Star Witness

Aaron came back over. “I got voice mail. Eric’s been in D.C. the past couple of days. He could be on a plane coming home.”

Mackenzie hoped that was it. Because in the meantime, she was stuck with the injured, sarcastic twin brother of the all-American U.S. marshal who was supposed to be the one helping her. Why couldn’t Eric be here now?

Mackenzie wrapped her arms around herself. It was like being eighteen again, having her whole life end because she’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The sound of gunshots from the car had frozen her. Again. She rubbed a hand on her collar, over the place the bullets had entered. She wanted the comfort of a hug, but she’d already gushed over Aaron enough when she’d thought he was Eric.

He’d acted quickly, saving her life. Another “she’d have been dead, if not for...” to add to the long list already in her WITSEC file. But she had to keep her distance, because not only was he a stranger to her, but he didn’t seem like the kind of man who appreciated a woman who couldn’t stand on her own two feet.

“Are you okay?”

Mackenzie tried to smile. “Sure, I’m fine.” It wasn’t as if her whole life might be over or anything. “It’s just late and it’s been a really long day. I didn’t need this drama with you on top of it.” She looked at the front window. “I hope that man’s going to be okay.”

He moved close to her side, and then he said, “Me, too. So, listen, if you’re going to be fine, then I’m going to head out—”

She whipped around to look at him.

“I’ll talk to Eric, and when the police have what they need, they’ll probably let you leave.”

She was supposed to just go home? Mackenzie swallowed. “Uh, sure. That’s fine, I guess. You need to get to the hospital anyway, right?” There was blood all down his sleeve.

He nodded. “Right.”

But he didn’t leave. Mackenzie’s cheeks burned under his stare, so she lifted her chin and stared right back. “You said you and Eric are twins?”

He nodded.

“Uh...that’s nice.” Probably identical twins—they looked similar enough that she’d mistaken Aaron for Eric. But now that she looked closely, she could see slight differences in the nose, where Aaron’s looked as if it had been broken. Her cheeks heated. “I thought you were leaving.”

“So did I.” His lips curled up, his eyes on her. “And yet I don’t seem to have gone yet.”

He might think this was amusing, but Mackenzie did not. He was nice enough looking—okay, so he was downright gorgeous—but that didn’t mean she wanted him to stare at her. He might get the idea that she actually wanted a relationship.

His phone rang.

* * *

Aaron reached for his back pocket and hissed. Ouch. His medical leave was only supposed to be two weeks, but given how hard he’d hit the sidewalk and rolled, he guessed the recovery was going to be longer.

He stepped away from Mackenzie. “Hanning.” The background noise was a steady rush of people and movement.

“You called?” Eric’s breathing was labored. Was he in a hurry?

Aaron perched on a circular table in the corner. “So...you work witness protection, huh?”

There was a short pause. A door shut and Eric said, “Who told you that?”

“Met a friend of yours tonight. Mackenzie Winters. She thought I was you, but that was after she and I nearly got shot in a drive-by.” Aaron rubbed his eyes with his free hand. It was a shame his coffee had spilled all over the sidewalk.

“I got her voice mail, but it didn’t say anything about a shooting. I take it you saved her?”

“A gun went off. After I reached for the weapon I wasn’t carrying, I just moved us. It was a reflex, nothing more.”

What was it with everyone assuming he was some kind of hero? He still hadn’t told Eric he was on medical leave or why he’d instinctively fled from anything army related.

Reconnecting with his brother was long overdue, there was no doubt about that. But the real reason he’d come to Phoenix to see Eric was more about what he was going to face when he returned to work. About the fact his teammates wouldn’t even let him see Franklin. They’d expected him to apologize before he left, but how did you say sorry when you’d blinded someone? It just wasn’t good enough. “I’m not a hero.”

Eric sighed. “I’m boarding another flight right now, I’ll be back ASAP. Can you stay with Mackenzie?”

“Why? She’s fine. The cops are taking care of her. I didn’t think this had anything to do with her being in witness protection. She said something to the cop about the center where she worked.”

“The likelihood is that it isn’t connected with her being in WITSEC. But I’d still like someone watching out for her until I can get there to assess the situation.” Eric sighed. “Please do this, Aaron. I really need your help.”

