She needed a minute to process that. It made sense it a weird sort of way.
He took some quick pictures of her. “You did great.” He handed her a plastic garment bag. “Put the dress in there and the shoes in here. I already have your coat.”
She held her hand out and took the bag. “I need …
“I want you to stay here, while I take a look around the house and talk to the cops. Will you be all right alone?”
“Can I take a shower and put my pajamas on?”
He nodded and smiled. “You will get through this.”
She was glad he sounded so confident.
She watched him unlock the door and leave, closing it carefully behind him. She picked up her phone and dialed her brother. He hadn’t heard the news yet and she carefully explained that she was fine hanging up before he could say anything.
After her shower, she curled up in bed and lay there staring at the monitor. Noah stood on the street, E.J. next to him. They both looked up at the roof lines of the houses across the street.
Lulu watched for a moment, then felt the shivering start again, glad she’d remained in the panic room. No one would be able to hear her. She closed her eyes and started to cry.
Noah stood on the street with E.J. John joined them. “I’ve have officers and CSIs searching the roofs across the street.” He turned to E.J. his notebook in his hand. “What did you see?”
She pointed at a brownstone down and across the street from Lulu’s. “I saw a guy on the roof of that building. I saw his outline briefly when the moon came out from behind a cloud. By the time I got to the roof, he was gone.”
“Could you describe him?”
“It’s dark,” she said. “But he looked to be about six feet tall wearing dark clothing.”
Which pretty much meant nothing, Noah thought. Flashlights showed on the roof of the building as officers searched the space. Most of Lulu’s neighbors had retreated back into their homes. The only people left were the cops, Noah and his team, and the media people. Two more media vans had pulled up and now had news reporters trying to ferret out information on the shooting.
“I have a suspect,” Noah said.
“You were going to tell me this when?” John asked.
“I have a job to do to.”
“You can’t push a shooting underneath the carpet. And,” John informed him, “My boss is on his way.”
Noah tried not to groan. Of course the police commissioner would make an appearance. Lulu was a high profile New Yorker and with the media gathered around trying to figure out what was going on; this was a perfect-photo op. “This is for your team.”
“What is it?”
“Her clothes and I’ll send you the photos I took of her.”
John took the bag, but before he could answer, a black sedan turned onto the street and double parked. Wilder shot out of the car and raced toward the house, panic showing in his eyes.
“Lulu,” Wilder said.
Noah put a hand on Wilder’s shoulder. “She’s safe in the panic room.” For the first time, Noah saw Wilder looking mussed and frantic, not his usual sophisticated self.
“I want to see her.”
“For the time being, I think she needs to be by herself,” Noah responded. “Look, she finally gets it.”
“I know,” Wilder said, calming down. “That’s why I came. She wasn’t snarky with me on the phone. When Lulu’s not sarcastic or making jokes, I start to worry. So tell me what happened here. The news wasn’t very informative and according to them, someone died. Who died?”
“No one,” Noah replied glaring at the media trucks. “Ian was shot, but he’ll recover. He’s on his way to the hospital.”
“Anyone else hurt?” Wilder look around. His gaze settled on E.J. talking to John Hathaway while he scribbled in his notebook. “She has blood on her.”
“Ian’s blood,” Noah responded, seeing Wilder relax slightly more.
“Can we get her out of town?”
Noah took a deep breath. “I don’t know if she’s scared enough to leave.”
“What the hell has to happen for her to be scared shitless?”
Wilder ran a hand through his hair. “Your sister’s not a runner.”
“Oh God, don’t I know,” Wilder said with a sigh. “All her life, she’s faced every challenge with such tenacity I used to shudder. If she couldn’t go through something, she charmed her way around, she smoozed her way over, or giggled her way under and made people feel grateful for giving in to her. Dammit, she sees the world as belonging to her and we’re lucky to be living in it.”
