by Lisa Childs
“Yes,” he agreed, but he was staring at Wendy.
The look in his deep brown eyes had her tingling inside.
Then he murmured, “So are you...”
She glanced back to that open door. Was her father standing there? Why was Hart still putting on the act?
They had no audience.
Felicity was asleep.
“You were so good with her when I was trying to lose that tail,” he said. “You turned what could have been a traumatic and frightening experience into a fun adventure for her.”
Oh. He was just praising her for how she’d handled his daughter.
She sighed. “That’s not an adventure I want to repeat,” she admitted. And she realized she had yet to thank him for how he’d saved her life once again. With her free hand, she reached across his daughter and touched his jaw. “You are very good at your job,” she commended him. “You have protected me so well...”
But she didn’t want him protecting her any longer. For his sake.
And Felicity’s.
He had confirmed her suspicion that the little girl had no one else. Hart was all she had.
Before Wendy could say any more, though, he leaned over and brushed his mouth across hers. And she forgot everything but the sensation of his lips moving over hers. Of the heat of his breath and the passion of his kiss...
And that passion rushed over her.
* * *
For a moment Hart forgot everything. Where he was. Who he was. He was just a man who wanted a woman—more than he could ever remember that he had wanted anyone before. The desire gripped him, buzzing in his ears, in his body. Tension gripped him, and he groaned.
But then Wendy pulled away and jumped up from the bed. She stumbled back, as if desperate to get away from him. “Why did you do that?” she asked, her eyes wide.
With that buzzing in his ears, in his body, he didn’t understand what she was asking. So he just cocked his head in question.
“Nobody’s watching us,” she said. “Why did you kiss me?”
“Because—”
A giggle interrupted what he’d been about to say—that he’d kissed her because he’d wanted to, because he wanted her. But he looked down at his daughter, who was peeking at them through her lashes.
“Felicity, you’re awake,” he accused the little imp. He hoped she had just awakened during that kiss and not when they’d been talking about her mother. She was too young to understand that her mother’s inability to attach to anyone had nothing to do with her and everything to do with Monica’s horrible childhood. Despite all the marriage counseling they’d had, the only thing that made Monica feel better was the attention of men.
Felicity giggled again and opened her eyes. But instead of looking at him, she turned to Wendy. “Daddy kissed you because you’re pretty, Winnie,” Felicity said. “And because we like you.”
Wendy smiled, but the smile didn’t entirely reach her bright green eyes. She obviously didn’t believe his daughter.
How was she so unaware of how beautiful she was? Of how incredible she was?
He hadn’t been lying to her parents or to her. He wasn’t acting anymore. He’d kissed her because he couldn’t help himself.
And that wasn’t good.
She had come to mean too much to him. And he was worried that his attraction to her would distract him from keeping her safe. He needed to call in one of the perimeter guards to protect her.
And she would just have to tell her parents the truth. After spending the evening with Ben and Margaret Thompson, and seeing how much they loved their daughter and how wonderful they’d been with his, he didn’t want to lie to them anymore. He also believed that they already suspected something was going on—that Wendy was keeping more than a relationship secret from them.
“Well, sweetheart,” he said. “Since you’re awake, we can go home now.” His daughter would be safer there, with him, while he found her a new sitter. He knew Parker would understand if he had to give up this assignment for Felicity’s sake. The Paynes always put family first.
His daughter, however, did not understand. “No!” she said adamantly. “I want to stay here. With Winnie.”
Wendy smiled as she approached the bed. But her brow was furrowed with concern. “Wouldn’t you rather sleep in your own bed? With all your toys?” she asked the child.
Felicity shook her head and burrowed more deeply into the pillow. “I like your bed,” she said. Then she held up her doll. “And I got my favorite dolly.”
A smile pulled at Hart’s lips. His baby had an answer for everything. “Where will Winnie sleep if you’re in her bed?” he asked.
“With you,” came the little girl’s quick reply.
His pulse leaped at the thought. He chuckled. “You’re in her bed,” he pointed out. “We have no place to sleep.”
“I’ll make room,” she offered with a sleepy smile.
“For both of us?” he teased. “The bed isn’t big enough.” But it had been big enough for him and Wendy when he’d sneaked through her window a week ago. He glanced at that window now. Could anyone else sneak through there?
That night there had just been a patrol car stationed in the area. There hadn’t been the Payne Protection guards that were out there now.
No one would get past them.
Hell, maybe Felicity was safer if they stayed here. If they left now, in the dark, the driver of that white van might think Wendy was with them and try again to drive them off the road.
That wasn’t a chance he wanted to take with his daughter, especially if Wendy wasn’t there to calm her fears. But staying here was probably the bigger risk—not to their safety but to his little girl’s heart.
She was getting way too attached to Winnie. But he was afraid that she was not the only one...
