Protected by a Hero

by Susan Stoker, Cristin Harber, Cora Seton, Lynn Raye Harris, Kaylea Cross, Katie Reus, Tessa Layne

  Vadim’s eyes narrowed again, as if he could see her innermost thoughts. “What are you thinking about? You just thought of something. Or someone. I can see it.”

  Swallowing hard, she shook her head. “Nothing.” There was no way in hell she was telling him about her past. Not when she’d used a different social security number other than her own to get a job at the Serafina.

  She could tell he didn’t believe her, but he nodded anyway. He cleared his throat, almost nervously. “Can we talk about…what happened between us?”

  Angel tightened her grip around herself, feeling so vulnerable in just her T-shirt. She needed more clothing as armor if she was going to have this conversation with Vadim. “There’s nothing to talk about. We kissed, it was a mistake and I don’t want to screw up our friendship.” Even though she knew things would never be the same between them. At least not on her end. He’d gone from kissing her to sleeping with some woman on his business trip. She didn’t care if she didn’t have a right to be angry, she was. But more than anything, it hurt. A lot more than she’d imagined possible.

  For a moment she thought he looked almost hurt, but then that mask fell back into place, his pale eyes shuttered. “You think it was a mistake?”

  She nodded. A big one. Because now she couldn’t even look at him without thinking about how wonderful it would be to do it again. Except that it had clearly meant more to her than him. Otherwise he wouldn’t have slept with someone else so quickly.

  His expression was darker than normal, edgier. Jaw tight, he turned away from her, glancing into her bedroom. Charlie was awake now, watching them curiously. Vadim said something to her in Russian. Clearly a command. Whatever it was, Charlie didn’t like it. She jumped from her soft bed into Angel’s bed and flopped down at the end of it, still watching them.

  Instead of being angry, Vadim looked hurt. Even if she was angry at him, she didn’t like seeing him in pain. Acting on instinct, she reached for him, dropping her arms from around herself and touching his forearm. When he glanced back at her, however, she couldn’t read him.

  “Do you want Charlie to go with you?” she asked, her fingers slightly digging into his arm. The strength under her fingertips was too much. She felt so weak where he was concerned, ready to give into the hunger he made her feel. The man just turned her insides to mush until all she wanted to do was slide her hand up his muscular arm, link her fingers behind his neck and pull him down for another kiss. And this time she wouldn’t stop at kissing.

  Vadim shook his head, his gaze raking over her in a quick sweep that made her hot and tingly but when he met her eyes again, the heat there nearly singed her. “No. Get some sleep.” Then he was gone, turning and striding down the hallway on silent feet.

  * * *

  Vadim sat at his island top staring at his freshly brewed coffee as he waited for Iris to pick up his call.

  She answered after four rings. “Hey, V.”

  “Hey, did I wake you? I thought you’d be up by now.” It was only six-thirty but he knew she liked to run early in the morning. They’d been working together for less than a year, but Iris had very particular habits.

  “No, been up. Just working on something.” She let out an annoyed curse and he heard what sounded like glass breaking. “Stupid computer,” she muttered. “What’s up? Angel tell you about your car?”

  “Yeah. What happened? And how the fuck did someone key my car while it was in valet?” That annoyed him almost as much as the destruction and vicious word they’d used.

  She sighed. “We’ve caught the guy on video doing it. He managed to sneak in a side door to the garage and avoid the guard. Look, our guards are there to make sure cars aren’t stolen. We’ve never had a vandalism problem. And I don’t think we do now. From the video it’s clear your car was targeted. But I don’t think the message was for you.” There was a slight question in Iris’s voice.

  “Yeah, I don’t either.” But before he discussed anything with Iris he needed to talk to Angel. The vandalism on his car combined with the man asking Mr. Botkin about her was too strange. “Did you get his face on screen?”

  “Not exactly. He was wearing a ball cap and what I’m pretty sure was a wig. But we got part of his face. I didn’t want to plug his face into that scary software program you’ve got though. Figured you could do it when you got back.”

