Fearless: (McIntyre Security Bodyguard Series - Book 2) Page 28

  Cooper brings me a tumbler with an inch of what I assume is whisky. “Here. Drink this.”

  I swallow it down, gasping as it burns a path down my aching throat. I don’t care. I demand a refill, and that one follows the first, leaving me coughing and teary-eyed.

  Someone must have sent out an alert to the whole family, because it isn’t long before Liam and Jamie and Gus arrive at the penthouse, followed soon after by their sister Sophie, the buxom brunette beauty who lives nearby in a Lincoln Park condo. Of the McIntyre siblings, only Jake and Hannah are missing. Jake’s likely still at the townhouse, dealing with the coroner and monitoring the crime scene investigation. Their sister Hannah is away at college, living in Denver, Colorado.

  Sophie takes a seat in one of the chairs by the fire and smiles at me. “Hello, Beth. It’s good to see you again, although I wish it were under happier circumstances.”

  I smile at her, although I don’t know what to say. What can I say? I’m sorry your brother is in jail because of me?

  Jamie crouches down in front of me and takes hold of my hands, warming them in his. Jamie’s life has thrown him some difficult challenges, and yet he’s the one comforting me. “Don’t worry, Beth. Shane always lands on his feet. He’ll be okay.”

  I sit huddled beneath my blanket, feeling sick, my mind racing. I peer up at Cooper. “Have you heard anything from Troy yet?”

  “Just that he’s on his way to the police precinct where Shane’s being held.”

  Liam steps forward. “Do we know what he’s been charged with?”

  Cooper shakes his head. “Not yet. Hopefully we’ll know once Troy arrives.”

  If Shane is charged with murder... I don’t know what I’ll do. He did what he did to protect me. This is my fault.

  Liam starts a fire in the fireplace, and the warm, crackling glow of the flames is comforting. The lights are turned down low – it’s well after midnight now – and everyone’s seated near the fireplace, either on the sofa or on one of the several upholstered chairs, waiting for news.

  The whisky warms my belly, lulling me into a coma as I listen to the quiet murmurs of Shane’s family all around me. Lia’s seated beside me, and every once in a while she reaches over and pats my hip and tells me not to worry. How can I not worry when Shane’s in police custody?

  Cooper’s phone chimes, and I jump. Please, God, let it be news from Troy.

  After a brief and cryptic conversation, Cooper ends the call. But he doesn’t look very pleased. Everyone waits for an update.

  “That was Troy,” Cooper says. “Shane’s been booked, and they’ve moved him to the county jail.”

  My stomach plummets like a stone at the news.

  “On what charges?” Liam says.

  “Assaulting a police officer.”

  That shakes me out of my daze, making me sit up. “Tyler’s the one who started the fight! Shane was only defending himself!”

  Lia pats my knee. “Look at the bright side, Princess. They haven’t charged him with murder. An assault charge is nothing in comparison to that.”

  “Not yet, they haven’t,” Cooper says. “Give them time. The night’s still young.” He rises to his feet. “I need another beer.”

  Sitting here waiting and worrying is driving me nuts. “I want to go to the jail.” I have this burning desire to see Shane with my own eyes. To tell him I love him, and that I’m sorry for dragging him into my sordid life drama.

  Cooper shakes his head as he returns to his chair. “Shane would want you to remain here. Jake’s at the jail now, and so is Troy. That’s enough.”

  I must have dozed off on the couch. When I awake, I’m in Shane’s bed. Our bed. It’s still dark outside, so I haven’t slept for long. I get out of bed and walk in my rumpled clothing back into the great room. Lia is stretched out asleep on the sofa, and Cooper is seated in one of the upholstered chairs by the fire. The fire is nothing more than glowing embers now. Liam and Jamie and Sophie are gone.

  Cooper peers at me through tired, blood-shot eyes. “You should go back to bed, Beth. Staying up all night’s not going to help Shane. He’d want you to sleep.”

  “I can’t sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see Kline’s dead eyes staring up at me from a pool of blood.” I shudder. “Have you heard any more about Shane?”

  “Troy called a couple of times. They’re dragging their feet on filing the charges. I think Tyler’s just jerking his chain.”

