Promise Her

by Mitzi Pool Bridges

  “Sorry I’m late. Traffic was a bitch.”

  “Show me your ID.”

  Evan laughed, but handed over his driver’s license and a note from Max. “Max told me you’d be extra careful. Guess I can’t blame you.”

  Douglas led him into the kitchen. “This is Lisa Kane. I have to get to court. Just make sure you don’t let anyone in Lisa doesn’t know. “

  “Gotcha.”

  “Lisa. Are you sure you’ll be okay with this guy?”

  “Go to work, Douglas.”

  He had to leave. Now. But he didn’t want to. He wanted to stay; wanted to make sure she wasn’t hurt again. Or worse.

  Going to Lisa, he bent to whisper in her ear. “You have my cell number, if anything goes on here that shouldn’t or if you need anything, call.”

  “I will, Douglas. Don’t worry about me. Go win your case.”

  “Right.”

  He wrote his cell number on the calendar, turned to Evan. “Call if anything suspicious occurs.”

  “Gotcha.”

  Douglas frowned at the confident guy standing in his kitchen with a grin on his face. But it wasn’t the grin, it was the pecs showing beneath the tight T-shirt that made him grimace. The guy was testosterone in motion.

  Grabbing his briefcase and Stetson, he hurried to his SUV. He was going to be late. Judge Cantrell frowned on tardiness and no excuse mattered.

  ****

  When he left, Lisa let out a sigh of relief.

  For the next few hours she wouldn’t have to pretend.

  Evan sat across from her in the breakfast nook. “I have orders to do anything you ask.” He smiled. “Within reason. So what can I do for you?”

  “Refill my cup,” she said.

  Evan was quite dashing. With his athletic build, she’d bet he could defend her against anyone. She wondered where he kept his gun. If she knew Max, Evan had one somewhere.

  “I haven’t met you before. Have you known Max long?”

  “A while. I met him at the academy.”

  “You’re FBI?”

  Evan laughed. “No. I changed my mind. Liked the work, didn’t like the restrictions.”

  “So what do you do now besides play bodyguard?”

  “I figured with the world the way it is today, and the many crazies out there, I could make a good living in security. You know. Businesses, corporations, the wealthy.”

  “I don’t fit into any of those categories.”

  “No. But you need protection. And that’s what we do.”

  “So tell me about your business.”

  Which was what he did. For the next hour she listened to every detail of what Drury Security Company did, how many employees they had and his plans for the future.

  “You’re quite enterprising for such a young man.”

  “Mid-thirties. Not that young.”

  He looked younger. Maybe it was his wide grin or his muscle-bound body.

  “Is there anything I can do for you?”

  Lisa shook her head just as the doorbell rang.

  Instantly, Evan was all business. “Stay here. Don’t move unless I say it’s okay.”

  The gun she knew had to be somewhere came out of a jacket he’d thrown over a chair. “I’ll be right back. Do you have a cell phone?”

  “By my bed.”

  He handed her his. “From now on, keep one with you at all times. Call 911 if things don’t sound right.”

  Every minute she’d been here, she’d felt safe. But Evan’s safety measures made her tense.

  With Evan’s cell phone in hand, she listened carefully as the front door opened. Voices followed by footsteps came toward her.

  “There you are.”

  Lisa slumped in relief. “TJ! I’m so glad to see you.”

  Max followed her in with a large grocery sack filled to overflowing. “And Max! What are you doing here?”

  “Taralyn insisted she had to check on you.” He put the sack on the counter.

  “He wouldn’t let me come alone. So here we are.”

  Lisa turned to question Max. He shook his head. Lisa understood. If Lisa was in danger, anyone who came to the door could be in danger, too. Which meant TJ or Patty or anyone. The thought made her angry. Someone was forcing them to change their lives. She had to find out who.

  “How are you this morning?” TJ asked.

  “Let’s go to the bedroom.”

  They left the men in the kitchen.