  He was glad Iris hadn’t touched it. She could break a computer simply by looking at it wrong. “What did the cops say?”

  “Not much. We filed a report but they’re chalking it up to random vandalism. Which, I don’t blame them, even if I don’t think that tagging was random. What’s going on with your girl?”

  “She’s not my…I don’t know what’s going on with her.” But he planned to find out. And he really wished she was his girl. But she’d made it plain last night that she didn’t want to be.

  “Is she in trouble? She’s a sweet kid, but she’s kinda skittish. She was all nervous last night, telling me that you’d let her take your car to work. As if she was worried I’d think she’d stolen it.” Iris snorted. “I wonder if she realizes you’d give her the damn thing if she wanted.”

  Vadim gritted his teeth. He adored Iris, but he didn’t want to talk about his personal life with her. He started to respond when Angel strode into the kitchen, fully dressed in jeans and a sweater, carrying her overnight bag and purse.

  Vadim’s heart sank.

  She gave him a stiff smile as she set the bag on the floor. Charlie was tagging along next to her, whining as if she knew Angel was leaving. He understand how the dog felt. “I’ve gotta go. I’ll be in soon though. I’m going to get to the bottom of this problem today.” He disconnected before Iris could respond.

  “Is everything okay?” Angel asked, absently rubbing Charlie’s head. The little traitor was soaking it up.

  He couldn’t believe Charlie had refused his command to come with him last night. Seemed she liked Angel just as much as he did. “Yeah, just has to do with my car. They got the guy who keyed it on video.”

  Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “That’s great news. I hope they catch that jerk.”

  “Yeah…you want some coffee or tea?” He needed her to stay for at least another half an hour until Mr. Botkin’s scheduled phone call.

  She shook her head. “No, I should probably get going. I made the bed because I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to strip the sheets. And I left my dirty towels in the shower since I wasn’t sure where to put them.” As she spoke, she avoided his gaze entirely, glancing anywhere but at him.

  Fuck. He knew he’d screwed up, but it almost seemed like she was pissed at him. That didn’t seem right. Even though she’d said it was a mistake and she wanted to be friends, he didn’t. He couldn’t go back to being friends with her and the truth was, he knew that after she left his place, she’d be putting distance between them. He could already see the walls she’d erected as if they were physical barriers. “Angel, shit, I’m sorry about the way I pulled back from that kiss. I got…” God, he was so bad with women. But especially with Angel. She was sweet, soft and the exact opposite of him. He might not deserve someone like her, but he wanted the chance. He struggled to find a way to explain it to her without sounding like a jackass. “I didn’t want to fuck things up with you and I was ready to take you right on the counter. You deserve better than that—but I’m not sorry I kissed you and I don’t want to be just friends.”

  Her eyes widened and for a moment, her expression softened. Just as quickly a spark of anger replaced it. She wore her emotions right out in the open. She was definitely pissed. But she gave him a tight smile. “The kiss was nice, but…I only want friendship from you.”

  She was lying. He could see it in her eyes. But he wasn’t sure why. “Why are you lying?”

  Angel gasped at his question, taking an annoyed step forward. “I’m not lying.”

  “Bullshit. You want more than friendship. I can see it when you look at me.” Now that he could see the
truth in her gaze, he was desperate for her to admit it.

  “Aren’t you just full of yourself?” she asked, her voice quivering. What she probably meant to be cutting didn’t come across that way. She seemed nervous and damn it, that flicker of hurt bled back into her eyes. What the hell?

  Before he could answer, her cell phone rang. After shooting him another glare she dug her cell out then turned away from him as she answered. “Hello?”

  He sat back against the stool, feeling like a dick because he knew what the call was about. But he didn’t regret what he was doing. He had to get her the hell out of that place.

  “What? Wait…are you kidding me? What about all my stuff…Oh.” There was a long pause, then she sniffled. “I can come by and get my stuff today. Are you sure you don’t have…” Another pause. “Okay. Okay. Yeah, thanks.” She slipped the phone back into her purse and turned to face him.

