Protecting the Boss

by Beverly Long

  “I’m sure I’ll be fine,” she said.

  He pressed the up button. When the door opened, he motioned her in and then quickly followed. She pressed the seven.

  When they got to 710, she waved her card in front of the electronic reader and it immediately clicked. He held up a finger. “Let me go first,” he whispered.

  Before leaving the party, while Megan and Abigail had been saying their goodbyes, he’d stepped into his office and gotten his gun. He wore it in his shoulder holster, carefully hidden by the sport coat that he’d put on.

  Now he pulled it, ignoring the gasp behind him. He swung in through the door, grateful that she’d left a light on. It took him just seconds to ensure that the main room, bathroom and closet were clear.

  “You had that gun the whole time,” she said after he’d motioned her in.

  “Yes.” And his first instinct had been to pull it earlier but he had known that it was much more important to get her to safety. “I didn’t show it earlier because I wasn’t confident in the ensuing chaos that somebody wouldn’t take me for a bad guy and decide to shoot me in the back.”

  “Do you always have a gun?” She sounded shocked.

  “I provide security services. I have a permit to carry it and I know how to use it. And while Las Vegas is as safe as any other city, I usually don’t go out at night unless I’m armed.”

  “I guess that’s good. I mean, that you have a gun.”

  He studied her. “You have no idea why anybody might be shooting at you?”

  She shook her head.

  His gut told him that she was lying. And his gut was rarely wrong.

  “What are your plans in the morning?” he asked.

  “Why?”

  “Just trying to figure out if you’re planning on leaving the hotel. I’d prefer it if you didn’t.”

  “I’m afraid that’s not possible,” she said. “I have commitments at the boutique.”

  It wasn’t much but evidently all he was going to get. He shouldn’t be surprised. Earlier tonight, she’d also not been very forthcoming about her parents dying in a plane crash. He’d given her the perfect segue when he’d talked about his own father’s premature death in a plane accident. But she’d said nothing.

  He was usually good at reading people but she was better than most at hiding her emotions. Her pretty face gave him no hint of what she might be thinking.

  “I guess that’s good night then,” he said.

  “Yes,” she said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Lock the door behind me,” he said. With any other business associate, he would have extended his hand. But he kept it to himself. He’d felt her silky smooth skin when he’d wrapped an arm around her and shepherded her behind the hotel’s half wall.

  Another feel and he might not want to let go.

  * * *

  Megan flipped the bolt lock and barely made it to the couch before her legs gave out. She’d been shot at. With real bullets.

  It was so unbelievable that she felt as if she must be having a dream. A nightmare.

  If Seth hadn’t been there, she had no idea what might have happened. But he’d responded like a machine, not pausing, just acting. And when he’d started asking questions, she’d desperately wanted to tell him the truth. Even at the risk of seeing disbelief in his eyes.

  Seth had asked her who might be shooting at her. She’d given him nothing. It wasn’t an outright lie. She really had no idea. But given the other things that had happened over the last several months, she could not ignore the possibility that the attack had not been random.

  The idea that somebody had followed her to Vegas, had traveled hundreds of miles, was so objectionable that it made her skin crawl. It made her think that the person had to be very determined.

  But that in itself made no sense. She didn’t have any enemies. She lived a peaceful, quiet life. Who could be that angry with her?

  It gave her a headache. And tomorrow they would begin reopening the four stores that had been closed for months. She couldn’t afford being tired or off her game.

  She was going to have to move on. Not forget it and certainly not ignore any other odd circumstances or take unnecessary chances with her safety, but for now, she was going to have to set it aside.

  She undressed for bed and pulled on a nightgown. She slipped between the cool sheets and decided that she would think of something else.

  Seth Pike.

  Handsome. Fast thinking. Quick acting.

  She hoped he didn’t make a big deal about driving. He’d been insistent about getting his name registered with the rental car company. But she did not intend to hand over the wheel.

  Bad things happened when you gave control to others. Her parents had made that mistake. Did it make it better or worse that it had been to someone they trusted? To someone she trusted? Loved?

  She closed her eyes.

  It had been a beautiful clear day. Everybody had said so.

  And every day, she comforted herself with the image that her parents’ last hours had been full of sunshine and beauty. And she tried never to think how horrific the final moments might have been. How worried they would have been about her and Abigail.

  They’d have had no way of knowing what the future held for their daughters. She liked to think that they’d have been happy with her decisions. Even proud now.

  She’d done everything within her power not to let them down. She wasn’t stopping now. She started making her mental list of all the things she needed to do the next day. Felt a measure of peace. Work had always been her salvation. And Abigail her joy. It was a life that most would be very content with.

  And she was. She certainly didn’t need Seth Pike messing that up.

  Six hours later, Megan woke up when her alarm went off at five. She stretched and glanced out the window. It was not yet light out. Still, she forced herself to swing her legs over the side. She ran most mornings, tried to get in at least five miles. She had a treadmill at home and while she was on the road, she intended to make good use out of the hotel fitness equipment.

