Overwhelming Force Read online

  Chapter Four

  Joe watched Laura hurry down the corridor between the bank and the coffee shop next door then round a corner. He wanted to run after her, to stop her, to explain.

  To explain what, exactly? That he’d been a jerk six years ago?

  Seemed evident she already understood that pretty clearly.

  How about that he’d been a fool? That he’d realized long ago how stupid he’d been to let her go? That Laura’s honesty, authenticity and love for life had been something he’d missed day in and day out for six years?

  Perhaps he could tell her that he’d nearly called her dozens of times. Had stood outside her house in Colorado Springs like a stalker more times than would make anyone comfortable. That every time he got a little tipsy out with friends it was her number he wanted to drunk-text.

  That he’d never stopped dreaming about her even when he’d forced his mind not to think of her while awake.

  When he’d seen her holding that baby today, an icy panic had gripped his heart. Because she’d been in danger, but more because he’d thought he’d been too late to right his wrongs. She’d met someone else and fallen in love and made sweet beautiful babies.

  When Brooke had stood up and taken the baby from Laura and he’d realized they weren’t Laura’s children, something had snapped into place for him. He hadn’t realized it at that moment but he sure as hell realized it now.

  He wasn’t waiting any longer. He had to make things right with Laura. He didn’t know why he’d waited until now to start trying.

  By her own admission Laura wasn’t married or seeing anyone. Joe planned to change that. If he could convince her to forgive him. That was a huge if.

  But he planned to try. Fate, in the form of two moronic bank robbers, had brought them back together. It gave him the perfect opening to ease back into her life, to apologize in every way he knew how. And think of a few new creative ways if needed.

  That would be his pleasure.

  And if he couldn’t talk her into giving their relationship a try, he could at least prove himself a friend to her. To erase from his mind forever that haunted, shattered look that had taken over her features when he’d let the press and gossip columns get the best of him and convince him he could do better than Laura Birchwood.

  News flash: he couldn’t.

  He wouldn’t blame her if she would never become romantically involved with him again, but he was going to try to convince her.

  Starting tonight. He’d take a note from his get-whatever-I-want past playbook and follow her home. He’d charm her into going out with him.

  He began walking back toward the bank. As soon as he cleared the building he could feel eyes on him. Press and bystanders were all taking pictures and recording the scene and him. Most weren’t looking at him, just knew something exciting had happened at the bank.

  But a few people in the crowd knew who he was. He could feel eyes following him in particular. It never failed to make him a little uncomfortable when people seemed to be hostage “groupies.”

  Derek, Lillian and Jon were talking to the sheriff when Joe walked up to them.

  “We’ll get the rest of the statements and proceed from there. It looks like the manager and assistant manager of the bank were the only ones injured and neither of them seriously.” Jon nodded at Joe in greeting.

  That was good. Hopefully the judge would take that into consideration when sentencing Ricky and Bobby, aka Mitchell and Michael Goldman.

  “Lillian, Joe and I are going to head back to Omega HQ since you seem to have everything under control,” Derek said, shaking the sheriff’s hand.

  “I’m going to stay around for the rest of the evening, if that’s okay,” Jon told the sheriff. “I work crisis management in a lot of cases for Omega and may be able to help you with press or any questions you have.”

  “We appreciate Omega sending you so quickly.” Sheriff Richardson turned to Joe. “And we especially appreciate what you did in there. That you kept it from becoming bloody.”

  Joe shook the man’s outstretched hand. “The Goldman brothers didn’t really want to harm anybody in my opinion. They just made some bad decisions, which led to panicking and more bad decisions.”

  “Either way, me and my men are thankful for how the situation got handled today. I’m sure the hostages are, too.”

  Jon and Sheriff Richardson turned back toward the bank while Lillian, Derek and Joe began walking the blocks to where the helicopter had been landed.

  “Alright, mission completed. Let’s get home,” Derek said.

  Lillian nodded as they began to make their way up to the roof. Joe wanted to move quicker, to rush them, so he could get back to HQ and back to Laura. But he knew it wouldn’t accomplish anything but cause them to dig into why he was in such a hurry. Joe was rarely in a hurry.

  But getting to Laura, seeing her again? Touching her again in any way she would allow...

  His urgency continued to grow.

  He wanted to give her as little time as possible to fortify walls against him. That was why he was going to see her tonight.

  Derek rode in the copilot seat next to Lillian, leaving Joe in the back by himself. That was fine. He felt some of the pressure inside him start to loosen as the overhead blades began to whirl and they became airborne.

  “Hey, did anyone get video footage of Matarazzo in just his undies?” Lillian asked. “I didn’t have a great view from where I was in the elevator shaft.”

  “Oh, you better believe it, sister.” Derek’s amusement was obvious. “I wouldn’t want anyone at Omega to miss that.”

  Joe didn’t even care.

  * * *

  LAURA WALKED INTO her small house in Fountain, Colorado, just south of Colorado Springs, an hour and a half after leaving Joe standing by the side of the bank building.