  Tears glittered in her hazel eyes, the sight like a physical blow to his senses. “Angel…”

  She blinked them away. “It’s nothing. I just…can you take me home?”

  He rounded the island, coming to stand in front of her, not giving her a chance to put any distance between them, physical or otherwise. “No. Not until you tell me what’s going on. Who just called you?”

  To his horror she burst into tears. It was as if she’d been holding them at bay and a dam just broke. Fuck him. He was the biggest douche on the planet. Not caring that she was angry at him, he pulled her into his arms and to his relief, she went willingly.

  Wrapping her arms around him, she buried her face against his chest. Stroking a hand down her back, he savored the feel of her delicate form pressed so tightly against him—even while he felt like a jerk for being the cause of her tears. Not that it changed his determination to get her out of that place. A few tears would be worth it to have her somewhere safe.

  Still remaining in his embrace, she turned her head to the side so that her cheek lay against him. “My apartment flooded. I don’t have much there, just clothes, but…Mr. Botkin has no idea how long it will take to fix everything. He says the pipes won’t take long but he’s going to have to rip up the floors and…” Shaking her head, she stepped back, swiping at the stray tears as she avoided his gaze. “He doesn’t have any extra places, but said he’d try to find me a new apartment at another complex. He’s also going to refund this month’s rent, but still.”

  “Stay with me.”

  Her head snapped up, her eyes wide. Was she really that surprised by his offer? That cut almost as deep as her tears.

  “I can’t do that.” Her voice was watery as she wiped away the last of her tears.

  “Why not? Charlie adores you and I have the space. We work at the same place so there’s no issue with transportation.” As if to reiterate Vadim’s point, Charlie nudged her hand, whining softly before she darted through the doggie door.

  “Vadim…” She trailed off, biting her bottom lip, and he could see the wheels turning in her head. “If you really don’t mind, it’ll be just for a week. Maximum. It probably won’t even take that long to fix.” But she didn’t sound too sure.

  He grunted. “You can stay as long as you like. Listen, I’ve got to run up to the hotel. Emergency. I’ll be there for a couple hours so unless you want to come hang out with me, I’ll just grab your stuff on the way back.”

  She bit her bottom lip again in that adorable way that made him wish she was nipping at his lips. “I guess that’s okay. Mr. Botkin said he’d packed everything but can you check the drawers? I really only have clothes in the closet and drawers. And of course everything in the bathroom. Everything else in the kitchen and living room came with the place. Oh, and my laptop. Crap, I hope it’s okay.”

  “If it’s not I’ll buy you a new one.” The words were out before he could stop himself. Hell, he knew her laptop was fine since there hadn’t been any flooding. But he couldn’t help the offer. She started to protest, but he shook his head. “I’ve gotta run, but I’ll have my cell phone on me.” Not giving her a chance to respond, he headed to his bedroom to get changed.

  There was no emergency at work. He planned to head straight to her place, pack up her stuff and bring it back here. Then he would figure out who the hell had keyed his car and who’d been asking about Angel. She’d been pretty tight-lipped about her past but that was about to change.

  Keeping her safe was his number one priority. Getting a repeat of that kiss was a close second. Damn, he’d fucked that all up. But he refused to believe that he couldn’t have a second chance with her. From the moment they’d met, their friendship had been leading to more. He might suck with the opposite sex, but he knew his feelings weren’t one-sided. He would win her over again.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Sinking low in his rental car, he watched the fit, blond man carrying another box from Angel’s apartment to the back of his SUV. The windows of his new rental were tinted so no one could see him, but he still wanted to be careful. He’d already switched out cars after what he’d done at the casino. He’d been careful, but he liked to keep his tracks covered. Angel couldn’t know he was in town yet.

  Not until he’d had his fun.

  The blond man had been methodical in his work. He’d shown up with folded, clearly new boxes, a roll of packing tape, then had headed up to Angel’s place. Five medium-sized boxes later, he seemed to be done clearing out her place. He definitely wasn’t a typical mover though.