  She brushed her teeth, washed her face and put on her workout clothes. Then she pulled her long hair back into a low ponytail. Once she’d tied her shoes, she made sure she had her hotel key card in her shirt pocket and then flipped the bolt lock.

  She opened the door, turned and almost fell over Seth Pike. She let out a little squeal. He was sitting on the floor, his back up against the wall on the same side as her door. He opened his eyes and turned his head, as if he was scanning the hallway.

  “Keep it down,” he said. “It’s pretty early yet.”

  “What are you doing here?” she hissed.

  He shrugged and stood up. “Morning,” he said. He ran his eyes from her head to her toes. “So you’re the type that gets up and heads to the gym.”

  It wasn’t a character flaw. “I run.”

  “I see,” he said, not sounding thrilled. “Let’s go.”

  “I wasn’t anticipating company at the gym.”

  He nodded and ran a hand over his head. “Yeah, but I got a streak going here and I don’t want to break it.”

  His clothes were again wrinkled, like they’d been after the rain. With his innocent act, he reminded her of a mischievous little boy.

  Except she wasn’t fool enough to fall for it. She’d seen him in action last night, immediately after the shooting and then again when he’d very competently inspected her hotel room, looking quite at ease with a deadly looking gun in his hand.

  “You’re not exactly dressed for the gym.”

  “Maybe I’ll just watch this morning.”

  He was not going to watch her run. Just the idea made her warm.

  He fell into step next to her. But then stopped suddenly. He was staring at her shoulder. At the lovely green and purpl
e. “What the hell is that?” he asked, his voice deep.

  “It’s a bruise,” she said. She hadn’t expected company, hadn’t thought to keep it covered. Yesterday, when they’d first met, her scarf had been strategically arranged to cover her upper arm. Last night, her dress had sleeves that had done the trick.

  “I know that,” he said. “But how did you get it? Not from last night,” he said. “It’s not a fresh one.”

  “No. Two weeks ago, I rolled my car and hit my shoulder pretty hard.”

  “Tell me you went to a doctor,” he said.

  “Of course.” She’d been taken by ambulance. “It wasn’t broken, just badly bruised. It’s getting better every day.”

  “Right,” he said, starting to walk again. “How did the accident happen?”

  “Another car blew a stop sign,” she said. “Hit the passenger side. My car was totaled.”

  “Any serious injuries?”

  “No. Thankfully. And the other driver got the ticket. Look, if you’re coming to the gym with me,” she said, wanting to make sure he understood, “you have to do something. Keep yourself busy.”

  “Don’t worry about me,” he said.

  She was starting to think that Seth might be something to worry about. It had been a long time since she’d dreamed about a man. But she certainly wasn’t going to tell him that. “Fine,” she said, starting to walk fast.

  He kept up with her no problem. “How did you sleep?” he asked.

  “Fine,” she said.

  “That’s two fines. I think this is going really well.”

  “I don’t think so,” she said. She stabbed the elevator button. The gym was on the top floor. Once they were inside the space, she took two deep breaths, then turned to him. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t normally wake up bitchy. But you surprised me.”

  He shrugged, not looking concerned. “Well, then we’re even. You surprised me, too. Wasn’t expecting the door to open at five o’clock.”

  “You were in the hallway all night?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he said.

  As if that were perfectly reasonable. “Because you were worried that somebody was going to try to get in or that I was going to try to get out?”

  “Maybe a little of both,” he said.

  “We have no idea if somebody was actually shooting at me. Maybe they were aiming at you.”

  “No way. Everybody loves me,” he said.

  “Then it was probably just random.”

  “Very possible. I’ll follow up with the Vegas police this morning to see if they know any more.”

  She’d been planning to do that. But it wouldn’t make sense for both of them to call. “You have to be exhausted. You couldn’t have gotten much sleep sitting up in the hallway.”

  “I got enough,” he said. “Had a nice conversation with the night manager around three when he tried to remove me. Evidently, they picked me up on camera. It’s not comforting that it took them that long.”

  The elevator doors opened and she stepped out. “What did you tell them?”

  He didn’t answer right away. He was looking around, to the left, to the right. There was only one other guest using a treadmill. Finally, he turned to her. “That you’d dumped me and if I couldn’t change your mind in the morning, I was going to throw myself over the Hoover Dam.”

  “You didn’t,” she said.

  “Maybe,” he said. He walked over to a rowing machine that faced the elevators. “I’ll give this a go.”

  She told herself not to watch him, to just run her miles and forget him. But that was hard to do. Even in his dress shirt, she could see his muscles flex as he pulled on the rope. She was getting all hot and sweaty and it had nothing to do with her pace.

  She ran for forty minutes before slowing the machine down to a walk. After another minute, she stopped it and grabbed a towel from a nearby shelf. She wiped her face, then draped it around her neck. He was already off the rowing machine.

  He was watching the man who’d been on the other treadmill approach them. When the elevator door opened, she stepped in. Then felt a hand on her hip. She almost let out a yelp but realized in time that it was Seth, simply edging her in the direction of the corner. Then he placed himself in front of her, between her and the man.

