Black Dog Security- Complete 5-Part Series

by Camilla Blake

  I hung up and sank into my chair. I had to call my lawyer and check on the divorce. I wanted it finalized as soon as possible. Faster.

  When that call didn’t go as I planned, I let out a frustrated scream, forgetting who I had moving around my house. Seconds passed before Tucker burst into my office, gun at his side, eyes moving around the room.

  “What is it?”

  I pulled a face. “I am so sorry. It’s nothing! Well, it’s something, but no one’s here or anything.”

  Branson slid in behind Tucker and looked around. “What?”

  “Sorry! I just… Jake called me and then I called my lawyer and he’s drawing out the divorce. He’s insisting we meet and go over dividing the assets again. I gave him everything except money and—”

  “He called you?”

  I paused and nodded. “Well, he called me and I missed it. Then he texted me. I called him back and we argued. He was super creepy.”

  “You called him?”

  I sighed. “I called him back. He made me angry. He said he’d see me soon. I just wanted him to know that he wouldn’t.”

  Tucker looked back at Branson and raised his eyebrows. “You want to handle this one?”

  Branson stepped farther into the room and put his gun back in its holster. “You shouldn’t contact him. If he tries to contact you, you tell us. If something happens and this goes to court, there being any record of you contacting him looks bad. More importantly, however, contact with him could easily push him into more volatile acts.”

  I blanched. “That doesn’t sound good.”

  “No, it’s not. Tell us what he said.”

  I’d had two conversations since then, but I could give the gist of what he’d said. Crazy, crazy, blah, blah.

  “Sounds like a keeper, that one.” Tucker shook his head. “Okay, just let us know if he calls. Don’t answer them. Don’t call him back. Okay?”

  I nodded and watched as both men left. I settled on the couch and groaned. My life wasn’t what I thought it would be. I knew a lot of people probably felt like that during their lives, but I’d been so unaware of problems in my life for so long. How had I been so blind? How had I thought that everything was fine with a man like Jake?

  I didn’t get it. I kept thinking it, but I just couldn’t get over how fast things had changed so drastically. It was like I’d fallen down the rabbit hole, into some alternate universe where nothing made sense. A universe where my husband wanted to knock my teeth out and I tried to date a man who was just trying to do his job.

  I sank back into the cushions and groaned again. I was pathetic.

  Chapter 13

  Cooper

  I gave in to the urge to call. We’d barely made it out of the restaurant and I’d had to promise to meet with Mom and Ted again the next day, but we’d made it out and I’d called her. I did it under the guise that I wanted Macey to meet her favorite author, but that was a lie. I wanted to check on Sonnie and make sure she was doing okay.

  I just wanted to see her. She was a beacon of sunshine, awkward and pretty, when everything else was shit. And while I normally felt uncomfortable when things weren’t war-torn or bloody, something about the awkward way that Sonnie moved around me made me comfortable.

  So, I called. I called and she answered, sounding every bit like Marilyn Monroe, set out on seducing me. Macey was asleep in the backseat, my excuse to see Sonnie such a lie, so I didn’t feel too horrible about the dirty thoughts Sonnie’s voice instantly inspired.

  “You good?”

  “Yeah, I’m okay. How’s your night off?”

  I grunted for an answer. “I have my daughter with me. I thought I might swing by and let her meet you, if it isn’t too much to ask.”

  “I’d like that.” She paused. “You missed a good dinner tonight. It wasn’t extra bread pudding from Apple’s, but it was good.”

  Fuck, I wanted her. I didn’t know what it was about her, but there was something that completely called to me. The way she hesitated, the way she looked at me through her lashes, like I wouldn’t see her, even the way she bounced back after shitty things happening to her… It all got to me. I was harder than steel in my dress pants and my mouth watered at the idea of spreading her out on a table for dinner.

  “Cooper?”

  I was an asshole. “Sorry. Traffic. What was the dinner?”