  What a day. She didn’t know which shook her more, two idiots running around with guns or facing Joe again.

  She was a liar; she knew which shook her more. But she had kept it together, talked to him reasonably, calmly, like an adult.

  And then turned and ran away like a five-year-old.

  Laura sighed. She could’ve handled the situation with more aplomb, more pride, more professionalism—all of which seemed to have evacuated her presence when Joe entered her personal space. Thank goodness that only happened every six years so far.

  She changed out of her business suit of a black pencil skirt and blazer coupled with a white blouse and slipped on brown leggings and a chunky-knit, cream-colored sweater. She looked at herself in the mirror. The person she saw looking back at her didn’t cause her to cringe or turn away. Laura knew who she was. Not gorgeous by any stretch of the imagination, but she was reasonably attractive—brown hair, hazel eyes, a nose just a touch too small, lips a touch too big. Her five-foot-four-inch frame was just average. As a matter of fact everything about her looks was just sort of average.

  Nobody was going to stop and follow her down the streets whistling and catcalling because of her looks, but no one was ever going to run away screaming either.

  It was only when you placed her against the backdrop of someone as gorgeous as, say, Joe Matarazzo, that anyone looked at Laura and used words like plain Jane, doleful, or reverse beauty and the beast.

  All of those had been said about her when she’d dated Joe. Mostly by people in gossip blogs. Joe had told her to ignore all press, so she had. She thought he had, too. Until he’d proved otherwise by ending their relationship so suddenly.

  That had hurt, mostly because the blow had been so unexpected.

  When they’d first met she’d expected it. She’d worked nights waiting tables so she could go to law school during the day. He’d come in with a couple of buddies and flirted outrageously. She’d laughed him off, not taking him even
the least bit seriously.

  After all, how could someone who looked like Joe Matarazzo be interested in someone like her?

  But he’d pursued her. Her twenty-three-year-old, slightly socially awkward self hadn’t had a chance against Joe when he’d set his sights on her.

  And she would admit, he didn’t have to pursue her long. She gave in. When else would she get the opportunity to have a fling with someone like Joe? He’d been handsome and charming and popular, and the sparks had flown.

  She’d been expecting the blow then, too. Once he’d gotten what he’d wanted physically, she thought he’d be gone. But he’d stayed.

  Laura knew she had her perks: she was focused and driven when it came to her career, but also cared about people. She tried to be honest and live by the golden rule. But she definitely wasn’t someone who would be labeled as witty, or the life of the party, or a breathtaking beauty.

  She didn’t think she’d keep Joe’s attention for long. But when weeks had turned into months and he was still always around, she’d started to believe their relationship was going somewhere.

  She’d let her guard down. Let herself believe he was falling for her the way she was falling for him.

  That had made the unexpected blow so much harder to take when it finally came. When he’d called off the relationship after they’d been together just over six months, with no warning at all.

  Laura straightened as she focused on her reflection in the mirror, smoothing her sweater down. That was all in the past. No more thinking about Joe Matarazzo. Fate had dumped them together today, but that didn’t mean anything.

  The doorbell rang and Laura checked the clock. It must be little Brad next door. The seven-year-old sometimes came over to play video games on the weekends. His father was deployed in the military and his mom had her hands full with his three-year-old twin sisters.

  Good. An hour’s worth of Mario Kart would cure whatever ailed her.

  She bounded down the stairs and swung by and opened the door, not stopping to look at Brad on her way to the kitchen. She needed some fortification if she was going to take on the neighbor boy. He was a fiend at the driving game.

  “Brad, come on in. I’m going to throw a frozen pizza in the oven. It’s all over for you tonight, kiddo. No amount of coins or stunt boosts are going to save you this time.”

  “I’m not sure what stunt boosts are, but I guess I better learn if they’re needed to save me.”

  Not Brad’s voice. Joe’s voice. Laura dropped the pizza on the counter and walked back to her foyer.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “You don’t sound as excited to see me as you did about seeing Brad.” Joe’s smile was charming, gorgeous. Laura had to force herself not to give in to the appeal, to keep her expression cool.

  “That may be because the most hurtful thing Brad has ever done to me was launch a red koopa shell at my Mario Kart vehicle.” She turned back toward the kitchen. “And even then he felt pretty bad about it.”

  “Laura...”

  Turning her back to him had been a mistake. His long legs had closed the distance between them quickly and silently and now he was right behind her.

  “What do you want, Joe?”

  He touched her gently on the arm. It was totally unfair that she could still feel sparks of attraction where his skin touched hers. She didn’t turn around.

  “Seeing you today... I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I—”

  “Apology accepted. You can go.”

  It hurt Laura to say the words. But it was better this way.

  Joe was quiet for a long time before coming around to stand in front of her. “You have every right not to ever talk to me again. But let me just take you out one time. Let the person I’ve become in the last six years talk to the person you’ve become.”

  He reached down and grasped her hands; she could feel his thumbs stroking the back of her palms. “We’re not the same people we were then, Laura. I don’t expect you to get involved with me, but I would appreciate it a great deal if you would just let me take you out one time to apologize for my stupidity then.”

