“Is this where we are staying?”
“No.” He wasn’t talking much, something Norah understood. He had been betrayed by someone he had believed could be trusted. Not just betrayed, she reminded herself, looking at the bruises and cut on his forehead. He had almost been killed.
“Come on.” He held her hand and guided her through the parking lot and onto a sidewalk.
“Where are we going?”
“To see an old friend.”
Norah didn’t say anything and continued following him.
“Look, I know what you’re thinking, but Gerry is nothing like Tom. I promise you. I wouldn’t bring you here if there were even the slightest chance he was dirty. Not after what happened earlier.”
She nodded. “I trust you, Harley.”
They stopped once they reached a small house about five minutes, she estimated, from the bus stop. Harley knocked on the door, and Norah bit back the nervousness she felt. Who would be on the other side of that door?
She had known from reading about it that Leavenworth, WA was crafted so it made you feel as if you were walking through an old German town. She had always wanted to visit, but hadn’t found the time. Guess she was finding the time now.
The small cottage was adorable and painted with bright colors. Its bright blue walls were complimented by tan shutters, and it boasted a red door. She watched as the bright door was pulled open by an older, gentle-looking man.
“Harley?”
“Hey, Gerry.”
Gerry’s eyes settled on Norah and then widened. “Come on in,” he said softly, and stepped aside.
Norah followed Harley into the living area of the cottage, which was decorated just as beautifully as the outside. A fire roared in the hearth that was framed by an intricate wood design she would be willing to bet was hand carved.
Large bookcases covered the walls and were filled with hundreds of hardback and paperback books that you could see had been read many times throughout the years.
A large mahogany couch sat across from two high-backed chairs in a deep gold. There was so much color in the décor, all warm colors, she noted.
She smelled the aroma of a freshly brewed pot of coffee and wondered if perhaps he had known they would be coming.
“Coffee?” Gerry asked as if he read her mind.
“Got anything a little stronger?” Harley asked him, and Gerry smiled knowingly. “I think I have something you might like. How bout you, Miss?”
“Norah,” she said, and gave him a light smile. “I would love some coffee, thank you, sir.”
“Please just call me Gerry.” He patted her hand lightly and turned towards the kitchen.
She couldn’t help but smile. Gerry was handsome and had a gentleness about him one would expect from a father. She wondered how he and Harley had come across each other. Had he been another of his father’s friends?
Norah wandered around the living room and saw a picture of a younger Gerry with a beautiful woman at his side.
“Gerry seems very nice,” she whispered to Harley.
“He’s great.”
“How did you two meet?”
“We met at a bar about eight years ago. I was undercover and struggling and he was an ear when I needed it.”
“Here you go, Harley,” he said handing him a glass and a bottle of whiskey. “Norah.” He handed her a mug of steaming coffee. “I wasn’t sure how you took it, but I have some cream and sugar in the back.
“Black is fine, thanks.”
She watched, worried as Harley downed his first pour quickly.
“So what’s going on?” Gerry asked, taking a seat in one of the high-backed chairs.
“Is the cottage done?” Harley asked, and sat on the seat next to his.
“It is. Been done for about a year now. I keep it fully stocked so it’s ready for ya if ya need it.”
“Thanks, Gerry. Norah and I are in a bit of trouble.”
“I figured as much.”
“Turns out my boss wasn’t who I thought he was and now they are looking to get rid of us.”
“That’s a shame.”
“You’re in danger with us being here.”
“No more than I was in yesterday, I suppose,” he said, and took a drink from his own glass of whiskey. “You know I don’t scare easily, Harley. I will help you. You worked hard to make sure I couldn’t be traced back to you, and I trust that whatever trouble you are in is not only unwarranted, but that you will take care of it by whatever means necessary.”
Harley nodded. “Can you drive us up there tonight?”
“I can.”
“I need to grab some things from the store.”
“Make me a list, I’ll go and get them for you.”
Harley nodded, and Norah watched in awe. There was a mutual respect between these two men, one that Norah had never witnessed in anyone. She took another drink from her coffee and sat back on the couch. She was still exhausted even after her nap on the bus, so she leaned back against the cushions. She could just close her eyes for a moment, she thought to herself, and set her coffee on a coaster next to her.
* * *
HARLEY WATCHED AS Norah slept. He had given Gerry the list of things they needed and then covered her with a blanket. He was so damn angry with himself for what had almost happened to her.
Putting aside the fact that they both could have been killed, what that guard had almost done would have been much worse than losing his own life. It was then that he realized he was willing to die for this woman. He barely knew her, and still, if it came down to it, he would throw himself in front of whatever danger came at her.
How in the world had he not seen Tom for what he was? Harley thought back to all the times he had been around him as a child. The man had always seemed kind, and his father had cared for Tom the way one would care for a brother.
Tom had grieved his father after some asshole shot and killed him during a bank robbery. The man had been killed by police during the standoff, so there was never any trial to go through. The weeks and even months afterwards had sped by, and his mother had never been the same. Tom either, it seemed. Harley refused to believe the man had always been the traitor he had proven himself to be today.
At one point he had to have been a good man. That didn’t mean Harley wouldn’t kill him if he got the chance, though. He had crossed a line, Harley thought, looking back at Norah. A line that he would never be able to uncross.
He took a deep breath and did his best to let go of all of the tension he was feeling. He needed a clear head going forward. No more distractions, Andrews, he thought to himself. Too bad the largest distraction of them all was currently sleeping on the couch across from him.
The whiskey had done little to dull the ache in his head. He poured himself another glass and drank deeply.
* * *
NORAH OPENED HER eyes and saw Harley. He was still sitting on the same chair he had been in before, only Gerry was gone now. She sat up and regarded him warily, wondering what he was thinking.
He turned those gray eyes on her and her heart skipped a beat.
“Sorry, I guess I passed out again.”