  “What’s wrong?” TJ asked.

  “Check my arm and leg. They burn like the devil. I couldn’t put salve on them this morning after my shower, or re-wrap them.”

  “Why didn’t you get Douglas to help?”

  Lisa gave her the look.

  “Never mind. But we have to do something about this. You should come home with me.”

  Lisa shook her head. “The family’s right. We can’t put the babies in danger.”

  “How does that feel?” TJ asked when she taped the last bandage in place.

  “Much better.”

  “I think you should lay off the showers until you heal a little more.”

  “Not take a shower?”

  “A couple of days won’t hurt. It’s not like you’re working up a sweat. From the looks of these abrasions, they shouldn’t have water on them.”

  “You’re not a doctor.”

  “Stop arguing, Lisa. You know I’m right. Admit it hurts like all get out when water hits them.”

  “Okay. It hurts. But I need my shower.”

  “Stop being stubborn. Like I said. A couple of days won’t hurt and you can always spit bath.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Lisa grumbled.

  “When do you see the doctor?”

  “Next week. Except by then I expect to be well and at home.”

  TJ took Lisa by the shoulder, turned her around and looked in her eyes. “Lisa, this isn’t just about your injuries you know. It’s about keeping you safe. We don’t know who wanted to hurt you. Until we do, you stay here.”

  “I don’t see how I can, TJ. It’s too hard.” Seeing Douglas every day. Having him so near she could reach out and touch him was pure misery. Even TJ couldn’t understand.

  “I know. But Douglas is being good to you, isn’t he? If he isn’t, the family will come down on him.”

  “He’s been wonderful. He worries about me, feeds me. It’s just…”

  “I know, honey. You love the guy.”

  “I’m just another sister to him.” Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. “You know what makes it worse?”

  “What?”

  “Being here has made me realize I’ll probably never be anything more. At least before, I had the fantasy that one day he’d come to his senses and see how we were made for each other. The phone rings constantly. I know it’s his lady friends. I can’t stand it. Now I’m beginning to realize the truth and I don’t like it.

  “I’m sure you don’t. But he’ll come around one of these days.”

  “I don’t believe in miracles.”

  “Sure you do. Wasn’t it a miracle you weren’t killed?”

  “That’s different.”

  “Not at all.”

  “C’mon, TJ. Face it. I’ll never be your sister-in-law. She’ll probably be someone like that Anna person who showed up yesterday.” She gave TJ a half-grin. “You’ll just love her.”

  TJ groaned. “I know he has women friends over, but with you here?”

  “I’m his sister, remember? What difference does it make?” When TJ didn’t answer, Lisa asked, “Will you tell Max I want to talk to him?”

  Questions flew from TJ’s emerald green eyes.

  “Don’t ask. Just send him in.”

  “You’re the boss.”

  “So everyone tells me.” But if she was the boss, why did she feel so helpless?

  Max came in the room. Lisa had liked him from the minute TJ introduced them. He was the right person for her best friend. Kind and good, he had a good business se
nse and was loyal to the core. He was also ex-FBI. Which made him formidable.

  Plus, he was her boss.

  “I know you, Lisa. That mind of yours is going ninety miles an hour. You need to relax, let the rest of us take care of this.”

  “You know I can’t. That’s why you have that folder in your hand.”

  He grinned. “Yeah. I know you pretty well. But I’m serious. I’ll share everything we find, but I don’t want you to worry about any of it.”

  “We’ll talk about that in a minute. I realized when you escorted TJ over here that it was to keep her safe in case that crazy person decided to do something else. So if TJ isn’t safe walking up to that front door, then neither is Patty or any of Douglas’ girlfriends.”

  Max didn’t argue. “You’re right. I don’t know how we’re going to do this, but we can’t keep everyone away even if we wanted to. Evan’s good. He can handle things inside the house, but we don’t have eyes outside. What we can do is tell Patty and the others they have to call first. That way Evan can watch for them.”