  “How’s Shane?”

  Cooper shrugs. “He’s worried.”

  “About the charges?”

  “No. About you.”

  I need to call Tyler and ask him to put an end to this, but I have no idea where my phone is. In all the chaos, I must have left my purse in my bedroom closet at the townhouse. That was the last time I remember having it. “Can I use your phone?”

  Cooper hands me his phone, and I dial Tyler’s number. He answers on the second ring. Apparently, no one’s sleeping tonight. “Jamison.” His voice sounds rough. “Who is this?”

  “Tyler? It’s me.”

  “Beth? Are you okay? Where are you?”

  “I’m at the penthouse. And no, I’m not okay. Shane’s been moved to the county jail.”

  “Yeah, I know. I’m there now.”

  “Isn’t there anything you can do to get him released? Shane didn’t assault you, Tyler, and you know it. You started it. You attacked him. He was just defending himself.”

  There’s a long pause, and then I hear Tyler exhale heavily. “Beth – ”

  “Get him out of there, Tyler. Please! I’m begging you!”

  Another long pause. “All right. But I’m still mad as hell at him. He should never have brought you there.”

  “He didn’t have a choice, Tyler. We were at a restaurant nearby when Jake called to say Kline was on his way to the townhouse. Shane didn’t want me there tonight, but I insisted. I really didn’t give him any choice. Don’t blame him.”

  Tyler exhales heavily, sounding tired. “I’ll see what I can do. Now try to get some sleep. It’s late.”

  * * *

  I don’t want to be alone in our suite, so I stay in the great room with Cooper and Lia – my adopted family. I grab my pillow from our bed and an extra blanket and crash on the sofa, at the opposite end from where Lia lies. As I settle in, trying to find space for my legs, she grumbles in her sleep but shifts to make room for me.

  My eyes are heavy, and even though I’m worried sick about Shane, I can’t keep sleep at bay for long. I close my eyes – just to rest them – and don’t open them again until I’m awakened by the ding of the elevator doors opening in the foyer.

  I’m still trying to get my bearings, groggy from an unsound sleep, when a dark shadow looms over the back of the sofa and bends down to kiss me gently on my forehead.

  I’m barely half-awake and still more than a little disoriented. “Shane?”

  “Yeah,” he mutters, his voice hoarse. “I’m home, just a little worse for wear.”

  I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him down for a proper kiss.

  He chuckles, attempting to pull back. “I’m also a little ripe, honey. I need a shower.”

  “Don’t care,” I say, happily stealing his line. Yes, he does need a shower, but I honestly don’t care. I’m just so happy he’s home. I pull him back down for another kiss. He’s home, and that’s all that matters.

  After ending our kiss, Shane scoops me up in his arms. He glances at Cooper. “Thanks, man.” He sounds utterly exhausted.

  Cooper nods. “Anytime, son.”

  “For crying out loud, can you guys keep it down?” Lia mutters, pulling a blank over her head. “I’m trying to sleep here. Jesus, it’s like Grand Central Station.”

  “Nice to see you, too,” Shane says to his sister, reaching down to muss her hair through the blanket.

  She slaps his hand away. “Cut it out, will ya? Princess has been a basket case all night. Take her to bed, pal.”

  * * *
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  Shane deposits me in his bed, then heads to the bathroom for a quick shower. I’d go with him, but I don’t think my legs will hold me upright. Now that he’s home, I’m finally able to relax for the first time in what feels like days, although really it’s only been about nine hours since he was arrested. I’ll have to wait for him to get out of the shower and come to bed before I can find out what happened. I look out the windows and see the sun’s just starting to rise.

  It’s not long before Shane climbs naked into our bed, his skin warm and damp from his shower. He sighs as he pulls me against him and holds me close.

  I press my cheek to his chest, taking comfort from the solid thud of his heartbeat against my ear. “Tell me.”

  “Tyler dropped the charges.”

  I flinch, feeling guilty that my own brother was behind this. “You should never have been charged in the first place. He assaulted you. I’m so sorry, Shane.”

