Fearless: (McIntyre Security Bodyguard Series - Book 2) Page 17

  I glance at Lia. She’s watching the woman too, with a guarded expression.

  I poke Lia in the ribs with my elbow. “Who is that?”

  She grimaces. “I told you this was a bad idea, Beth.”

  “Never mind that. Just tell me who she is.”

  When Lia doesn’t answer me, I reach for my door handle, fully intending to confront this woman to find out why she’s in my house.

  But Lia lays her hand over mine, stopping me. “Calm your jets, Beth. Her name is Caroline Palmer. She works for McIntyre Security.”

  “What is she doing in my house?”

  Lia shrugs. “She’s living there at the moment.”

  “Since when?”

  “Since Shane moved her in right after you got out of the hospital. She’s your stand-in.”

  “My what? Why do I need a stand-in?” I’m not even sure I know what that means.

  “Your stand-in. So Kline thinks you’re still living there. We don’t want him to know you’ve moved out. As long as he thinks you’re living here, he won’t go looking for you elsewhere.”

  Oh, my God. Some poor woman who happens to look like me has put herself in danger because of me. “This is crazy.”

  Lia doesn’t look happy either. But apparently, she’s got other problems on her mind. “Shane’s not going to be happy about this. He didn’t want you to know.”

  “Well, that’s too bad.”

  I give the driver Shane’s office building address, and we head downtown. I’ve had enough of Shane doing things without telling me. I know he’s just trying to protect me, but I’m not a child who needs protecting.

  Chapter 23

  When the cab pulls up to the front of Shane’s office building, I jump out and head inside at a good clip, leaving Lia to settle the fare. As the elevator takes me up to Shane’s floor, I contemplate what I’m going to say to him. I’m not mad really, because I know he’s just trying to protect me. But I don’t like being kept in the dark about things that pertain directly to my life. He has to start letting me in on the decision-making. He has to stop sheltering me like this.

  I smile at Diane as I reach her desk. The door to Shane’s office is closed. “Hi, Diane.”

  “Hello, Beth,” she says, smiling. “What can I do for you?”

  I glance at Shane’s door. “Is he in?”

  “Yes, he is. He’s in a meeting, though.” She frowns, as she’s not sure what to do.

  I blow out a frustrated breath, because I’m anxious to talk to him. “Who’s he meeting with? Is it a client?”

  “No. Cooper and Jake.”

  Perfect! Just the people I need to talk to. “Then I’m sure he won’t mind if I interrupt.”

  With that, I walk up to his door, knock twice, then open it. Shane is seated at his desk, and Cooper and Jake are sitting in the chairs facing him. Shane freezes mid-sentence, and Cooper and Jake turn to see who’s interrupting their meeting.

  I step inside the room and shut the door behind me. “Hello, gentlemen.”

  Shane rises, straightening his jacket. “Hi, sweetheart. Come on in.”

  There’s a sharp rap on the door just before Lia pushes it open and jogs into the room, a little short of breath. “Sorry, Shane. I tried to stop her, but in case you haven’t noticed, she’s a little pigheaded. Short of sitting on her, there wasn’t much I could do.” Lia points an accusing finger at me. “And you – don’t run off like that again, or I will sit on you.”

  I hear Jake chuckling as Shane eyes his sister. “Stop her from doing what?”

  “This should be good,” Jake says, and Shane shoots him a quelling glance.

  I’m losing patience with all of them. “From visiting my own house, that’s what!”

  Shane’s expression is carefully neutral, giving absolutely nothing away.

  “I saw her, Shane. Why didn’t you tell me there’s a woman – a woman who looks just like me – living in my house?”

  “Sweetheart – ”

  “No. Don’t sweetheart me. Just answer the question.”

  “Guys, do you mind?” Shane nods pointedly at the door.

  “That’s my cue,” Lia says, heading for the door. “I’m off duty now. She’s all yours, pal.”

  Jake and Cooper stand.

  “No, wait!” I know they all have information about Kline and my house and the woman who looks like me. “You guys, stay.”