  By the time they got off on their floor, leaving the poor man by himself, she was strangely irritated. “Don’t you think you’re carrying this a bit too far? The man was just jogging. Not a threat to me.”

  “Can’t be too careful,” he said. They were at her door. “In that spirit, give me your room card. I’ll open your door.”

  She decided it wasn’t worth arguing over. It wasn’t going to take him long. It was just a bed and a small bath.

  He handed her back her key when he was finished. “I need to go home and get showered and changed.”

  “That’s fine. We’re not leaving here until four.” That had been clearly stated on the contract. “You have the whole day.”

  He continued to stand there. “What time are you headed over to the boutique?” he asked.

  It was none of his business. But she didn’t say that. The man had slept in the hall. Not her fault, but still. “At eleven. I’ve got back-to-back meetings with our general contractor and our architects.”

  “You have our office number?” he asked.

  “I do.”

  “And my cell?”

  “Already in my phone.”

  “And you would call if you needed something?”

  “I’m not going to need anything,” she said. “But yes, I would,” she added, because she had the feeling that he was seconds away from insisting that he spend the day with her. She needed some space. Some time to get her head together. She couldn’t start a big road trip with somebody who had her off her stride. “I’ll meet you in front of the boutique at 4:00 p.m.”

  “I could swing by and give you a ride later this morning.”

  “Evan and Abigail are picking me up,” she said.

  “Oh, okay.”

  He didn’t sound convinced but she wasn’t giving in. She couldn’t be concerned that he wasn’t completely satisfied with the plan. Probably he wouldn’t be satisfied with anything that wasn’t his plan. He might be providing security but he wasn’t calling the shots. “Is there anything else?” she asked, her voice deliberately curt.

  He shook his head. “Naw. I should probably get going. I can tell you’re busy,” he added, letting her know that he knew he was getting the brush-off.

  She refused to feel bad about that.

  Chapter 4

  He waited until he heard the bolt lock turn and then he left. Not 100 percent happy to do so, but knew that he’d pushed her about as far as he could. Contrary to what his partners might believe, he did have a restraint gene.

  Now his best bet was to get coffee and a shower, in that order. As he walked to the elevator, he checked his cell phone, making sure he hadn’t missed a call when he’d been in the hotel gym. Late last night, once he’d made the decision to spend the night outside Megan’s room, he’d called his good friend Bobby Bayleaf. With more than twenty years as a Vegas cop, the man would have access to the information that Seth wanted.

  But there was nothing on his phone yet. No surprise there. It wasn’t even six o’clock. He took the elevator to the third-floor lobby and then the escalator down to the ground floor. Walked to the coffee shop that was four doors away. He got a large coffee and an egg, cheese and bacon sandwich on a muffin. His car was still back at the Wingman Security offices and he started walking, eating his sandwich on the way. By the time he reached the parking lot, he’d finished both the coffee and the food. Felt a little more human.

  Knew that he likely looked rough after his night in the hallway. On the other hand, Megan had looked like a million bucks when she’d practical
ly bounced out of her hotel room. Hair in a cute little ponytail, nicely coordinated workout outfit, new-looking shoes. He’d been impressed.

  And then he’d seen the bruise. And having had his share of bruises in his youth from his many fistfights, he’d immediately assumed that she’d been hit. And the idea of that, of her being physically attacked, had made his empty stomach roll.

  He’d felt a little better once she’d explained that it had come from a car accident but he’d still felt bad that she’d been hurt.

  He opened the door of his old Jeep and drove the twenty minutes to the house where his mother had lived for the last thirty years before she’d moved in to the assisted living center a few years earlier. She’d been reluctant to totally leave the house. He’d been more reluctant to let her stay, a mile from the nearest neighbor, after she’d fallen and broken her leg and lain in the yard for four hours before help had happened by. In an effort to compromise, he offered to leave his city apartment and move in to the house if she’d agree to move in to Everpark. That way, they still both had their independence but the house would be there for her if she ever wanted to come back.

  Now she came for Sunday dinners that they cooked together and seemed okay with that arrangement.

  Once at the house, he started more coffee and stepped into the really hot shower. Ten minutes later, he was finished and pulling on clothes. Then he pulled a suitcase off the top shelf of his closet. Started packing. Mostly dress shirts and dress pants. Things that he could wear a sport coat with so his gun would be hidden.

  He grabbed some other essentials, remembering at the last minute to add some workout clothes. You’re not exactly dressed for the gym. If Megan thought that was going to stop him, she had a few things to learn. Seth had in the past, and likely would in the future, looked like an idiot. He never cared.

  But nor did he want to stand out unnecessarily, especially when he was working a job. Which was why the last thing he packed in his bag was his tux for Rico’s wedding. He folded the plastic suit bag it was hanging inside, hanger and all, hoping that it wouldn’t wrinkle too badly. He glanced at his watch. It was fifteen minutes before seven. He dialed his friend. “Morning, sunshine,” he said.