  He squeezes me. “It’s not your fault, sweetheart. Tyler had a right to be pissed at me – I never should have let you come with me last night. But, short of handcuffing you to the table at Sal’s, I really didn’t have much choice.”

  I chuckle, feeling some of the tension seep out of me, which is what I think Shane wanted in the first place.

  “This is between me and your brother, Beth. He and I need to come to terms with each other. We’re both stubborn, and we both have a claim on you. It’s just that my claim trumps his now, and he hates that.”

  “He’s my brother, Shane. I love him.” I feel guilty, as if loving my brother is somehow a betrayal of Shane. I shudder when I think back to the day when Tyler, as a uniformed police offer just beginning his career, broke down the door to the cellar where Kline was holding me. After my eyes adjusted to the bright light of a half dozen flashlights, the first thing I saw was my brother’s face, crumpled in agony as he cut me free and wrapped my freezing, naked child’s body in his police jacket.

  “Of course you love him,” Shane says. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. Since he and I both love you, and neither one of us appears to be willing to give you up, we’ll just have to learn to get along. It would help, though, if he’d stop trying to strangle me.”

  “Is the danger passed, then?” I ask. “There won’t be any more charges? Of any kind?” Of course I’m thinking about Howard Kline’s death.

  “There’s an ongoing investigation, but that’s routine. It’s nothing to worry about. Don’t worry, honey. What I did was justified self-defense. Now close your eyes and try to relax. I just want to hold you and sleep for a week.”

  Chapter 36

  When I awake the next morning, I check the time on my phone, surprised to see it’s already eight-thirty.

  Shane wasn’t kidding when he said he wanted to sleep for a week. He’s still sound asleep, with his head turned on his pillow to face me. It’s not often that I get a chance to observe him sleeping, so I take full advantage of the opportunity.

  His hair is a tousled mess, with bits of it sticking up. It doesn’t look like he bothered to comb it after his shower last night. His forehead is smooth in sleep, free of tension, free of the Herculean weight of responsibility that he carries on his shoulders. His brown lashes are thick and curved, and I never realized before how long they are. My beautiful man.

  My gaze travels down the straight bridge of his nose to the lower half of his face, which is covered in a trim beard, the same rich brown as his hair. His lips are smooth and soft in sleep, and I find myself staring longingly at them, wanting to taste them. I blush hotly when they curl up in a knowing grin.

  “Good morning,” he says, his voice rough from sleep and perhaps from lingering exhaustion. He reaches out and brushes the tips of his fingers across my cheek in a gentle caress.

  “Good morning. You slept a long time.” I touch his face too, brushing the pad of my thumb along his lower lip.

  He kisses my thumb. “It was a long night last night. How are you holding up? I was worried about you.”

  “That should be my line. I was worried about you.”

  “Honey, I pay Troy good money to keep me out of trouble. There was never anything to worry about. I just had to wait out Tyler’s little temper tantrum.”

  I chuckle, relieved that Shane doesn’t appear to hold a grudge against my brother.

  “It’s eight-thirty,” I say. “We’ll both be late for work.” But the truth is, I don’t want to go anywhere. I don’t want him to go anywhere either.

  As if reading my mind, Shane shakes his head. “We’re not going to work today – neither of us. We’re going to play hooky and spend the day together.”

  That makes me smile. There’s nothing I need more than that.

  He leans forward and kisses me. “So, what do you want to do today? You name it, we’ll do it.”

  “Can we go to the lake? I’ve hardly spent any time there all summer.”

  He smiles. “Absolutely.” He kisses me again, then sits up in bed. “Let’s get cleaned up and dressed, then we’ll have some breakfast. After that, we’ll walk down to the beach and play tourist all afternoon.”

  While Shane calls Diane to tell her he won’t be in today and asks her to reschedule his appointments, I send Erin a similar message and ask her to take over for me as acting general manager for the day. She freaks out a bit at first, but after a few more texts and a quick phone call to give her some words of encouragement, she agrees to stand in for me. I also send Lia and Sam messages informing them they both have the day off.

  After a quick joint shower, which quickly turns into a soapy, slippery make-out session, we dress in beach attire. I don a one-piece swimsuit underneath my cotton shorts and tank top. Shane puts on a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a t-shirt that hugs torso nicely.