  Shane crosses his arms. “Beth – ”

  “No! Listen, all of you. I’m done with being left in the dark. I want some answers, starting now. Who’s the woman living in my townhouse?”

  Shane lets out a sigh. “Her name’s Caroline Palmer. She works for me.”

  “I know her name. What I want to know is why she’s living in my house.” I can’t bear the thought of that woman being in danger because of me.

  “She’s a decoy, Beth,” Jake says, crossing his arms as he leans back against Shane’s desk. “She’s staying in your townhouse because we don’t want Kline to know you moved out.”

  “That’s dangerous,” I say. “She could get hurt living there, because of me.”

  Cooper shakes his head. “Caroline knows how to take care of herself. Besides, she’s not there alone. She has backup with her in the townhouse at all times. The risk is minimal.”

  “I don’t like people putting themselves at risk for me.”

  “Sweetheart.” Shane walks up to me and pulls me into his arms. “There’s nothing to worry about. Besides, it won’t be for much longer.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because Kline’s getting bold,” Jake says. “He’s casing your townhouse, and it’s only a matter of time before he makes his move. And when he does, we’ll be ready for him.”

  “What’s the plan?” I say that because I know there’s a plan. There has to be. These guys always have a plan.

  Jake looks to Shane, and Shane shakes his head.

  “She should know,” Jake says. “We’ll have a team in place, inside the townhouse. When Kline breaks in, assuming he’s armed, which I’m sure he will be, we’ll neutralize the problem, once and for all.”

  “You mean kill him. Can you do that?” I look from Jake to Shane for confirmation of my suspicions.

  Shane nods. “If he breaks into your home, armed, then whoever’s in that house has the legal right to defend himself.”

  “Or herself,” I say, thinking of the woman living there now.

  Shane nods. “Or herself, yes.”

  “Kline’s actively casing the townhouse, Beth,” Jake says. “He’s been checking out the front of the building during the daytime, as well as the garage in the alley. We think he’s getting ready to make a move. When he does, we’ll have a team in place to respond.”

  I nod. “So, who’s this team going to be?”

  “Jake and I, plus a couple other guys,” Shane says. “Plus, Caroline will likely be there since Kline would only break in if he thinks she’s there.”

  “What about me?” I say. “I want to be there, too.”

  Shane shakes his head. “Absolutely out of the question. When this goes down, you’ll either be in the penthouse or at the estate. You will not be at the townhouse.”

  I recognize the look on Shane’s face – it’s his adamant face. I could argue with him until I’m blue in the face, and it wouldn’t do a bit of good. So I back off, for now. But this conversation’s not over, as far as I’m concerned.

  Shane checks his watch. “It’s getting late, guys. Time to call it a day.”

  * * *

  I wake up in the middle of the night and wander into the kitchen. It’s terribly cold, and my skin is covered with goose bumps. I rub my bare arms in an attempt to warm myself.

  When I look down, I’m surprised to see I’m naked. That’s odd. I’d never walk through the penthouse naked – there are usually other people staying here, too.

  I hear a sound behind me and turn.

  At first, I just stare at the man standing in our kitchen – a stranger in our apartment. I shake my head. “This is Shane’s apartment. You shouldn’t be here.”

  He’s a big man. Not tall, but stocky, broad in the chest and hips, and his belly is so huge his filthy white t-shirt can’t cover it completely. He’s wearing stained jeans and ratty old sneakers. How in the world did this guy get past Shane’s security measures?

  I glance at his face, thinking I should recognize him, but I don’t. His face is round, his jowls heavy. His eyes are blood-shot and watery, with heavy bags underneath. Thin gray hair hangs dankly to the side of his head, and his face is covered with gray stubble.

  My heart starts hammering in my chest, and I look around for Shane, but I don’t see him.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” I repeat, shaking my head at the stranger.

  When he speaks, his voice sounds like crushed gravel. “I’ve waited a long time for you.”

  I may not recognize his face, but I certainly recognize the voice. That awful, grating voice has been haunting my dreams for eighteen years.

