every day when he’d said he was going to work? Who the hell was her husband?
Shane exhaled. No expression showed on his battered face. “Any idea where I’ve been for two years?”
“Nope. Your commanding officer said you left without a word, just took off. Though he said you were a hero first. Saved several lives.” Malloy’s voice remained steady and without inflection. Cop voice.
Josie shook her head. She’d believed the lies. Just like a domestic violence victim. Tom might be right. Maybe she should get out of town. Hell, maybe she should take a chance on a guy who trusted her… a guy who let her in and didn’t lie. “You lied to me, Shane.” Her voice came out small, weak.
Shane exhaled. “We don’t know that, sweetheart. Let me find out what was going on. Possibly I went undercover or something.”
Her vision blurred. Perhaps the flash grenade had given her a concussion. She blinked to clear her head.
Malloy scribbled in his tattered notebook. “Mrs. Dean, please relate what happened here tonight.”
Josie took a deep breath and recalled the grenade and seeing the fight. “But it was all hazy. I didn’t understand what was going on.” Her voice trembled. She would not cry.
Shane scooped her up, blanket and all, and tugged her to his bare chest. Scars lined his angular form, knife and bullet wounds now partially camouflaged by new bruises. Heat radiated from his hard body, an oasis of warmth in the chill of the room.
She didn’t trust him, and she sure as heck shouldn’t be on his lap. But the warm illusion of safety was too tempting to fight—for now. For a moment, she needed to pretend. She wet her dry lips and let him shelter her—temporarily. “How long was I out?”
“Fifteen minutes.”
He’d killed two men in less than half an hour. She shivered and he tucked her closer. His familiar scent of heated cedar surrounded her. He’d killed. To protect her, but still, he’d ended the lives of those two men. Yeah. That scared her.
Malloy flipped his notebook closed. “You folks stay here.” He headed out of the room toward the guest room.
Shane shifted, resting her against the headboard and rising from the bed. His gaze took in the entire room, studying each corner, each nook. “What the hell is that buzzing?” He stilled and seemed to center himself in absolute concentration.
Josie frowned, the room cooling her again without his body heat near. “There’s no buzzing.” Had he been hit in the head again?
Finally, with a frown, he stalked over to the phone base on her nightstand.
“What’s going on?” Josie pulled the blanket up higher.
Shane shook his head, lifting the base and peering at the bottom. His jaw tightened. Flaring his nostrils, he yanked a round silver disc off to throw on the floor.
“What’s that?”
Shane held up a hand and grabbed her cowboy boot from the closet. Quick motions sent the heel smashing the disc into pieces. “Fucking bug.”
A bug? Someone had bugged her room? “What are you talking about?”
“They sent the grenade into the guest room. Where I was sleeping. How did they know?” Shane swept the pieces under her dresser with his bare foot. “Don’t say anything to Malloy. Something happened when I was hit… my hearing is unbelievable all of a sudden.” He stalked toward her, his eyes the swirling gray of a winter storm. “Has my hearing always been beyond the norm?”
She shrugged. “Not that I know about.” Of course, she wouldn’t know now, would she?
He gave a short nod. “Do you need a doctor?”
“No.” A shrink maybe.
“Good. Pack a bag.” He glanced at his bare chest. “Damn it. I’m sure they won’t let me get my shirt from the crime scene.”
Josie blushed, scrambling off the bed. “I, uh… may have another of your shirts in the bottom drawer of my dresser.” He didn’t comment, just tugged open the drawer and yanked on a faded Marine Corps T-shirt. “Thanks.”
She panicked and dressed quickly. If they were going to argue, she needed to be fully dressed. “I’m not leaving with you.”