  We find Cooper in the kitchen, seated at the breakfast bar drinking coffee and reading on his tablet.

  “It’s about time,” he says, glancing up at us when we make an entrance. “I was about to send out a search party.” He points out the two plates of food warming on the stove top. “There’s your breakfast.”

  Shane claps him on the shoulder. “Thanks, man.”

  We help ourselves to plates of scrambled eggs and bacon and pour some freshly-ground coffee. Cooper really does spoil us.

  After finishing my breakfast, I hug him fiercely. “Thank you, Cooper. For last night and for breakfast. For everything. I love you.”

  He blushes and rubs the top of my head, messing up my freshly-washed hair. “You’re welcome, kiddo. Let’s just hope Shane doesn’t make a habit of spending the night in jail.”

  I run off to brush my teeth and put my hair up in a ponytail. When I return, Shane is wearing a plaid shirt over his t-shirt, and I know what that means. He’s wearing his gun holster. He holds out his hand, and I take it.

  We take the elevator downstairs to the main lobby. The beach is just a few hundred yards from the apartment building, so we walk across the parking lot and head down the street. Oak Beach is packed with people, so we head north along the Lakeshore Trail to enjoy a long, leisurely walk along the shoreline. We dodge the occasional bikers and people pushing baby strollers. It’s a beautiful late August day, still warm and sunny, although summer is beginning to wind down as we get closer to fall.

  We walk hand-in-hand, stopping occasionally to admire the view and watch the yachts cruising along the shoreline. We finally reach North Avenue Beach and stop for iced coffee drinks at a cafe. We wade into the surf to cool off, standing knee-deep in chilly water. I wouldn’t mind going for a swim, but I didn’t bother to bring a towel, so I pass. I don’t want to spend the rest of the afternoon wearing wet clothes.

  “Come sit down with me for a bit,” Shane says, taking my hand and leading me to a wooden park bench situated beneath a large shade tree.

  We sit and watch the passers-by for a while, Shane’s arm resting across my shoulders. I’m tucked under his arm and pressed up against him, just enjoying the heat of his body and the scent of his ski
n.

  “I have something for you,” he says, gazing out over the water.

  “Oh?” I look at his profile, and he seems... nervous. Even the tone of his voice sounds odd, almost as if he’s unsure of himself. “What is it?”

  He reaches into his baggy front pocket and pulls out a small, black velvet jewelry box. A ring box. My heart immediately begins hammering in my chest as he holds it out to me. When I reach for it, his warm hands envelop mine, cupping both my hands and the velvet box. He holds my hands for a long moment, his warm gaze locking with mine. He looks... wary.

  He clears his throat. “I love you, Beth.” Then he lets go of my hands, leaving the ring box in mine. “Go ahead. Open it.”

  Carefully, I open the box and stare at the diamond solitaire ring nestled inside. It’s a lovely ring, a perfect diamond perched inside prongs of rose gold. The band is rose gold too, slim and dainty. I swallow hard. “It’s beautiful.” Then I look up at him, stunned. “What is this?” I’m afraid of jumping to a premature conclusion.

  “It’s whatever you want it to be, sweetheart. Whatever you’re ready for. A friendship ring, a promise ring. An engagement ring. You tell me.”

  I stare down at the gorgeous ring cradled in my hands, my eyes filling with hot tears.

  His hand comes up to lift my chin, so that we’re looking eye to eye. He leans forward and kisses me gently on the lips. “There is no wrong answer, honey,” he says, smiling. “It’s whatever you want it to be.”

  I know what I want it to be. I have to stop and clear my throat. “It’s an engagement ring.”

  He smiles then, and I swear I see relief in his eyes. How could he doubt what I feel for him? How could he ever doubt, even for a minute?

  “In that case...” He gets down on one knee on the sand in front of me and takes my left hand in both of his. “Elizabeth Marie Jamison, will you marry me? Will you allow me the honor of becoming your husband?”

  Tears spill unchecked down my cheeks, but I pay them no mind. These are tears of joy. I’m not the only one moved. His beautiful blue eyes are glittering with a little extra moisture too.