Eric wanted him to stick around with Mackenzie longer, when his last failure had cost someone their sight—and their future? “I’m not your guy for this one. Don’t you have resources? Surely there’s a plan when things like this happen.”

“Of course there is, but that was before I spent two days in D.C. trying to get to the bottom of a potential leak in my office.”

“No offense, but I’m on leave with an injury. This doesn’t really concern me.”

“You saved her. She’ll trust you, and she needs someone to keep her safe until I can find out if this is related to her past. And find the traitor in my office.”

Aaron blew out a breath. “You think a U.S. marshal is responsible?”

“All I have is supposition right now. We can’t rule anyone out until the FBI determines who caused the leak of a number of files. It could have come from inside or outside of the office—at this point we still have no idea. We had the FBI warn the witnesses whose names were leaked, and those with active threats have been moved.”

“So why was Mackenzie still in Phoenix?”

“Her file was not one of the ones that were leaked.”

“So the shooting is unrelated.”

Eric’s footsteps stopped. “We still have to keep your involvement in this under wraps. If Mackenzie is being targeted for anything, then she should be kept safe. The leak could be a diversion. I can’t go through normal channels because everything is balanced on the edge right now. I can’t disrupt anything or the FBI case unravels. If there’s a mole, whoever it is will bury themselves so deep we’ll never find them.”

Aaron got to his feet, his eyes on Mackenzie. He might not be a true hero, but there was no way he was going to leave a woman unprotected if he could help it. “What do you want me to do?”

“You’ll help?”

“I’m not going to leave you hanging.” Maybe this was the chance he’d wanted to connect with his brother. If the cost was reopening the wound in his shoulder, Aaron would gladly pay it. Eric was all the family he had, and at least his brother didn’t think he was a failure like his team did. They wouldn’t even let him in Franklin’s hospital room. “What do I do with her?”

“Keep an eye on her until I get this whole situation figured out. The FBI thinks it should only take a couple of days to track the source of the virus that copied the files. Have Mackenzie stick to her normal routine, but keep your eye out. The cops will do their own investigation to find out if there’s a threat against Mackenzie, and I’ll be there tomorrow.”

Mackenzie turned. Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed at whatever was on his face. So she wasn’t used to direct attention. And why not? She was a pleasant-looking woman; she just downplayed her looks, unlike pretty much every woman Aaron had ever dated.

He hung up and crossed the room to her. “Eric asked me to keep an eye out for you. In case someone is after you, I can make sure you’re safe.”

“So you believe me?”

Aaron shrugged his good shoulder. “Does it matter? Someone may or may not be trying to harm you, and in the meantime I’m going to make sure they don’t succeed. The truth will come out in time.”

“Oh.” She glanced around the café.

Aaron took gentle hold of her elbow. She was the protectee now, and he would maintain a professional distance.

“Let’s walk to my truck.” His shoulder needed looking at, but he’d have to find supplies somewhere. He did have extra gauze and bandages in his hotel room, plus no one would know she was there.

He looked around the parking lot as they walked but didn’t spot anything suspicious. Eric wanted her safe, and the best option for that was a hotel he already knew was secure. But that was probably the last thing Mackenzie wanted.

“We can stay at your house.”

Her eyes widened. “I don’t have a guest room.”

“I’ll sleep in the truck.”

“You can’t do that. You’re injured.”

“I’ve slept in worse places. Believe me.” Aaron got the feeling he was going to have to do a lot of reassuring with this woman.

When she’d settled herself into the passenger seat of his truck, Aaron turned to her. “Okay, here’s the deal. You do exactly as I say and you don’t ask questions. If something happens, we’re not going to stop in order for me to explain it to you, we’re just going to run.”

THREE

By the next morning, Mackenzie had almost managed to forget that someone tried to kill her the night before. But when Eric walked into the Downtown Performing Arts Center, it all flooded back.

Aaron was around somewhere, supposedly protecting her, although she hadn’t seen much of him. She hadn’t told him anything the night before, but she had convinced him to stop by the E.R. and get stitched up. Mackenzie had driven back to her house and in the end she’d convinced him to spend the night on the couch instead of in his truck. He’d said it was so he could see her front door, but she’d seen the pain in his eyes. Especially considering he’d refused a prescription for pain pills.