  I tell myself it’s just a dream, to relax. He can’t hurt me. But my natural inclination for self-preservation kicks in, and I take a couple of steps back. I stumble when he lunges forward to grab me. He has a roll of black electrical tape in his hand, just like before.

  “Shane!” I scream as loudly as I can and back out of the kitchen. “Shane!”

  I turn and run, but he’s right behind me. He grabs my neck and pushes me face down on the dining room table. He yanks my hands behind my back and wraps them with the electrical tape. The table top is ice cold against my bare breasts and belly. He kicks my legs apart, and I feel cold air brushing against my hot core.

  “No!”

  “Yes!” he shouts. “I’ve waited a God-damned long time for this!”

  I scream with everything I have.

  I feel thick, calloused fingers prodding between my legs, poking at me and hurting me. He kicks my legs farther apart. I hear the hiss of his zipper going down, and my entire body shudders in revulsion when his hairy thighs press up against my naked backside. I can feel the blunt head of his cock searching for my opening.

  I scream and thrash, fighting to free myself, but then he grabs my hair and lifts my head off the table, then slams it back down on the hard surface, stunning me senseless.

  I start crying.

  Chapter 24

  “God damn it, Beth, wake up!”

  Someone grabs my shoulders and shakes me hard. I fight back, unsure if I’m dreaming or awake. My throat feels shredded and my head is throbbing. It’s never been this bad before.

  “Look at me, Beth!”

  I open my eyes and bolt upright into a sitting position, gasping for air. Shane leans over to the nightstand and grabs my inhaler from out of the top drawer. He gives it a quick shake before shoving it between my parted lips. “Here! Inhale!”

  My hands are shaking as I hold the inhaler to my mouth and suck in a deep breath. I sit there trembling as the medicine begins to take effect and I feel the vise gripping my chest begin to relax. When I’m done, Shane takes the inhaler from me, and I fall back weakly onto the bed and close my eyes. I take a hesitant breath.

  He lies down beside me and draws me into his arms and holds me tight. I’m shivering, cold as ice, and I gravitate toward the heat of his body.

  “Sweetheart, talk to me.” His voice is low, and he sounds as shaken as I feel.

  I shake my head and press my face against his bare chest, holding onto him for dear life. I’m so sick of this. I’m sick of these nightmares, of being terrorized in my sleep. I’m embarrassed and ashamed that he sees me like this. The poor man can’t ever get a solid night’s sleep.

  He rubs my back, warming me and comforting me at the same time. “It’s all right. You’re safe. Now tell me about it. You know that helps.”

  My voice is muffled against his chest as I reluctantly tell him. “He was here, in our apartment.”

  Shane tightens his arms on me. “He can’t get in here, I promise.”

  “He tried to rape me.”

  “Ah, fuck.”

  “I could feel him trying to push inside me.” I shudder, feeling sick at the memory. Then I pull back and look up into his face, frantic. “Where is he, Shane? Right now, where is he?”

  Shane grabs his phone from the top of the nightstand and pulls up a company app. After pressing a couple buttons, he shows me the screen and a real-time report provided by the surveillance team. I see a red push pin symbol on a map indicating Kline’s current location.

  “Where is that?” My voice is so hoarse from screaming that I don’t even recognize it.

  Shane zooms in on the map, switching to a street-side view. The pin hovers over a run-down, single-story business in a strip mall. “It’s a hole-in-the-wall bar, on the south side,” he says. “He’s nowhere near us.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, honey, I’m sure.”

  The tension seeps out of me, and I wilt. We both jump when there’s a quiet knock on our bedroom door.

  “Shit.” Shane clears his throat. “Come in.”

  The door opens slowly, and Cooper steps inside our room. He looks half asleep. “She okay? I heard her all the way down the hall.”

  Shane nods, pulling me closer. “She’s just a little shaken. It was a bad one. She dreamt Kline was here in the apartment.”

  Cooper frowns as he approaches the bed. I realize I’m naked, and the sheet’s down around my waist. Shane pulls it up to cover my breasts. Cooper sits on Shane’s side of the bed and reaches over Shane to pat my leg through the blanket. “It’s okay, kiddo. You know we won’t let him get to you.”