* * *
His cell phone vibrated across the surface of the bedside table. Parker reached out for it quickly, so it wouldn’t wake Sharon, who lay with her head on his chest, her arm across his stomach. He grabbed the phone and silenced it, and his hand shook slightly.
He hated getting late-night calls. Nobody ever called at this hour because they had good news. Like someone had shivved Luther Mills in his jail cell and the assignment for the River City PD had ended...
That his team, who were also his friends, was no longer in danger...
Because Parker knew this wouldn’t be over; none of the people he’d been hired to protect would be safe until Luther Mills was dead. Or incarcerated for life somewhere that he couldn’t buy off guards and get orders to his crew on the outside.
Lost in thought, Parker hadn’t answered the call fast enough. His cell began to ring again.
Yeah, this was not good news. Good news could be left on voice mail. Not bad news...
“Parker here,” he answered.
Just as he’d suspected, it was bad news...
Chapter 10
This is bad.
Fear gripped Hart so tightly that his chest ached.
Very bad.
Hart did not need to hear the concern in his boss’s voice to know that. Parker’s wasn’t the only voice on his cell phone, though. It was a three-way call between him, his boss and one of the perimeter guards, Cole Bentler. He was one of the ex-Marines on loan to Parker from his brother Cooper’s team.
Hart had stepped into the hall outside Wendy’s bedroom so he could speak freely without his daughter overhearing the conversation. Wendy had stayed in the room with the little girl. He could hear her voice, too, softly emanating through the partially open door as she continued her story of the very brave and independent princess. She didn’t realize that she was that princess, not his daughter.
Despite how brave and independent that princess was, she was in danger. Extreme danger...
So they wouldn’t hear him,
he lowered his voice to ask, “How many did you see?”
“I don’t know,” Bentler replied. “We just saw movement going through the backyard. It might be nothing. Maybe just some animals...”
Hart was sure it was because anyone who worked for Luther Mills was an animal—just like their boss.
“But that’s not what you really think,” Parker said, “or you wouldn’t have called.”
“I know it’s smarter to be ready,” Cole said, “especially with a child in the house.” Hart knew the ex-Marine bodyguard had just recently learned that he was a father himself. He had a little girl, too, so he understood a father’s need to protect his children, just like Parker did.
“I shouldn’t have brought her here,” Hart said in self-recrimination.
“We figured it was the safest place,” Parker reminded him. “You have a lot of backup there.”
But even Parker knew better than to guarantee Hart’s daughter’s safety. The Payne Protection Agency was well aware of how much gun power Luther could pull together in a short amount of time.
It was a miracle that Rosie Mendez had not been killed during any of the many attempts on her life. But Clint Quarters was good.
Hart hoped he was that good. He was distracted, though, with concern for his child and for Wendy Thompson. He had to keep both females and Mr. and Mrs. Thompson safe from harm.
“I’ve already called in Logan’s team to help, too,” Parker said.
His brother Cooper’s team, all those ex-Marines, was already outside. Surely they would keep anyone from getting inside the house.
Parker must have been worried, really worried, to call in that many guards to help.
“We’re right up around the house,” Cole assured Hart. “We’ll do our best to make sure nobody gets inside.” Like Parker, he was careful to offer no guarantees.
In this business, as in the police business, there were no guarantees. A bodyguard, like a lawman, just had to be prepared for every danger.
“Should I come outside to assist?” To stop anyone from getting to the little girl Hart loved and to the people he’d already begun to care about.
“It’s better you stay inside,” Parker said.
Hart knew why.
Just in case anyone got past those perimeter guards. But if they got inside...would he be able to save everyone?
He reached for his weapon, drawing it from his holster. He would damn well do his best to protect them all.
* * *
Wendy gasped as the gun barrel swung toward her. She raised her hands and whispered, “It’s okay. It’s just me.”
Hart lowered the weapon but didn’t holster it. He reached around her and, with his other hand, pulled the bedroom door partially closed. “Is she sleeping?” he asked in a whisper.
She nodded.
If he’d closed the door completely, the little girl wouldn’t have heard them talking in normal voices. He obviously wanted to keep an eye on her. And Wendy didn’t think it was because he was worried she’d have a nightmare. It was because they were already living in a nightmare.
“What’s going on?” she asked, dragging in a deep breath to brace herself. He opened his mouth and, afraid that he might lie to her, she added, “I know something is going on. Who called?”
“Cole Bentler, he’s one of the outside guards, and Parker,” he said. “Bentler thinks he saw someone or something moving around the backyard.”
Wendy tensed then released that breath she’d drawn. “It’s probably just my dad.” He had a garden that he sometimes tended even after dark.
Hart shook his head. “No. When I came upstairs, your mom and dad were heading to the living room to watch one of their programs.”
She tilted her head and listened intently and heard the buzz of the television in the den below them. At least they weren’t outside—with whatever or whomever the guard had seen moving around. “Good...”
“I’d prefer that it was your father,” Hart said.
“I don’t want him getting hurt,” she said.