“Who is that?”

Mackenzie turned to Eva, who taught classes at the center while Mackenzie ran the office. They were standing at the entrance to the hallway that led to the classrooms. “An old friend of mine.”

“What kind of old friend?” Eva grinned. Mackenzie blinked. She hadn’t even thought of Eric in those terms before. She supposed he was handsome enough, though Aaron was the better-looking brother. Both of them could be movie stars. The idea that either one would ever look twice at someone like Mackenzie was laughable. “Thank you, Eva. I needed that.”

Eva blinked. “What did I do?”

“You reminded me that life isn’t all doom and gloom.” Mackenzie wrapped her arm around Eva’s shoulders. “And that the best things don’t ever change.”

“You’re welcome. I think.” Eva stepped back from their huddle, smiling. “I should get to my next class. The natives will be getting restless.”

Mackenzie nodded.

“Are we still on for dinner later?”

“Absolutely.” Mackenzie smiled, excited to have been invited. Which was good, since anticipation covered the feeling of being a complete ninny because she was all worked up over one dinner. Eva probably went out with her friends all the time while Mackenzie couldn’t remember the last time she got invited to hang with someone. Plus it had the added benefit of taking her mind off the fact that someone had shot at her and she now had a permanent shadow in the form of Sergeant Aaron Hanning, U.S. Army.

Eva was one of their best teachers, able to easily relate to the street kids who populated the center. Her application two months ago, after the previous teacher had suddenly quit, turned out to be a blessing Mackenzie never expected.

Mackenzie studied her WITSEC handler as he approached; his suit was still crisp though it was after lunch. But the look on his face said he was about to apologize for something.

“Hi, Eric.”

He nodded. “Mackenzie. How are you?”

She motioned behind her. “Let’s go to my office.”

He followed her in and sat in one of two chairs in front of the desk. Castoffs from a doctor’s office. The whole room was smaller than the closet she used to have before she became a federally protected witness.

The brothers weren’t much older than her, she didn’t think. Eric wore the air of authority that came with the marshal’s star badge with ease, while his predecessor had been a burly guy with a gray goatee and a thing for barbecue ribs.

Eric shifted in his chair. “How are you?”

Mackenzie poured Eric a cup of coffee. “Do you think Carosa still wants to kill me, even after all these years?”

He took the cup from her. “If you weren’t in danger anymore, you’d have been released from the witness protection program. Carosa is still out to kill you for testifying against his brother.” He took a sip and sighed. “I don’t want you to be unaware of the reality of the situation. But I did run a check with immigration this morning, and to the best of our knowledge, he’s still in Colombia.”

“So he didn’t shoot at me.” Why wouldn’t the nausea in her stomach ease? This wasn’t about her past. “It was someone else.”

“The police think your slashed tires and the attempt on your life were both the work of a local gang. Maybe someone with a grudge against the work the center does with teens, getting them off the streets.” He gave her a small smile. “Apparently the car belongs to the brother of Hector Sanchez.”

Hector was a regular visitor to the center. “So I might be in danger, but not from Carosa.”

“Unless your identity is revealed. If anyone discovers who you really are, or your picture gets in the media, you’ll be pulled out of Phoenix.” Eric sighed. “We don’t want to jump the gun, but the Marshals Service is dealing with an internal investigation right now. It doesn’t directly relate to your case, but it’s why I asked Aaron to keep an eye on you.”

Mackenzie squared her shoulders. “I could leave on my own.”

“If you do that, I can’t protect you. You’ll be leaving the cover of WITSEC and effectively opting out of the witness protection program. That’s why Aaron is here.”

She squeezed the bridge of her nose. Hadn’t she atoned enough already for the person she used to be? For years she’d been so careful to adhere to every rule for life and living. It was as though it didn’t even matter.

Eric’s mouth curled up into a sad smile. “I really am sorry you’re caught up in this, Mackenzie. I know it’s the last thing you need. But I’m sure the police will resolve it quickly, and Aaron will make sure you’re safe in the meantime.”

