Page 92 of To Die For

She took his keycard and grabbed what he needed from his hotel room. Then she drove them to her home in a quiet neighborhood in the suburbs. It was a small cottage with a broad front porch, all on one floor.

Walker helped a visibly struggling Devine down the hall to the spare bedroom.

She helped him undress and got him into bed.

“You didn’t need to do that,” he said.

“In for a dime,” she said, smiling. “And the muscle relaxants should kick in soon.”

She had obviously noted the scars from old wounds, one on each shoulder and one on his calf, because she said, “Three Purples?”

“Nope, two.” He tapped one shoulder. “This one is not from combat. Civilian mission that went ass-up.”

She shook her head. “Wow, okay. You need anything else?”

“No, Beth, I’m fine. And, thank you.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay, Travis.”

“Yeah.”

“I promise to wake you up in plenty of time and help you get ready. I hung a clean set of clothes in the closet. Toiletry bag’s on the bathroom counter. I make a mean cup of coffee, and how about pancakes and eggs for breakfast?”

“Sounds good.”

“You need anything during the night, I’m right next door.”

They said their goodnights and she turned the light out and left.

In the darkness Devine stared at the ceiling. He often did that when he was thinking through difficult problems. So he watched all the mental scenes attached to his current drama march across a ceiling painted a calming seafoam green. From the note in his pocket courtesy of the girl on the train, to nearly getting blown up and everything in between.

It all somehow makes sense. I just have to figure out how.

As pain meds kicked in and he started to doze off, he thought of the dead Coburn. And Betsy Odom, whom he wanted to protect from what was coming her way. He had failed to save Coburn. He could not allow the same fate for Odom.

As he fell asleep, his last thoughts centered on the girl on the train. He knew they would probably collide at some point. But her having saved his life had muddled things. He was sure the woman had her own reasons for doing so, but her message bothered him greatly.

There were forces out there aligned against him.Andher.

And they might be part of the same governmentIserve.

CHAPTER

43

OKAY, I DID NOT SEEthat coming.”

Walker had come into the kitchen to see Devine in the sweatpants and a T-shirt he’d slept in making coffee.

He turned to her. “Slept like a bear in hibernation and then woke up feeling really good. Those muscle relaxants are something else. Haven’t felt this loose since graduation night at West Point, and that required copious amounts of alcohol.”

“I’m sure,” she said, smiling.

Walker started prepping the meal while he poured out two cups of coffee, handed her one, and sat on a bar stool at the kitchen island. He watched her work away making the breakfast. “You from here?”

“No, Pennsylvania. I come from a family of cops. I love the outdoors, hiking, snow skiing, kayaking, and it doesn’t get better than here for that. How about you?”

“I went to West Point for two reasons. I wanted to serve my country and I wanted to piss off my old man. For him, money dictates one’s self-worth, which is not my life philosophy. I made captain and then got out.”

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