  She rattled off a meal that I would’ve loved and then made a strangled sound. “I made it for you. I thought I’d thank you for distracting me through all of this. Then I had to pretend like I’d made it to share with everyone. So I had a nice dinner with Tucker and Branson with too little food and absolutely nothing to talk about. I don’t even know why I’m telling you this. It was mortifying.”

  “You made me dinner?”

  She giggled. Actually fucking giggled. “Yeah. No big deal. I can make something again some other time.”

  The nervous giggle did me in. I knew that I wasn’t going to fight whatever happened between us. I wanted her and I was pretty sure she wanted me. It wasn’t professional, but fuck if I could find it in me to care. I could remove myself from the case, if need be.

  “Fuck.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m sad I missed that dinner.” Understatement of the fucking year.

  “Not as sorry as I was to have to have it with Tucker and Branson. I mean, they’re nice and everything. They’re just not—” She stopped suddenly and her end went quiet.

  “They’re just not what, Sonnie?”

  “I forgot what I was going to say. Are you almost here?”

  I took a second to rein in the crazy urges I had pulsing through me. “Yeah. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

  “Okay. I should brush my teeth.” She coughed and wheezed for a second. “I mean just because I was sleeping. I don’t mean… I’m going to go.”

  I smiled. “Did I wake you up? I can bring her by some other time.”

  “No! No, it’s fine. I just fell asleep in my office after everything with Jake and all.”

  “What do you mean? Did something else happen with Jake?” I turned onto her street and spotted Branson immediately. My blood pressure increased as I imagined what Jake had done and no one had called me about it.

  “Ugh. He called me. Then I called him back, because apparently I’m an idiot. It wasn’t anything crazy. I just got frustrated because I talked to my lawyer and Jake’s dragging the divorce out. I just want it over with.”

  I parked on the street in front of her house and looked back at Macey. She stirred in her car seat and looked up at me. Perfect timing. I wouldn’t have to fess up to my lie. “I’ll be inside in just a minute and we can talk.”

  Just as I got out, Branson came over to me and shook his head. “Can’t say I’m surprised to see you here.”

  I opened the back door and pulled Macey out. She wiped her eyes and rested her head on my shoulder. I looked back at Branson and gave him a look. “I thought it would be nice for Macey to meet Sonnie.”

  “Hey, Uncle Branson.” Macey’s arms immediately went out for him and he took her into his arms easily. “I met a new grandma today. And Grandpa Ted.”

  “Hey, pipsqueak. A new grandma and grandpa, huh? That’s a big day. Did you like them?”

  “Yeah!”

  “Something happened with Jake?”

  Branson put Macey down and walked with us towards the front door. “He’s just giving Sonnie hell. I’m sure she’ll tell you all about it.”

  I nodded and before I could knock, Tucker opened the front door and grinned. I gave him a look. “Don’t say anything.”

  “Of course not. I’ll leave that to Mercer. He does the angry thing better than me, anyway.” He stepped out. “I’m going to take a break since you’re here. I’ll be out here when you’re ready to go.” He winked. “If you’re ever ready to go.”

  I slapped the back of his head as he walked past and stepped inside. It smelled like home cooking and warmth inside. My body
relaxed slightly and I stretched my neck from side to side, letting some of the tension fade from my body. The relief was instant.

  “Hey.”

  I turned and spotted Sonnie in the doorway of her office, her body perfectly outlined in a white dress. Her curves highlighted, her hair curled down her chest, hugging her full breasts. She was a juxtaposition of sexy and sweet that spoke directly to my body. Her hesitant smile hit me a little higher than the rest and I rubbed absently at my chest, choosing to ignore that oddity.

  “Hey.”

  Her pretty green eyes stayed on mine and her hands worked at the sides of her dress. “Hi.”

  “Hey!” Macey pointed at Sonnie and pulled away from me. “You’re Meep!”

  Sonnie laughed and the spell was broken. “I write Meep. My name is Sonnie. I hear you like my books.”

  Macey nodded, awake and full of spirit at the idea of meeting Meep. “I’m Macey. I love Meep! Daddy gave me the new book. He said no one else has it yet.”