He shouldn’t be sorry. She was the one who’d gotten herself in this mess in the first place. It might have been a case of wrong place/wrong time that caused her to witness a double homicide. But she’d only been there because she’d thought being famous was the ultimate life. Now that the man she testified against had been killed in prison, she should have been able to get on with her life.

Would she ever be free?

Mackenzie squeezed her eyes shut. It was as though God wasn’t done punishing her for her selfishness. She read her Bible every day, and when she had made up for what she’d done in her former life, then she would allow herself to fully accept what Jesus had done for her.

“You can trust him, Mackenzie. Aaron won’t let anything happen to you.”

“He’s right. I won’t.”

Aaron filled the doorway. Mackenzie stared at him, trying to figure out what it was that made him so much more compelling than his brother. It couldn’t be physical. She chuckled. “You really look a lot alike.”

* * *

Aaron glanced at Eric, and they both shook their heads. He’d never seen what people meant when they said that. Apart from the blond hair and blue eyes, their similar features, they were completely different. Aaron’s nose had been broken more times than he could remember since he first went skydiving on his eighteenth birthday, whereas Eric liked to read.

Aaron turned to his brother. “You have the picture of the guy after Mackenzie?”

Eric nodded and handed Aaron a file. Clearly he hadn’t liked the idea of showing Aaron a picture of the brother of the man she put in jail, but Aaron didn’t want the guy walking up to Mackenzie on the street and pulling a gun before he even recognized the threat. “You know I don’t like going in blind. Ever.”

Eric shrugged, as though Aaron’s discomfort didn’t much bother him. “And you know I can’t tell you anything. If Mackenzie wants to share, that’s up to her. But legally I can’t divulge the details of her case. We don’t even know for sure the shooting is related. In fact, I’m with the police on this one. I don’t think this is anything more than someone with a grudge against the center. Albeit a dangerous grudge.”

Mackenzie came around the desk. “So I can tell Aaron about me if I want, but I don’t have to and you’re not going to?”

Eric nodded. “In this instance, it would be okay for you to tell him. And, honestly, he can better protect you if he knows.”

Great. Aaron wanted the details. How was he supposed to protect her when he didn’t even know what the threat was? And she wanted to keep her secrets? That had the potential to kill both of them.

Aaron glared at her and then said to Eric, “I need to know.”

Only Eric didn’t look as if he was going to give it up. He said, “I can’t even confirm whether or not the woman in this room is, in fact, in the witness protection program. As far as you know, she’s a friend of mine who has a man in her life who wants to do her harm.”

“Right.” Aaron studied the photo in the file. Middle-aged man, Hispanic, his hair sprinkled with gray. Aaron committed the image to memory the way he’d done with so many photos of targets before, and then passed the file back to Eric.

“You need anything else?”

“Can’t think of anything.” If Mackenzie wasn’t going to tell him, Aaron would have to get the information some other way.

Although he would settle for a shoulder that didn’t scream with fire every time he moved it the wrong way.

Eric frowned. “I’m sorry I can’t tell you how long this will take. I have to go on as if nothing is wrong until we find the leak, but if we hit the point when you have to go back on base, we’ll have to deal with that when it comes.”

“I called my C.O. this morning, so he knows that for the time being I’m involved in something.” And hadn’t that been a fun conversation? His commanding officer was known for his brevity, but at least Aaron now knew that Franklin wasn’t doing any better than he’d been before Aaron went on leave.

“My lunch break is almost over.” Eric turned to Mackenzie. “Be safe, okay? Listen to Aaron. He knows what he’s talking about.”

* * *

The door shut. Silence stretched out into a minute as Mackenzie and Aaron stared at each other. He looked as though he was expecting something, but she didn’t know what. Or she just didn’t want to admit she might know what he wanted her to say.

There was a light knock at the door.

“Kenzie?” Eva stuck her head in and glanced between Mackenzie and Aaron. Her full lips tipped up on one side in a half smile. Mackenzie’s friend was probably more than confused about the second of two strange men she’d seen with Mackenzie today. “You okay, girl?”

Blood raced through Mackenzie’s veins, and her cheeks warmed. “Sure.”