  “Sounds good. Patty won’t be kept away.”

  “Give me her cell number.”

  “I’ll call her. She needs to let us know when she’s coming anyway. What about Douglas’ friends?”

  “I’ll talk to Douglas. He’s so busy taking care of you he won’t have time for anything else.”

  What a great way to keep all of those gorgeous women at bay. Should she feel guilty? Nope. She didn’t feel guilty at all. At least for the short time she’d be here, he’d be all hers, even if she had to play the little sister role. Maybe, since they’d be close day in and day out, he’d start to see her as a desirable woman.

  “Good. Now what’s in the folder?”

  “Thanks to Bernie, we have background on both Harold and Tempest Wheatley. Few surprises, but I’ll leave it here for you to look over.”

  “Tell me what did surprise you?”

  “You don’t miss much, do you?” He chuckled. “Just read through it carefully, then let me know what you think.”

  “You mean you’re going to let me work? Goodness. That might keep me from getting well.”

  He laughed. “Don’t be facetious. We both know you’ll examine this with a magnifying glass.”

  Max took her arm, escorted her back to the kitchen. “We need to get to the office, Taralyn.”

  “Right. But I’ll be back soon.”

  “Tomorrow,” he reminded her.

  “Okay. Tomorrow. But if you need anything let me know.”

  “With that bag of stuff you brought over, I doubt I’ll need a thing.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Max took Evan aside and, Lisa was sure, gave him more instructions.

  After hugs and kisses, they were gone.

  “Do you want to go back to bed?” Evan asked.

  “Did you unload the groceries?”

  “I did. And managed to put them away.”

  “Then I want to read. There’s a comfortable recliner in the living area. I’ll be there.”

  She sank into the recliner. It had to be Douglas’ favorite chair. She could smell his aftershave. She shut her eyes for a moment, wiggled deeper into its comfort and opened the file.

  She couldn’t moon over Douglas 24/7. She had a case to solve.

  And if anyone could find anything, it was Bernie Peters.

  An hour later, she shut the folder and leaned back.

  “Now isn’t that interesting?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Evan made them both a quick lunch. When they were finished, Lisa took the folder and headed for her room. “I’m going to rest.”

  “See you later.”

  She had to admit, Evan had a neat job. Sit around all day and wait for nothing to happen. Smart guy. Of course, if danger did present itself, he’d earn his salary.

  As far as she was concerned, he was window dressing. She didn’t think she was in danger now, and wouldn’t be unless she showed up at the rodeo again. Which she fully intended to do, danger or not.

  In her room, she picked up her cell and dialed the office. Bernie answered. Max always said when Bernie walked into his office and asked for a job, it was the best thing that ever happened to the company. And it was. Bernie had wanted to be an FBI agent, but it didn’t happen. His computer genius had proven many times to be the difference between success and failure on dozens of jobs.

  “Hey, Lisa! How are you? TJ said you were on the mend. I’m really sorry about what happened.”

  “I’m fine and thanks. I wanted to talk about Tempest.”

  “Shoot.”

  “I didn’t know Tempest had a twin. It adds another layer to the puzzle.”

  “Yes it does.”

  “So where is she? Where’s Storm?” Lisa couldn’t imagine naming baby girls Tempest and Storm. Their parents must have been fixated on the weather. It was a good thing they didn’t have more children. There might be a Tornado, maybe even a Hurricane in there somewhere.

  “No one knows. She dropped out of sight at the age of sixteen and hasn’t been heard from since.”

  “Any pictures?” Lisa asked.

  “None. The only picture I came up with is in the folder and Storm isn’t in it.”

  “Interesting,” Lisa mused. “That was shortly before Tempest’s dad, John Collier, sold his invention that made him a multi-millionaire.”

  “Lucky guy. But smart,” Bernie said.

  “Sure was. I read where her parents couldn’t find Storm after she ran away.”

  “At least according to the file. The investigator’s name is in there, but from everything I found, he came up empty.”