Noah stifled a chuckle. Wilder was saying everything about Lulu that Noah wanted to say, but kept to himself. Thankfully, he wasn’t alone in how he felt. For the first time, Noah felt a sense of camaraderie with Wilder.
“Can’t you just conk her over the head, throw her over your shoulder and drag her somewhere safe?” Wilder asked.
“Mr. Bennington,” Noah started to say, sympathy in his tone
“For crying out loud, just call me Wilder.”
“Wilder,” Noah said, “we’re in the same boat; we’re equally frustrated by Lulu.” They fell into silence, watching the street while the cops held the media back and a team of men with flashlights searched the rooftops. Overhead a helicopter had arrived and added its own searchlight to the hunt.
A limo turned onto the street and stopped at the barricade. A door opened, a tall man with graying hair wearing a black coat and white muffler emerged.
Wilder’s eye flickered with annoyance. “Look who just arrived.”
“Why don’t you just let me handle him?”
“I can deal with this man,” Wilder said.
“Wilder, let me take a moment to be honest with you,” Noah said with a half sigh, “The man is here for publicity. If you walk up those stairs and go into the house, nothing will insult him more.”
Wilder looked surprised and then half-smiled. “Noah, you’re a crafty bastard.” Then he turned on his heel, walked into the house and closed the door without looking back.
“Commissioner Barrett,” Noah said holding out his hand.
Neil Barrett was a slim man who kept himself in shape. He had the look of an executive who never got his hands dirty. He was the consummate politician who knew a photo op when he saw one. Tall, elegant, and impeccably dressed, he knew how to work a crowd. He glanced at all the cameras pointed at him and smiled slightly before turning back to Noah.
He held out a gloved hand to Noah and shook firmly. John Hathaway hurried over, annoyance flashing across his face and then was quickly bland again.
“Are you the detective in charge?” Barrett asked Noah.
“I don’t work for you. That would be Detective Hathaway.” Noah nodded at John.
Barrett glanced at John and dismissed him in the same moment. “Go right ahead detective and finish what you’re doing.” He looked at Noah. “I want to talk to Bennington.”
Like hell, Noah thought. “Mr. Bennington is with his sister. Any questions you have I will be able to answer.”
“Who are you and why are you here?” Barrett asked, his gaze sharp.
“My name is Noah Callahan, Global Protection Agency. Mr. Bennington hired me to protect his sister.”
Barrett’s expression hardened. “I understand Lulu was being stalked, but I don’t have any officers investigating the stalking other than whoever is working on the break-in. Why wasn’t a complaint wasn’t filed?”
“Mr. Bennington chose not to contact the police.”
“Lulu is a prominent citizen. She pays her taxes just like anybody else. She has a right to police protection.” Barrett glared at Noah. “Now that a crime has been committed, it looks like NYPD is definitely involved and I want to have a complete report on my desk by tomorrow morning, Mr. Callahan. We’re taking over now.”
Noah eyed the other man. “I’m happy to cooperate with the NYPD and Detective Hathaway, but until Mr. Bennington says differ
ent, I’m still in charge of protecting Ms. Bennington. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to check on my client.” Noah turned and walked up the steps to the front door. He shoved it open and walked inside the warm foyer. For a moment he allowed himself to smile. Even though he shouldn’t have been quite so abrupt with the commissioner, he felt good putting the man in his place. He hated pompous asses and he understood exactly why Wilder felt the way he did about Neil Barrett.
Wilder stood in the living room in front of the fireplace a frown on his somber face was contrast to the cheerful crackle of the fire. “Lulu won’t talk to me. She’s acting like she’s five years old.”
Noah eyed the other man with sympathy. “No, she’s not.”
“Do you call this the behavior of a grown woman?”
Noah pinched the bridge of his nose. “She doesn’t want to be told ‘I told you so.’ Right now she feels bad because Ian was shot. She’s scared and feeling a little out of control. She doesn’t enjoy feeling that she’s powerless, scared, and guilty.”