  Sonnie bent down and nodded, not realizing that she was giving an eyeful of cleavage. “No one. You’re the first little girl who has it. Did you like it?”

  “Yeah! I liked when she went to the moon better, though. That’s my favorite.” Macey was bouncing in her shoes. Her hands had started moving around animatedly.

  “Then I have something special to show you. Come on.” She took Macey’s hand and led her into the office. She glanced back at me once and smiled. “You’re invited, too.”

  I doubted an army could’ve stopped me. It was like she was crooking her finger at me and luring me in with that dress. It was even better from the back, hugging her full ass just right.

  “These are all of my copies of Meep’s books.” Sonnie pointed to the shelf next to her desk, where an impressive collection of books sat, some proudly displayed. She took one of the ones with the front cover displayed and handed it to Macey. “Meep going to the moon is one of my favorites, too.”

  Macey held the book protectively and touched the cover. “This is so cool.”

  I laughed and shook my head. “The day we got her a library card was the best day of her life.”

  “Yeah! I love going to the library. Maybe I’ll write books when I grow up.”

  Sonnie sat in her desk chair and clicked her mouse to turn her computer on. “Why wait until you grow up? I started writing when I was your age. It took me a while to get good, but all that practice helped.”

  Macey’s eyes were wide with delight and wonder. I loved it. I sat on the couch and watched them interact. Sonnie pulled Macey into her lap and turned to face the computer. She’d opened a blank document and held her fingers over the keyboard.

  “What do you want to tell a story about?”

  “Daddy.”

  Sonnie glanced back at me and nodded. “He’s a good subject. What’s he going to be doing in the book?”

  “He’s going to be home with Mommy. Like he used to be.”

  I watched Sonnie’s shoulders stiffen even as my own body tightened. All the heat I’d been feeling vanished into thin air. Hearing that hit me hard, right in the stomach.

  “Okay. What story do you want to tell?” Sonnie’s light voice was more forced, but that and her shoulders were the only thing that gave away that she wasn’t completely happy.

  Macey went on, talking about some random time when Lilah and I’d been together. She told it with such happiness that every word was an additional punch to my gut. I’d known she’d been sad that I wasn’t with her mom anymore, but it was different to hear it from her when she was just talking openly like she was. I felt like shit.

  I spaced out, thinking about whether or not I was doing a good job with Macey. I worried that I’d done irreparable damage to her. I’d been gone so much of her life and then, when I’d been home, Lilah and I had fought. The divorce hadn’t been easy, either, even though we’d done it while I was still overseas.

  I started paying attention when Macey hopped down from Sonnie’s lap with a stack of papers.

  “Daddy! Look!” She waved the papers under my nose until I took them from her to look at them.

  “What is this?”

  “I wrote a book! Sonnie printed it out for me. Now I have to go home and color it.” With a new goal in mind, she was impatient as I looked through the pages. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

  I forced a laugh and stood up. “All right. Come on, kid.”

  Sonnie stood up and wrapped her arms around her waist. “It was really nice to meet you, Macey.”

  Macey hurried over and gave her a hug before rushing back to my side. “I’m going to use the color pencils that you got me, Daddy.”

  I led her out of the office with my hand on her head and tried to keep the frown off of my face. I was doubting the conviction I’d had earlier to let whatever happen between me and Sonnie. Maybe I wasn’t ready. I still had so much to learn about being a full-time dad and Macey needed me. I didn’t have the capacity to slip into a relationship.

  Sonnie followed us to the door and smiled at us, but it looked brittle. She pulled a copy of the book she’d shown Macey earlier out from behind her back and handed it to Macey. “Put it to good use. Maybe you can read your daddy a bedtime story.”

  Macey laughed like it was the funniest thing she’d ever heard. She threw her arms around Sonnie’s hips and grinned up at her. “Thank you, Sonnie.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  I met Sonnie’s eyes and felt my stomach drop. It fucking sucked to face the facts. The timing was wrong. “I’m sure I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  She nodded and waved once more before going back to her office, hips still alluring.