  “We have to find her, Bernie. I think she could be key to this.”

  “How do you figure that?”

  “Were the twins identical?”

  “I think so.”

  “Then that explains a lot.”

  “I don’t get you.”

  “Twins, Bernie. Identical twins. Let me talk to Max.”

  “Gone for the day. We’re really busy.”

  She had to get well fast so she could get the answers she needed. It was a big burden to put on the company, especially when everything was so hectic.

  “Bernie, did you find anything that would tell you why Storm left home or why her parents didn’t include her in the trust? She wasn’t included was she?”

  “No, she wasn’t. And I found nothing that would tell me why.”

  “We need that information.”

  Silence.

  “I know you’re busy,” Lisa said softly.

  “Swamped.”

  “This is important.”

  More silence. “I’ll do everything I can to find what you need. But honestly, Lisa, I’ve looked everywhere. What you see is all I could find.”

  “Do what you can. If you find anything call me on my cell.”

  “Will do. Get well, Lisa. We need you.”

  “I’ll be there to pester you before you know it.”

  Where else could she get the information she needed? The most likely person would be Tempest, but she was dead. Her parents were gone. According to the file there were no close relatives. The only other person who might know anything would be Harold, and he wouldn’t talk to her. Maybe since the accident he would change his mind.

  She stretched out on the bed. It felt good. When her injuries healed, she’d be good to go.

  Her mind wouldn’t stop whirling. What if it was Storm who waltzed in and took Tempest’s money? If they were identical twins it could work. Hadn’t she read where identical twins often had similar handwriting? But that left the question of who killed Tempest? It wouldn’t make sense for it to be Storm. She had a good thing going with the trust. Just walk in, pretend to be Tempest and walk out. Except Tempest knew her trust was being tapped. Maybe Storm realized that.

  Where did Harold fit in? The night his wife died, he’d been as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. A favorite saying of he
r dad’s. Why had she thought of it now?

  Dizzy with the new information Max gave her, she shut her eyes—and tried not to think. Before she knew it, she was asleep.

  ****

  Several hours later, Douglas found Evan sitting in the kitchen, a magazine in one hand, a soda in the other. “Where is she?”

  Evan pointed toward the bedroom.

  Douglas walked quietly into her room, stood over her, and watched her sleep. Blond hair spread over the pillow. Her right arm lay over her eyes as if to shut out the light. It was dark in here. Not dark exactly, but dim.

  Her beauty mesmerized him and he found himself simply staring.

  He remembered the first time he’d met her. Even then, her beauty had taken his breath away. But he’d never asked her out. Since none of his relationships had lasted longer than a few months, he wouldn’t risk TJ’s wrath if he hurt her best friend. Realizing his weakness, as he called it, he’d kept his distance. It had been easy to put her up there next to TJ, treat her like a member of the family the same as all the Callahans did, think of her as another sister.

  But he recalled how at TJ’s wedding he’d asked Lisa to dance, held her close. She’d been so tempting he didn’t ask for a second one. When Donovan and Phyl married, he asked her to dance a fast polka. No closeness there. They’d laughed and stomped across the floor like two kids.

  He felt different now.

  It scared the hell out of him.

  Her eyes opened. She struggled up. “What?”

  “It’s just me, Lisa. I was checking to see how you were.”

  “Jeez! Give a girl a break will you? You scared me.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Is Evan still here?”

  “I just walked in. So yes he is.”

  “Give me a minute.”

  ****

  When he walked out she went to the bathroom. Her hair was a wild tangle. Her clothes were wrinkled and she needed makeup.

  Couldn’t be helped. She splashed cold water on her face, combed her hair and went to join the guys in the kitchen.

  Evan was getting ready to leave.

  “I want to ask you something first,” Lisa said.

  Evan waited.

  “Does your company do investigative work?”

  Evan shook his head. “Just security.”

  She went to the table and sat down. “Too bad. I had a job for you if you did.”