“How is Ian?” Wilder asked.
“It’s barely a flesh wound. He’s probably done worse shaving.”
“But,” Wilder started to say.
Noah held his hand up. “Listen, get some rest. I’m going to go up to the panic room and talk her down.”
“Talk some sense into her while you’re there.”
“I would love nothing better than to hide her somewhere until this is over, but she’s not going. You know your sister better than anyone and you know she’s not going into hiding.”
“I was hoping you’d bully her into it.” Wilder ran a shaking hand over his face. “”I know that will never happen.”
“She doesn’t respond to threats, but you know that better to me.” Even though she made Noah’s job so much harder.
“You like her.”
Just like Wilder to see into Noah’s soul. Noah thought he’d kept his feelings under control. “Besides her stalker, who doesn’t like her?”
“That’s not what I meant. You care for my sister.”
“That would be inappropriate.”
Wilder’s eyebrow rose. “You’ve never done anything inappropriate in your life.”
“Not on the job.” Noah had done a lot of inappropriate things in his life, but kept them separate from his professional life. Though Lulu did make him want to change the rules.
“I see the way you look at her.”
“I don’t have time to get all girly and talk about my feelings right now. Go upstairs and get some rest. In the morning, everything will look different. I need to check on your sister. Please excuse me.”
Noah turned and left the living room, running up the stairs two at a time.
Instead of going to bed, Wilder poured himself a glass of scotch. He turned off all the lights and then stood at the window, watching the scene on the street below. Neil Barrett stood off to the side surrounded by media people who thrust microphones in his face. Wilder wanted to go out and punch the self-important bastard in the face.
“What are you looking at so intently? You don’t seem like the sulking type.”
Wilder whirled around startled by E.J.’s approach. The scotch sloshed inside the glass. “You are very good. I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I came in through the back. You should see me when I mean to be stealthy. I didn’t want any more camera time.”
“How long have you worked with Mr. Callahan?” Wilder walked back to the fireplace and sat down. E.J. sat across from him, the firelight casting flickering shadows across her face.
“Over two years,” she replied. “He recruited me when he started the company. Told me I needed to go legit and the offer came along at the right time.” She crossed her legs and settled more comfortably in the chair.
“What kind of a man is he?” he asked as casually as he could.
“Lulu is safe with Noah if that’s what you’re really asking,” she replied, a knowing look on her face that told him she knew what he was getting at.
“He wants her,” Wilder replied.
“She wants him,” E.J. promptly said. “Do you think he’s not good enough for her?”
Wilder rubbed his eyes. “Actually, I think he’s perfect for her.”
“Then why ask?”
“Lulu’s love life has been eclectic.”
“Eclectic? You need to explain that.”
“She doesn’t have any specific type of man she gravitates toward. She seems to like a wide variety of men, most of whom I don’t much care for. They are charming and nice, but not right for her. He’s right for her.” Actually, Noah was perfect. He didn’t give in to her.
“I still don’t get why you’re asking me all these questions.”
Wilder finished his scotch and placed the glass on the table at his elbow. “I just like talking to you.” He pushed himself to his feet and left the room, walking up the stairs to the room Lulu kept for him when he was too tired to head back to his own home.
Noah opened the door to the panic room. Lulu sat on the bed talking on her phone. He frowned at her, but she ignored him.
“Thank you, Bethany,” Lulu said. “I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine and I appreciate you calling.” She disconnected, and set the phone down, and folded her hands calmly on her lap. “Who knew Bethany reads Aiden’s tweets? I wish he didn’t let the whole world what’s happening in my life.”
“I’ll have a talk with him about it…again.” Twitter was an amazing thing, but too much information was too much information.
Lulu lay back on the bed curling up on her side, her eyes closed, face tight with worry. He sat down next to her.
She opened her eyes and looked at him. “How’s Ian?”
“He’s fine. You don’t need to worry about him. He’ll spend the rest of the night in the hospital and be free in the morning.”