  I groaned lightly before opening the door and going out into the night.

  Chapter 14

  Sonnie

  A week went by quietly. Too quietly. I was going stir-crazy. I hadn’t been out of my house in so long that I felt like I was developing a vitamin D deficiency. I wanted to feel the sun on my skin. I also wanted to be somewhere far away from Cooper. He was great. He was professional and very nice still, but it was weird. I was so uncomfortable around him that it was like torture when he was on duty. To make me feel even worse, I’d taken to hiding in my room when he was around, so I had even less space. I felt like I was in prison, in isolation.

  I’d taken to Vince. There was something dark and strange about him, but I’d used it for a character in my story. When he was on duty, we played cards and hung out in the kitchen. I cooked for him and he ate it happily. I asked him questions about himself for my book and he seemed to know it. He sometimes gave me outlandish answers and then laughed when my eyes went wide.

  It wasn’t enough, though. I wanted to get out and do something. I hadn’t been working, Kellie was out of town, and my only interaction had been with large men who mostly just grunted at me. I made my way downstairs and found Cooper sitting at the island. I stopped in my tracks and scrunched my face up.

  “Where’s Vince?”

  Cooper frowned. “We switched shifts today. I have Macey tonight.”

  I nodded and backed away. “Okay. Cool.”

  “Did you need something?”

  I bit my lip and curled my toes against the cool floor. “I was going to ask about going out. It’s been a while since I’ve been out and I’m going a little crazy stuck inside.”

  Cooper’s face relaxed and he nodded. “I’ll see what we can do. Anything in particular?”

  “Anything. It doesn’t matter.” I backed up and bumped into the staircase banister. “Thanks.”

  I hurried back upstairs and jumped in the shower. Energy flowed through my body at the idea of getting out and I was so excited that I didn’t even mind that I would be going out and about with Cooper. I finished my shower and was looking for clothes to wear when Cooper knocked on my door.

  “Sonnie?”

  I moved closer to the door. “Yeah?”

  “I had an idea. How do you feel about a barbecue?”

&nb
sp; “Really good.”

  “All right. We’ll be ready to go in an hour.”

  I went back to my closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and a sweater. I slipped my feet into a pair of tall boots and then went to the bathroom to do my hair and makeup. By the time I was done, I was overdone for a barbecue, but it felt good. My eyes popped from eyeshadow and good mascara, my lips were pouty with a deep-red lipstick, and I’d even dusted a highlighter over my cheekbones and cupid’s bow. My hair was curled and flowing down my back. I checked myself out in the mirror and felt good.

  It was the first time in weeks since I’d gotten really dolled up, not counting the fateful night that Cooper hadn’t come to dinner. That night. The night I’d realized that whatever I was wanting from Cooper wouldn’t come to fruition. It felt so much heavier than it should’ve.

  I added a dab of perfume and then grabbed my phone from my bed and was ready to go. I went downstairs to my office and spent some time pretending to work. I actually meant to work, but I was still stuck. My mind was full of unrequited lust and cozy murder mysteries. It wasn’t what I was writing, so that made it hard.

  I ended up opening a new tab and jotting down notes about books that I’d want to write. Things had been quiet with Jake, but it was inspiring my thoughts. Unfortunately, most of my ideas involved the tortured main character getting involved with the bodyguard.

  “Ready when you are.” Cooper spoke from the doorway behind me, his voice falsely chipper.

  I turned off my computer and stood up. “I’m ready. So, where’s the barbecue? Not that I care. I’m just so ready to get out of this house.”

  He followed me to the door, but put his hand on the door to stop me from opening it when I tried to. “I go out first. Same protocol as last time.”

  I looked back at him over my shoulder and saw that he was closer than I’d realized. The scent of him, deodorant and something all Cooper, drifted into me and his warmth seeped through my clothing and into my skin. “I don’t like the shooting protocol.”

  “Shooting protocol? If I had to call it something like that, I think I’d call it a shooting prevention protocol. And I know you don’t like it, but if you want to go out, you have to let me do it.”