  Wearing cargo pants, a long-sleeved black T-shirt and boots, the man moved with a predator-like quality. Quick and methodical. The entire scene was interesting.

  And frustrating. Maybe he was Angel’s new lover and moving her in with him. It made sense. She’d probably found some rich guy to take care of her. That car she’d been driving had been proof enough of that because he knew it wasn’t hers.

  When the blond man pulled out from the parking lot, he followed. As he drove, he jotted down the license plate number of the SUV. If Angel was moving somewhere else, he was going to find out where. He’d just found her again and wouldn’t let her get away from him.

  He pressed the third speed dial number on his phone.

  “Yeah,” Glen Humphrey, his private investigator answered on the second ring.

  “I need you to look up a license plate for me.” He knew the investigator could do it. There was a website that allowed license plate look-ups for a fee. Unfortunately he also knew the site kept detailed records of their registrants and they had to have legal reasons for looking up that kind of information, like skip tracing. And even then, the site didn’t always have the necessary data, just basic public records. Sometimes not even that, especially without a name to go with the plate.

  “I can try,” Glen said. “But you know it may not return anything.”

  “I understand.” He rattled off the license plate number, still following the SUV. This early in the morning he was surprised by the amount of traffic but apparently this city never slept. “Call me when you have anything.” After they disconnected, he slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting a motorcycle that swerved in front of him.

  Cursing, he watched as the SUV cruised through a yellow light too far ahead of him. Unless he wanted to make a scene and possibly get in an accident, there was no way he could follow. Not with cars boxing him in on both sides and that stupid motorcycle in front of him.

  At least he knew where Angel worked. And now he had a possible lead with that guy’s license plate. The problem with her work, however, was that he couldn’t sit on the restaurant all day without looking suspicious. He’d have to gamble occasionally and hang out at the bar at least a few times until he learned her schedule. Unfortunately that increased his risk of her seeing him. He’d just have to disguise himself. And he knew exactly how to do that.

  * * *

  Vadim typed another command into his keyboard, narrowing down the search parameters to see if he could learn more about the man who’d keyed his car. After watching the surveilla
nce video a dozen times he was convinced it wasn’t random. The man had methodically looked for Vadim’s Mercedes before keying it. And there was something about the man’s body language that had been almost gleeful.

  It was the only way Vadim could think to describe it. He’d taken such great care with his destruction. Carving in each letter with determination, with relish. And when he was done, he’d stopped and looked at it, placing his hands on his hips as he stared at his handiwork.

  A knock on his open office door had him looking up as Hayden stepped halfway inside. “Angel’s working and Logan’s keeping an eye on her.”

  “You couldn’t get Roman to watch her?” Vadim asked dryly.

  Hayden shot him an obnoxious grin. “Sorry man. Wyatt’s got him dealing with something else.”

  Vadim just grunted and turned back to his laptop. Roman and Logan MacNeil were two highly trained members of Wyatt’s personal security team. They sometimes did stuff for the hotel, but Wyatt kept them close on hand. Vadim had asked his friend and boss if he could spare one of his guys to keep an eye on Angel, so it wasn’t as if he could complain about the man’s choice. Vadim just hated Logan as a choice. The man flirted with all females whereas his brother rarely talked to anyone, much less the opposite sex.

  But Vadim couldn’t think about that right now. He had shit to do and wanted to find out something substantial before he picked up Angel from work. This morning after he’d packed up her things, he’d checked in with Mr. Botkin to let him know he had all of Angel’s belongings and would be leaving. Then he’d brought her stuff home and found out she’d picked up an afternoon shift. He’d needed to come into work anyway so he’d brought her.

  She’d been quiet most of the drive and he couldn’t tell if it was because she was upset about her place, or if she was angry at him. Because he’d definitely sensed angry vibes from her. He just wished he could figure out the anger part. He’d screwed up but he’d apologized and Angel wasn’t one to hold a grudge. It was almost like she was pissed about something else.