  Shane and Cooper eye each other, neither saying a word. They don’t have to.

  Cooper pats my leg again. “Try to get some sleep, Beth.” Then he rises and heads out of our room, closing the door quietly behind him.

  Shane settles down beside me and kisses my temple. “You heard the man. Try to get some sleep.”

  But I’m afraid if I close my eyes, I’ll see that monster in my dreams again. “I can’t.”

  “Look at me, Beth.”

  When I do what Shane asks, I’m stunned by what I see in his expression. He leans forward and kisses me gently on my lips.

  “I won’t let him hurt you. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  “It’s not that easy. I can still feel him, touching me, trying to push inside me.” I shudder. “I can’t shut it off.”

  He contemplates me for a moment, then he rolls me over onto my belly and draws the sheet down to my waist. His fingers are warm as they drift over my back, gently caressing my skin. Then he sits up and begins massaging my back, his hands firm, yet gentle as he coaxes my muscles to loosen up. “Just relax, and let your mind go.”

  I groan with pleasure as his hands stroke my back and shoulders and neck, sending waves of warmth flowing through my body.

  I feel his warm breath stirring my hair as he leans down to whisper in my ear. “Close your eyes and relax. I’ll watch over you.”

  I do close my eyes, knowing I’m safe with Shane standing guard. He talks to me, his voice low and soothing. My eye lids are heavy from exhaustion, and I can’t quite make out the words, but that’s okay. His voice will keep the demons away, at least for tonight.

  I’ll worry about tomorrow when the time comes.

  * * *

  Surprisingly, Shane’s still asleep when I awake. The sun is out in full force, lighting our room, so I know we both overslept. I reach for my phone on my nightstand and glance at the time. Nine o’clock! I’m supposed to be at the bookstore in an hour, but the thought of getting up right now is more than I want to contemplate.

  Shane and I are wrapped in each other’s arms, and he has a tight hold on me, as if he’s afraid I might slip away in the night.

  Bits and pieces of my nightmare return to me slowly, as if my brain is shielding me from remembering too much too quickly.

  I lay quietly, watching the rise and fall of Shane’s broad chest. His body really is beautiful, and I could lie here and gaze at him for hours. His warm, golden skin stretches tautly over chiseled muscles and lovely bones. He’s such a strong man, both physically and emotionally, and I think about how much I’ve come to rely on him. How much I need him. The love I feel for him makes my chest ache.

  I run my fingertips through the crinkly brown hair on his chest, following the path where it converges over his abdomen and trails down to his groin, where there’s a patch of thick, dark wiry hair at the root of his penis. As I study him, his penis twitches and lengthens right before my eyes. Good grief, the man wakes up primed for sex.

  “Good morning.” His voice is a quiet, low rumble close to my ear.

  I place a gentle kiss on the curve of his shoulder. “Thank you for last night.”

  He lifts my hand and kisses my fingertips. “I’ll always be here when you need me.”

  I can’t help smiling at his gallantry. He always seems to know the right thing to say. “Shane?”

  “Hmm?”

  Now he’s kissing the pads of my fingertips, and I’m having trouble following my own train of thought. “What if the nightmares never stop?”

  He shrugs. “Maybe once he’s gone for good, they’ll stop.”

  “Maybe.” But as much as I want Kline gone, I’m afraid for Shane. I know he’s planning something, but what if it goes wrong? What if Shane gets hurt? Or what if he’s charged with a crime and ends up in prison? I couldn’t bear that. “I don’t want you to do anything risky. Please, Shane, promise me.”

  He kisses my forehead. “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”

  But I can’t shake a premonition that something might go wrong. “I want to be there when it happens. I’ve lived my entire life hostage to this monster, and I want to see with my own eyes that he’s no longer a threat.”

  He’s pensive for a moment, and then he looks me in the eye. “I can understand your need to be there, Beth, but I can’t let you. Please, I’m asking you to trust me. Let me handle this for you. This is what I do. I eliminate threats. And I will eliminate Kline. You have my word on it.”

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