by Anna Blakely
Derek glanced over at her then. He did a double-take and stopped talking to the guys.
“Hey.” He stepped closer, rubbing her arms. “What’s that look for?”
His image blurred as more tears welled in her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
Understanding crossed his face. “Don’t go there, Charlie. We don’t even know what started it yet. Could’ve been somethin’ as simple as faulty wiring.”
“You don’t believe that any more than I do.”
“She’s right.” Jake stepped closer. “No way do both these things just happen. You’re a target for someone, and we need to figure out who it is.”
“We know who it is.” Charlie stepped back, out of Derek’s arms. “Think about it, Derek. You were having absolutely no issues before I came along. You blackmail Caleb into agreeing to a divorce, and suddenly, your car gets demolished and now this?” She threw her arm out toward his house. “It has to be him. He’s getting back at you for taking me away from him.”
“Baby, Caleb is still in New York.”
Charlie crossed her arms at her chest. “How do you know that for sure?”
“I told you. I have someone watchin’ him.”
“He could’ve offered that person more money to lie to you.”
The sympathy filtering through his eyes was like a kick to her gut.
“Look, Charlie. I get why your mind immediately goes to Caleb, but the truth is”—he glanced over at his teammates then back to her—“we’ve made a lot of enemies over the years. This very well could have nothin’ to do with you.”
Beyond frustrated, Charlie ran both hands through her hair and growled. “You guys aren’t listening. I’m not trying to make this all about me. I know this man. I know what he’s capable of.”
She took a breath, her eyes pleading with Derek to hear her. “Remember that first night you brought me here? I told you then about Caleb’s connections. I warned you then that something like this would happen if you went up against him. Now, it has.”
“We’re going to find out who’s behind this, Charlie,” Jake tried to assure her. “We’ll look at every possible angle, including Porter.”
“I’ve got a contact in New York I trust,” Trevor jumped in. “I’ll call him right now and have him get eyes on Caleb.”
“What if he can’t?”
Charlie knew she sounded desperate, but she didn’t care. Things were escalating quickly, and she’d never be able to live with herself if something happened to Derek because of her.
“If he can’t”—Jake answered for Trevor— “I’ll send someone from the team to New York to find him.”
She blinked at Jake’s generous offer. “Thank you.”
“When we’re finished here, we’ll go back to your place.” Derek took her hands in his. “My laptop’s in the rental car, so I’ll be able to re-run every program to check for new anomalies in his bank and credit card activity. If Porter is paying someone to do this shit, there’s got to be a way for me to find out.”
Charlie looked up at his handsome, determined face. “If it is him...” She swallowed. “If all this is happening because of me, I...” Her voice broke, and she bit her trembling lip to keep from crying again.
Derek pulled her against his chest. Tucking her head beneath his chin, he kissed the top of her head and swore, “If it’s Caleb, we’ll stop him.”
****
“Fuck me.” Derek pushed himself away from his desk and leaned back in his chair.
“Is that an actual offer, or are you just pissed?” Sitting in one of two chairs facing him, Coop raised a brow. “’Cause I love ya and all, but you’re not really my type.”
In an uncharacteristically sour mood, Derek shook his head.
“I can’t find it.”
“Could you maybe be a tad more specific?”
“Porter,” he snapped. “I can’t find one fuckin’ thing to tie Porter to my car or the fire.”
Less than an hour after Trevor spoke to his New York contact, his guy sent him a picture he’d taken of Caleb leaving his law firm’s building. The fucker was still in New York, and Derek still had no idea who’d burned down his house.
“Maybe it’s not him,” Coop offered.
“Maybe.” Derek had considered the possibility. “My gut says Charlie’s right. This was all Caleb’s doing. I just don’t know how to prove it.”
“I don’t understand why you don’t just go ahead and release all that shit you’ve got on him to the press. They’d have a field day with that. He’d be so busy trying to backtrack and cover his own ass he wouldn’t have time to harass you.”
“I’ve thought about that, believe me.”
“But?”
Too worked up to sit, Derek got up and walked around his desk.
“Charlie’s right. This guy has a long reach, and it’s not a good one. I’ve looked into his professional history. Porter’s represented a lot of people over the years. Some of them real fuckin’ shady.”
“Great.”
“Yeah,” Derek agreed. He stopped pacing and faced Coop again. “Remember a few years back when that old-school mob boss’s son got pinched on that weapons charge?”
Coop thought back. A few seconds later, his eyes lit up. Snapping his finger, he pointed at Derek. “Balducci.”
“That’s the one.”
“Wasn’t he also suspected in a pretty big human trafficking ring?”
“Yep.”
“What ever happened to him?”
“He got off.”
Coop’s brows shot up. “Seriously?”
“Thanks to Porter. Got the charges dropped on a technicality.”
That bit of news made the guy’s jaw drop. “Charlie’s ex was Balducci’s lawyer?”
Derek nodded. “And that was just one of his sleazeball clients.”
In a flash, Coop’s expression switched from surprised to concerned. “Shit, D. If this guy has the mob backing him...”
