She knocked on the door. She hadn’t come here because she was trying to reignite a flame. She wasn’t here to have fun and catch up. She was here because people’s lives were on the line and Deke was the only person in the world she trusted who had the right skills and connections to help her.
She put a hand on her backpack strap to stop the fine tremble that had come over her.
She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt and sneakers. In the last eighteen hours she’d been on three different planes in case anyone was following her. She’d had little sleep and was pretty sure her hair was going everywhere.
So different from the polished woman she’d wanted to show him fourteen years before. He was getting the full-on real-world Maddie Hill, and she was a hot mess, but that was okay because she was over him now, truly and fully.
Right? He was probably a hot mess, too.
The door came open and she realized she’d been halfway right in her assessment.
He was hot.
So freaking hot.
Somehow she’d thought he would still be the man Angie had described all those years ago. Broken, tragedy etched on his face. She’d been told he’d gotten better, left the military, found a job in Dallas and was doing well.
He looked like he was fan-freaking-tastic, and she was a mess who had to tell him she was also an idiot who’d done the stupidest thing in her life and she needed him to save her.
That suddenly seemed like a terrible idea, but she didn’t have another one.
He stood in the doorway, staring at her like she was an alien being who’d dropped down from space.
There was nothing else to do but brave her way through and pray he could help her out for old time’s sake. “Hey, Deke.”
He wore a white dress shirt that had probably included a tie at one point. It was unbuttoned at the throat, but the collar was a little wrinkled as if Deke had pulled a tie through it before he’d tossed it aside. Black slacks and dress shoes completed the ensemble. “Hey.”
Well, at least he didn’t slam the door in her face.
She heard someone laugh in the background and glanced up and down the hall. Despite all her subterfuge, she was still a little worried that her boss would figure out she wasn’t where she was supposed to be. She’d made sure her cell would show her in Sedona. She’d left her personal phone in a hotel room she’d rented and then written a code that duped her phone and sent it to the burner she was using. She knew the tech and had carefully researched how to fool anyone who might casually try to figure out where she was.
But if someone was physically following her, she was fucked.
“Can I come in? I’m afraid I’ve got a problem and you’re the only one who can help me.” She prayed he would help her and that he didn’t laugh in her face and send her on her way.
She also prayed her intel was correct and she wasn’t about to embarrass the hell out of both of them.
“I am?” He shook his head as though trying to clear it. “I mean what kind of problem?”
His dark hair had the faintest hint of gray right at his temples, but otherwise she couldn’t see the years on him. Oh, he was definitely more masculine than he’d been, but it was hard not to see the youthful Deke she’d loved so much.
But she was over him, and this was nothing more than a job. “The national security kind.” He was quiet for a moment, and she felt another surge of panic at the idea of him closing that door. “I’m in over my head. Please, Deke.”
She hated begging, but she couldn’t let him shut her out. Not when there was so much on the line.
He stepped aside, opening the door wide and letting her in.
Relief flooded her system and she walked inside. The minute he closed the door behind her, she felt some modicum of safety.
“I’m sorry it’s so late. I just got into Dallas, and I came straight here.” She’d taken a cab and paid cash.
“Are you okay? Is someone following you?” Deke moved to the end of the entryway. “Hey, MaeBe, can you hop online and check the CCTV cams around the building? Go back at least fifteen minutes.”
Maddie followed him and found herself staring into his living room/dining area. It was a big space with a couple of armchairs and a comfy-looking couch. Everyone seemed to be congregated in the dining room, however. Deke had a big table that was covered in…holy shit. Deke Murphy played board games?
Deke Murphy was a jock who played football and baseball and effortlessly won at both. He was the popular guy who everyone looked up to. She was the nerd who played board games.