Eva’s eyes gleamed. She’d be digging later to find out who Mackenzie’s male visitors were. Why couldn’t her life be boring? Instead Mackenzie had been dragged into this strange play where she didn’t know her lines.

“What’s up?”

“We’re a teacher short. Chris had to rush out. The day care called, and his son, Tim, is puking everywhere. The kids in the blue room are waiting for their voice lesson. I need you to cover.”

“No. I can’t do it.” Paperwork, yes. Answering phones, yes. Fund-raising, no problem. Sing in front of people again? No way. That could get her killed.

Eva’s lips thinned. “There’s no one else.”

Mackenzie glanced at Aaron, but he was pressing buttons on his phone and hadn’t seen Eva’s face. She looked back at her friend. Eva was the opposite of everything Mackenzie tried to be—sparkly and loud. But right then Mackenzie’s closest friend—which wasn’t saying much, since they usually only saw each other at work—wasn’t happy, to say the least.

“I can’t do it.”

“Kenzie, do you think I don’t know what you’re hiding? Do you think I haven’t figured it out?”

“I—” It wasn’t possible. Mackenzie had worked too hard for too long for her secret to get out now. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Girl...I heard you sing.”

“What?” Mackenzie sucked in a breath. “When?”

“Do you think I’m stupid?”

“Of course not.” How could Eva think that?

The other woman’s eyes softened. “About a month ago I left my phone here. It was late when I came back to get it. I heard you, playing piano and singing to yourself.”

Mackenzie didn’t know what to say. It didn’t spell total disaster, but her voice was distinctive. She had assumed she’d be safe just working in the office. After all, she’d set the center up. Wasn’t that enough to balance the scales? She’d come to terms with the fact that music couldn’t be part of her life anymore, except in secret. Now she wouldn’t be able to sing at all, not even when she thought everyone was gone.

Why did that hurt?

Eva’s head tipped to the side. “You know, you kind of sound like—”

Please don’t say it. “I know.”

“They’re already in the blue room waiting. Please. There’s no one else.”

Mackenzie sighed. “There’s a ton of work to do in here.”

It was an excuse, but she had no interest in being the person she used to be. Not again. And she would do everything she could not to fall back into that trap of selfish, wild living. The only thing those days of youth had done was set her on a collision course with this life of hiding and secrets.

“Kenzie—”

She bit her lip. “Okay. I’ll go and oversee things. They can practice, and I’ll just make sure it doesn’t get out of control.”

But there was no way she was going to sing in front of the kids. No way on earth.

Eva beamed as if it was Christmas morning. “Great.”

Mackenzie rolled her eyes, but Eva didn’t see because she’d already breezed out the door. It was only one class. Surely disaster couldn’t happen that fast.

“Hold up a second.”

Aaron stopped her with a hand on her arm. Mackenzie looked down at his fingers on the sleeve of her sweater. She could feel his heat through the material and it struck her that she’d never felt anything so warm. His hands were strong, his nails trimmed short, and his little finger was bent as though it’d been broken and not quite set straight.

She looked up at his face. “The kids are waiting.”

“We still need to have a conversation. I know what Eric said, but if I’m going to have the best shot at protecting you, then I need to know what happened.”

“Fine.” Even though Mackenzie had no intention of telling him anything about who she used to be.

He apparently didn’t buy it, because he said, “If you don’t, I will absolutely walk. I have to know what I’m up against.” The hint of a smile gleamed in his eyes. “Who knows, I might surprise you.”

“I don’t like surprises.”

FOUR

Aaron leaned back against the wall, listening to a teen girl singing. There really was no other way to keep an eye on Mackenzie without it looking as if he was doing exactly that. Diligence was the only thing that paid off. Faith in a higher being to solve all his problems was nothing but a childish dream. Not when in one split second everything could go wrong and no matter how hard he tried to fix it, someone still got hurt.

He rubbed a hand down his face, dismissing the memories of heat and sand...and blood.

He loved the spontaneity of being Delta Force, though there was a shelf life to the career. Retreating just didn’t sit well with him, but when it was that or put his teammates in danger because he couldn’t admit he was slowing down...there wasn’t anything to it. When the time came, Aaron would just finish up his days and move on with the confidence he’d done his duty to Uncle Sam.