The former Ranger didn’t finish his thought, but Derek knew where they were headed.
“Exactly. If I release the dirt I have on Porter now and he is the one behind what’s been happening, hard tellin’ what he’ll do next. If I release it and it’s not him, he could still come after Charlie for revenge.” Derek shook his head. “I can’t risk her like that, Sean.”
“I hear ya,” the other man agreed. He took a deep breath and let it out. “So, what are you going to do?”
“Fuck if I know.”
“At least you know Charlie’s safe.”
Mac had agreed to hang out with her today while she worked to get her new office put together so he could be here, searching for a lead.
“True. She and Mac seem to get along pretty well, so that helps. I’m just glad Jake’s givin’ us the time to work on it.”
“Why wouldn’t he?” Coop looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “You’re one of the team, D. Of course, he’s going put us on this.”
“I know.” He shook his head. “It’s just so fucked up. The last two weeks have been damn near perfect, but now we’re dealin’ with this shit. Charlie tries to play it off, but I know she’s still puttin’ this all on her shoulders.”
“Doesn’t really surprise me.”
Derek’s brows turned inward. “Why is that?”
Coop shrugged. “She seems tough. I mean, hell. She’d have to be to have put up with that jackass for as long as she did. Plus, she had no problem standing up to you yesterday when she thought you weren’t taking her seriously.”
He chuckled. “No. She didn’t.” His smile faltered. “The thing is she shouldn’t have to be. Her whole life has been a fight to survive. First with her alcoholic dad and then that bastard, Porter. I brought her here to get away from all that and start over. To be happy. She was getting there, but now...” He exhaled loudly. “Now, she’s worried about me because she’s convinced her ex fuckin’ husband is out to get me.”
“You’re not?”
“I
don’t know!” Derek threw his hands up, letting them slap against his thighs. “I don’t know who’s behind all this because I can’t find a goddamn clue to lead me in their direction.”
“Have you given any thought to who else might put you in their crosshairs?”
He laughed. “Of course, I have. You think you could narrow down the list of people we’ve gone after to just one?”
Coop sighed. “You have a point.”
Rubbing his face with his hands, Derek said, “Look. I’m gettin’ nowhere with this shit. I’m gonna go over to the Jennings’ place and try to get the system going again.”
“That still pisses me off. We break into his house to prove how much better our security set-up is, and then the damn thing quits working on him.”
“No shit. Plus, my mind needs a break from all this.”
“Come on.” Coop slapped him on the back. “I’ll follow you there.”
“Thanks, man.”
His teammate shrugged. “I figure hanging out in a mansion bigger than God’s is better than slummin’ it at my place.”
As the two men left his office, Derek sent a quick text to Charlie letting her know the plan. A sliver of fear ran through him as, once again, he thought about Porter and what he’d do to Charlie if he ever got his hands on her again.
One way or another, he was going to end the fucker. He just had to play his cards right and hold on to his winning hand as long as he could in order to make that happen. Until then, he would do whatever it took to keep Charlie safe.
****
“Sorry you had to babysit me again.”
Mac looked over at her and smiled. “No worries. I had fun.”
Charlie snorted as she locked her office door. “Yeah, right. I’m sure watching me make phone calls, looking up pricing quotes, and drawing out sketches all day was super exciting.”
“Don’t forget, you had that one meeting with that one gal.”
“That’s right.” She smiled back. “My first official client.”
The two women walked down the sidewalk to their cars.
“You did great, by the way,” Mac said sincerely.
“You think?”
“Definitely. You’re a natural at this stuff.”
The compliment filled Charlie with confidence. “Maybe I can plan your wedding someday.”
It was Mac’s turn to snort. “Sorry, sister. Not gonna happen.”
“Never say never,” Charlie teased.
Mac raised a defiant brow. “Never.”
Charlie laughed, grateful Derek had someone like Mac on his team.
The other woman had definitely helped take her mind off of the tragedy Derek faced yesterday. He’d handled it much better than she would have expected.
As if he knew she was thinking about him, Derek chose that moment to call her.
“Hey,” she answered the phone. “Mac and I are just leaving the office. Where are you?”
He groaned. “I’m still at the house I told you about. There’s a glitch in the new security system we installed and I’m still tryin’ to figure out the issue.”
He’d texted her earlier to check on her and let her know he was going over there.
“I still can’t believe you’re working today.”
She could practically hear him shrug. “I’ve got every program I can think of keepin’ an eye on Caleb’s activities. As for the fire, I can’t do anything until the insurance company is done with its investigation. Sittin’ around with my thumb up my ass isn’t gonna rebuild my house any faster, so I may as well work.”
“Is anyone with you?”
“Coop is, although I hate having him stay. The problem is definitely in the computer system, so until I get it fixed, there’s nothin’ for him to do. At the rate this is going, we’ll be here most of the night.”
“I’m glad he’s there,” she told him. “Makes me feel better knowing you aren’t in that big place all alone.”
Unlocking her car, Mac mouthed that she would follow her home and then got into her Jeep and started it up.