“No bodyguard would have hurt him.”
But one of Luther’s crew would. She shivered as she realized that they were all in danger. She reached out and pressed her hands against his chest. She wasn’t seeking comfort; she was pushing him back. “You need to get out there—to stop them from getting inside the house.”
He shook his head. “There are perimeter guards. I need to stay inside to protect you and...” He glanced beyond her through that partially opened door.
His daughter. Felicity was in danger because of her. If only he’d taken the child and left. The farther from Wendy she was, the safer she would be. But it was too late now for her and her father to leave.
“I have a gun,” Wendy reminded Hart. “So does my dad. And years ago, when there was that rash of home invasions, Dad converted the basement to a safe room. We can all go down there.”
“I thought you didn’t want to tell him or your mother about the threats,” he said.
She heavily admitted, “I don’t want to.”
But it seemed as though she had no choice, if they were about to come under attack.
“Bentler wasn’t certain that it was people he saw,” Hart admitted almost begrudgingly. “He thought it could have been animals moving around the backyard.”
Wendy released a ragged sigh of relief. “Animals. That’s probably what he saw. My dad’s garden attracts all the deer in the area.”
Hart didn’t look as relieved as she felt, though.
“You could step out the back door and find out for certain,” she suggested. “It would only take a minute. Right next to the door is a floodlight that illuminates the whole backyard.”
Beneath her palms, she felt the quick pounding in Hart’s chest. She hadn’t realized she still touched him, so she pulled her hands away. They tingled from the contact with his hard, warm body.
He offered a slow nod. “I could do that. Just check...”
“And if it’s just deer moving around the backyard, then we have no reason to worry.”
“Or to tell your parents?”
She nodded now—quickly.
“Wendy, you know they already suspect something’s going on,” he said. “You should be honest with them.”
“Like you’re being honest?” she asked.
“I’m keeping your secret,” he said.
She should have been grateful for that. Nobody else had deemed to keep her crush secret from him. “Thank you...”
He looked torn, his gaze going from her to the crack in the door behind her.
“I have my gun up here,” she assured him.
He tensed more.
“It’s in my purse,” she said, “which is on a shelf too high for her to reach even if she was awake.”
“Get it out,” he urged her. “Take the safety off and prepare to shoot anyone who doesn’t belong in this house. And if you hear anything—anything—out of the ordinary, get Felicity, your parents and yourself to the basement.”
She nodded again, quickly and eagerly. “Of course. You’re going to go out back?”
“Yes,” he said. “I’ll turn on that floodlight. And I hope like hell it was real animals Cole saw—deer.”
Not animals like the ones that worked for Luther Mills. She understood. And having seen the crime scenes Luther and his crew left behind, she could not argue with him. They were all animals with no regard for human life.
Now she regretted sending him outside. When he turned to head for the stairs, she grabbed his arm. “Maybe you shouldn’t go...”
“Are you scared?”
She nodded again.
“But you’re a brave and independent princess,” he reminded her with a line from her story.
He must have been as confused as his daughter had been ab
out the fairy tale Wendy had haphazardly spun. She wasn’t the princess of whom she’d spoken. His daughter was.
“The story was about Felicity,” she said. “But I’m scared for you. Maybe you shouldn’t go outside.”
“Maybe I won’t have to,” he said, “once I turn on the floodlight.”
She nodded. That was true. That bright bulb lit up the whole backyard. He would be able to see what was out there without going out.
“And Parker called in reinforcements,” he said. “It won’t just be the ex-Marines out there. His brother Logan’s team is on their way, too.”
She breathed a little easier. Even Luther Mills wouldn’t be bold enough to try something with that many bodyguards protecting her and her family.
“Okay, okay,” she said. “Just be careful.” With one last squeeze of his muscular forearm, she released her hold on him.
He hesitated before heading down the steps. “You be careful, too,” Hart urged her and then glanced at that door again.
“I’ll protect her,” Wendy promised. If it was the last thing she did.
She was sick that the little girl might be in danger because of her. She was the one Luther Mills wanted to threaten, wanted to manipulate into destroying the evidence against him. Despite his threats, she had never been tempted to comply because, if he wasn’t stopped, he would just keep hurting more and more people.
Wendy couldn’t let that happen. She wouldn’t let that happen.
“Protect yourself, too,” Hart told her. “And I’ll look out for your folks.”
She trusted him. She was surprised that he trusted her, as well, with what was clearly most important to him, because he finally turned and descended the stairs to the main level.
Of course, he probably wasn’t worried that anyone would get inside, not with all those Payne Protection bodyguards defending the place.
She hoped that he kept his word and just turned on that light. She hoped he didn’t step outside the door and put himself in any more danger for her.
He was all his daughter had with her mother thousands of miles away from her. Not that Felicity seemed to miss her. But she couldn’t miss what she’d never had. Even her babysitter had abandoned her, like her mother had.