The Unseen Enemy Series

Chapter 69

Katherine Lawrence stared at the calendar in the staff room, shocked to realize that she’d actually been in Denver for almost a year.

You never stay anywhere this long… where the hell did time go?

But Kat knew full well where time had gone: as soon as she’d found out about Emma’s cancer six months earlier, she’d decided to stay as long as Emma needed her. It had been a surprisingly easy decision, all things considered and despite the risk she was taking by not moving on. The fact was that Emma, Liv and Jenny had become incredibly important to her, and Kat would never leave any of them in a time of crisis. Not even for her own peace of mind.

But it’s not just the girls keeping you here, is it?

His face appeared in front of her now: handsome, tough, uncompromising. Golden eyes, like liquid amber; short, dark hair. Broad shoulders, strong arms, an amazing chest that she longed to be pressed up against. A slow smile, seen rarely; a deep, husky voice that made her shiver when he said her name.

Jim.

Not that Kat expected anything to ever happen between the two of them, of course, even if she felt ready to be with a man again. Jim may be s*x on legs, but he was also as impossible as hell. Stubborn and suspicious, he was openly hostile to most people, but he’d been nothing short of amazing about anything to do with Emma’s illness.

It had been Jim who’d brought Emma to the salon where Kat worked when Emma’s hair was falling out from chemotherapy. Kat still remembered Jim sitting there holding Emma’s hand while Kat cut off all that long, beautiful, dark hair. He’d been comforting to Emma, surprisingly gentle with Jenny, supportive of Kat and Liv. Whatever demons he was carrying around – and Kat suspected they had to do with his time in Afghanistan – he never let them affect how he treated the women.

“Hey, Kat?”

She turned to see her boss Benny standing behind her. “Yeah?”

“Jim’s here to see you.”

Her heart leapt in her chest, but years of practice at hiding her thoughts and feelings came to her rescue now, and helped her keep her face totally impassive. “Oh, OK. Thanks. I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Sure thing.”

Kat checked herself out in the mirror. She had dyed her hair just that morning, and it was now a sultry chocolate brown with vibrant red streaks. It looked good with her dark green eyes, but aesthetics were absolutely not the consideration when she constantly cut and dyed her hair, or when she had glossy blonde extensions infused. It was all about keeping her safe.

What people assumed, of course, was that she changed her hair every two weeks or so because she worked in a hair salon. Benny’s philosophy was that a good stylist showed his or her clients different styles and colors and lengths, and encouraged them to try something new. Kat’s enthusiasm for changing her hair meshed perfectly with Benny’s idea, so their working relationship was heaven-sent for both of them. Add the fact that Kat wasn’t even on the books and got paid in cash, thereby saving Benny paying tax or medical, and everyone was thrilled with the arrangement.

She took a deep breath and walked out into the salon. She saw Jim standing there looking totally out of place in the room full of mirrors, curlers, and bottles of product. His body and demeanor and tattoos suggested that Jim would be totally at home carrying a machine gun on patrol in Kabul. And actually, Kat was certain that Jim Alden had been at ease in that faraway part of the world. In his element, in a way: wild and dangerous.

Those fierce, golden eyes fixed on her as she approached him. Then he smiled that smile, and it took all her self-control to just smile back and not throw herself in his arms.

“Hey, Kat,” he said.

“Hey, Jim.”

He gestured at her hair. “Brown today, huh? I like the red.”

“You do?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Suits you.”

“Thanks.” She c****d her head. “So – how come you’re here?”

“Can we talk somewhere?” he asked. “Somewhere quiet?”

Kat looked at him, saw that something was bothering him. “Sure. Maybe the café next door?”

“You’re not busy now?”

“No. I have thirty minutes until my next client.”

“OK, so let’s go.”

Jim held the door for her and they walked into the late-autumn chill. Kat shivered, thinking that the air felt like snow. She hated this time of year; what had happened to her had happened almost exactly four years before, in the early winter, on a gray day much like today. She shook her head, trying to stop the thoughts from creeping up on her.

She stepped into the warmth of the café gratefully, then sat at a table and watched Jim at the counter. The man looked just as good from behind, she thought, with his back muscles clearly visible through his shirt. And the man had an ass that just wouldn’t quit.

Argh. Eyes up, girl.