Charlie opened her mouth to say something else to Derek, but her words were cut off by a long yawn.
“Sounds like you’re ready for bed.”
“I’m beat,” she admitted, firing up the engine. “It’s probably a good thing you won’t be stuck with me tonight. I’d be totally useless to you.”
“You’ll never be useless to me, darlin’. And for the record, I love watching you sleep.”
Her heart stuttered. “You watch me sleep?”
Mortifying images of her snoring or drooling came to mind as she pulled out onto the street.
“It’s one of my favorite pastimes.”
“You’re crazy,” she laughed.
“Crazy for you,” he drawled.
With a girlish grin, she turned into the nearest fast-food place she could find.
“On that sweet note, I’m going to get off of here so I can order a greasy cheeseburger and some fries. Then, I’m going to go home, shower, and veg out on the couch for the rest of the night.”
She could hear his smile again. “All right. I’ll try not to wake you up when I get home.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and be able to have a decent dinner together tomorrow night.”
“Fingers crossed. Plus, if we get this fixed before the owner gets back from his business trip in L.A., there’s a fat bonus in it for us. Sure would come in handy when I go lookin’ for property to buy.”
This surprised her. “You aren’t going to rebuild on the same lot?”
“Nope.”
“Where are you thinking?”
“I don’t know. I thought maybe I’d look for somethin’ with a little more land. Maybe...” He paused, his voice going a bit quieter. “Maybe somewhere big enough for two. Or, more. You know, eventually.”
She loved that, even in the midst of all the chaos, he was still thinking about their future together.
“Sounds like a wonderful plan to me.”
She’d already been thinking about them moving in together when her lease was up.
“I’d better get back to it, then. Remember, do not answer the door for anyone. I have the key you gave me, and there’s no reason for anyone else to be there.”
“I won’t. Promise.”
“Love ya, darlin’.”
Charlie’s heart swelled. “Love you, too. Stay safe.”
By the time she’d scarfed down the mediocre meal, Charlie was pulling into her parking spot. As planned, Mac cleared her apartment before saying goodbye and heading out.
After taking a quick shower, Charlie plopped down on the couch to watch some T.V. When she could no longer keep her eyes open, she shuffled back to her bedroom and fell asleep for the night. Her last thought was a prayer that Derek would come home safely.
A few hours later, she awoke suddenly. Lying there, surrounded by nothing but a sliver of moonlight peeking through her curtains, Charlie tried to determine what had interrupted her sleep.
At first, she thought maybe Derek had come home but soon realized that wasn’t the case. Her apartment was dead silent, and Charlie was certain she was alone.
Unable to settle her nerves, she got out of bed and headed for the kitchen. Her initial intention was to get a glass of water, but at the last minute, she decided to make some hot chocolate.
Odd for this time of night, but she was chilled and thought maybe the warm liquid would help her get back to sleep.
Opening her pantry door, Charlie’s sleepy eyes struggled to bring the dry good labels into focus in the dark. With a sigh, she went over to the room’s entrance and flipped on the lights.
Making her way back to the open pantry, she began searching for the canister of cocoa mix when her heart stopped dead in her chest.
Oh, my God.
Everything in the pantry had been rearranged. Each can was neatly stacked, their labels facing forward. The boxes were lined up perfectly on their own shelf.
And it had all been placed in alphabetical order.
Chapter 18
Bile burned the base of Charlie’s throat. A shiver zipped down her spine as she fought the dizziness threatening to take over.
On trembling legs, she went into her living room to check the locks on the door. A ball of lead formed in her stomach when she looked up and saw the deadbolt was not engaged.
That’s impossible.
She always locked her doors as soon as she came home. It was as routine as her morning coffee or brushing her teeth before bed.
Oh, God. Breathing became damn near impossible as reality sank in.
He’d been here. Caleb had been inside her apartment...while she slept.
In near hysteria, Charlie ran to the door and locked it. Then, she ran back to her bedroom to grab her phone.
Tears leaked down her cheeks and her entire body shook as she fumbled to unplug it and dial Derek’s number. She glanced at the clock.
It was four in the morning. She hated interrupting his work, but right now she needed to hear his voice more than anything in the world.
She didn’t get her wish.
The call went straight to voicemail. When the second attempt yielded the same results, Charlie nearly broke down.
She considered calling 911 but decided against it for fear they’d think she was crazy and leave.
She came up with another idea.
Knowing Derek’s brother worked nights, she quickly found him in her contact list and called Eric. Thankfully, Derek had put the number in there for her after what happened with his car.
With her shoulder holding the phone to her ear, Charlie threw on a pair of jeans and a hoodie while it rang. Within seconds, she heard Eric’s voice on the other end of the line.
“West.”
Just hearing a familiar voice helped. She blew out a breath. “Eric?”
“Charlie?” The man was clearly surprised she was the one who’d called him.
“Eric, I need help.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked, instantly on alert.
“He’s been here.”
“Who’s been where?”
“Caleb,” she practically screamed. “He’s b-been in m-my apartment. I-I think he just l-left.”