“He was shot because of me.”
“He kept you safe. That’s his job.” Noah gently touched her hair. She looked so vulnerable, not at all like the self-assured woman he’d come to know.
She took his hand and brought it to her mouth. Gently she kissed the palm of his hand. “I need you.”
He closed his eyes; damn he was tired of fighting her. He could have lost her tonight. If he had, he didn’t think he could pick up the pieces and go on again. “Please don’t ask me that.”
Lulu sat up and leaned over. “I wasn’t asking.” Her mouth touched his.
At that moment something in him broke. Damn his job. Damn everything. Just once he told himself. Just once he’d give in. He had to have her.
The seductive heat rising inside her wasn’t a surprise. Lulu wanted him. She closed her eyes for a second and imagined the intense pleasure of his hands on her body, his lips on hers, and him inside of her. “I need you.”
“Lucinda, this isn’t right.”
Shivering, she pressed herself against him. “I could have died tonight. Let me have this one moment to forget about it. I promise tomorrow we’ll go back to business as usual.”
He smiled against her mouth. “There is nothing usual about this.”
“Good.”
He brushed a strand of hair off her cheek. The tip of his finger left a trail of fire on her skin. “What am I going to do with you?”
Lulu could see the desire burning in his blue eyes. “Love me.” Her need for him made her feel out of control and she felt his hands grip the hem of her chemise and pull it off.
He smiled and looked down at her breasts. “I can’t think of anything I need to do more.” He ran his finger down her throat tracing the hollow until he reached the tip of her nipple.
“I like this.”
Her body trembled at the intensity of her need. “I want to be pretty for you.”
“You’re perfect for me.” He kissed her neck. He licked at the pulse point that she was sure he could feel it jumping.
Lulu felt the tip of his hot tongue against her skin.
“
You taste good.” He nibbled the spot where her shoulder connected with her neck.
Heat shimmered on her skin.
“Tell me to stop.”
His tone was almost pleading. “No.” Noah grabbed her wrist and guided her hand to the bulge in his pants.
Lulu giggled at the steel pressing into her hand. He was so hard. She took in a quick breath. All she wanted was him and nothing could change that.
Noah slid his hand over the exposed skin of her thigh. His warm fingers teased her skin and eased upward toward her stomach. Her skin quivered under his touch.
Taut skin stretched over his cheekbones, and his eyes radiated heat. Her body demanded she give herself over to him.
Noah held his breath waiting for her to change her mind. How the hell he’d gotten himself into this situation was beyond him, but there was something about her that bewitched him.
The velvet texture of her skin consumed him. He eased his fingers up her stomach, until the tip of his fingers connected with the curve of her breast. He was enjoying the touch of her skin, the hardness of her nipple. Her head lolled back and her eyes closed.
She wasn’t going to make him stop. His whole body trembled on overload, he couldn’t wait to get inside of her.
She leaned toward him, and he fondled the sweet fullness of her breast. Her nipples beaded to hard points.
Noah pressed his forehead to hers as his other hand tangled in her hair. “Tell me you want me.”
She fit her body closer to him, molding against his body. “I need you.”
“Lucinda.” He kissed her and ran his tongue down her neck to the tops of her breasts, then to her nipples and back to her mouth. She tasted so sweet, like fruit and spring rain. “I want you so bad.”
Lulu moaned as she rubbed herself against him. Her knee slid up the outside of his leg and she pulled his shirt over his head. “You are a whole lot of man.”
She trailed her mouth down his chest, biting one of his nipples. Heat engulfed him. She freed the zipper of his pants with nimble fingers and reached inside to grasp his cock, giving him a gentle squeeze. Then she ran her fingers up and down his length. “It is good to be Lulu Bennington.” She glanced up at him with a wicked glint in her eyes and an evil smile on her lips.
Protecting Lulu (Global Protection Agency) Page 24