  His clear blue eyes were sincere. His face pleading, engaging. A curl of sandy brown hair fell over his forehead as he gazed down at her, and hope lit his features. Laura couldn’t resist him when he was like this. Nobody could resist him when he was like this.

  Like you were the center of his world.

  But she’d been here before. She couldn’t forget that. This time she’d take some control. She thought about just cooking the pizza she’d gotten out and feeding them both that. Letting him say what he had to say. But being trapped inside a house with him where there was a bed, or a bathtub, or the couch or the kitchen floor nearby was probably not a good idea.

  “Fine,” she told him, her breath escaping her body when his worried look turned into one of joy, lighting up his eyes. “I’ll go out with you. But no place fancy. No romance and candles. As a matter of fact, I’ll pick the place.”

  His suppressed half smile only added to his charm. Damn him. “Yes, ma’am.”

  She poked him in his chest. “And you keep your hands to yourself. You got that?”

  His smile turned downright wicked.

  She was in trouble.

  Chapter Five

  Joe seemed different. An hour later, sitting in the restaurant where they’d first met when she’d been a waitress and he’d come in with his friends after a night of partying, she had to admit he wasn’t the same man she’d known six years ago.

  He’d grown up.

  Although he was two years older, in their previous relationship Laura had always been the more mature one. Now Joe seemed more balanced, more focused. She had no doubt of the cause for that.

  “So Omega Sector, huh?” She leaned back against the booth across from him, having finished her meal, and took a sip of her wine. “I never would’ve pegged you for law enforcement.”

  “I didn’t have much education, but I had a pretty developed skill set. I decided to see if I could put that to use.”

  Laura raised her eyebrow. She definitely remembered certain skills Joe had, but was pretty sure that wasn’t what he meant. She tugged at her sweater feeling a little overheated. “Oh yeah?”

  “I had a very observant, honest friend who pointed out to me that I had more potential than to just be a trust fund baby. That I had skills in observation, listening, adaptability. That I was calm under pressure and that people genuinely seemed to like me.”

  Laura’s eyes snapped to his face. She had said that to him. Had truly believed it. But she hadn’t dreamed he would take her words and change his whole life.

  “Wow,” she whispered.

  “Yeah, wow.” He took a sip of his wine. “I repaid the favor by saying some of the cruelest, most ridiculous words that have ever left my mouth. Ever left anybody’s mouth.”

  “Joe...”

  He reached over and grasped her hand. “I want to make sure you know I’m sorry. That a day has not gone by where I haven’t regretted those words. I’ve nearly called you or come to your house dozens of times, but—”

  “Joe.” She stopped him, shaking her head. “You were right. About us. About me not being the right type of woman for you. You were right.”

  “No.” The hand not holding hers hit the table just loud enough to cause her to jump. “I was not right. Whatever the opposite of right is, that’s what I was.”

  Laura couldn’t help but smile. “Wrong?”

  Joe laughed and sat back, releasing her hand, the tension easing from his face. “Yeah, wrong. Wrong to let myself be convinced of it, wrong to say it, wrong not to have apologized for it before now.”

  Laura was not one to hold a grudge. She’d learned long ago that bitterness against him only hu
rt herself and had let it go.

  “Well, I accept your apology and even appreciate it. What you said, what those gossip sites said, helped me turn a corner. I realized I was never going to be beautiful, but that I could at least make more of an effort. Style my hair, wear more makeup, make more attractive clothing choices.”

  Joe’s jaw got tight as he studied her. “You look great now, but you were fine just like you were.”

  “I was...comfortable just like I was. But I realized when I started my own law firm how important a professional image was. Like it or not, studies show that attractiveness affects your level of trustworthiness and credibility with people. I needed to change my image.”

  His expression grew pained. “Laura—”

  She smiled at him. She wasn’t trying to make him feel bad—the opposite in fact. She wanted him to know that what had happened between them had helped her. “I’m just trying to say that I grew from the situation, like you did.”

  “But—”

  “No more talk about the past. Okay? Or at least that part. We were young. We were stupid. Let’s just agree and move on.”

  He looked like he was going to say something more but stopped and nodded.

  Joe told her about some of the training he’d had to do to become an Omega Sector agent and some of his exploits since joining them. Laura told him about her law firm and how it had grown over the last year.

  The words flowed easily. Lightly. This was how it had always been between the two of them: comfortable, relaxed. Only when other people had entered the equation had it gotten difficult and complicated.

  Laura became aware of eyes on them partway through their conversation but tried to ignore it. Someone like Joe always had eyes on him. How could women not stare, even if they didn’t know who he was? But Laura didn’t like it. Didn’t like the thoughts that began to enter her head. Were they wondering what Joe was doing with someone like her?

  Amazing how the blackness could creep in unbidden. No one had said anything; maybe no one was even thinking anything, but Laura could already feel her confidence plummet. She picked at the food she’d ordered, no longer able to enjoy the meal.