“If we weren’t standing outside my sister’s hospital room,” Tyler hissed, “I would beat the living shit out of you!”
“You could try,” Shane said, crossing his arms over his chest.
Tyler fisted his hands at his sides. “Don’t push me, asshole. I’m only holding it together for Beth’s sake.”
“Hey, you’ll get your chance, I’m sure. If you want to meet me in the ring after this is over, I’m more than game.”
Tyler shook his head at Shane. “I hired you to protect my sister, not seduce her. How the hell did this happen?”
“I didn’t seduce her.”
“Bullshit! I saw the way she looked at you!” Tyler lunged forward and grabbed Shane’s shirt collar, slamming him up against the wall.
Cooper made a move toward Tyler, but Shane held him off with a hand gesture.
“She’s just a kid, Shane!” Tyler growled. “She’s no match for you, and you know it! I’m sure you had her eating out of your hand in no time.”
“Tyler, I’m sorry,” Shane said, not resisting because he knew full well that Tyler was right. “I have sisters. I know how I’d feel if I were in your place. But trust me, I never set out to seduce her.”
“Then what the fuck did you set out to do, Shane? No matter how it happened, you ended up in my sister’s bed, didn’t you? She’s too young for you, too vulnerable, and too traumatized. Your conduct is entirely unethical and unprofessional.”
“We are lovers, yes,” Shane said. “But it’s not – ”
Tyler’s hands went to Shane’s neck and he squeezed. And still, Shane didn’t fight back. He wasn’t about to lay violent hands on Beth’s brother. But apparently, Tyler didn’t have the same scruples.
This time, Cooper did step forward. “That’s enough, Tyler,” Cooper said. He grasped one of Tyler’s wrists, applying pressure in a strategic spot, causing Tyler to instantly let go.
Tyler threw up his hands and stepped back, breathing hard.
Shane came away from the wall and adjusted his shirt. “My behavior was unprofessional because I didn’t tell Beth the truth up front, and because I didn’t end the contract with you first. I’m ending it now.”
“What!” Tyler hissed, looking aghast. “You won’t protect her anymore? Kline just bought a gun!” Tyler’s eyes widened with what could only be described as fear. “Shane, I can’t protect her around the clock by myself.”
“I didn’t say I wasn’t going to protect her, you idiot,” Shane said. “I said I’m ending my contract with you. As her boyfriend – as her lover – I’m taking over her protection. I’m going to do things my way now.”
“Your way!” Tyler ground out. “Look at her in there!” he growled, pointing toward Beth’s room. “Some asshole just beat the shit out of my baby sister!”
“That never would have happened if you’d let me put a bodyguard in the library with her!” Shane hissed back. “I wanted someone in the room with her from the very beginning, and you shot that down, every time. My biggest mistake was abiding by your wishes. If I’d followed my own instincts, she never would have gotten hurt.”
“You can’t know that,” Tyler said. “The kid might still have gotten to her.”
“No, he wouldn’t have,” Shane said. “If Lia had been in there like I wanted, she would have knocked Morton flat on his ass the instant he even looked at Beth wrong.”
“Lia? You’re kidding me, right? That little psycho-punk sister of yours? Give me a break!”
Shane scoffed. “I’d like to see you go five minutes with Lia in the ring. She would hand you your ass, you arrogant prick.”
At that moment, the psycho-punk herself stuck her blond spiky-haired head through the doorway and glared at both of them. “Keep it down, assholes,” she said. “Princess can hear you.”
Shane glared at his sister, who disappeared back into Beth’s room.
“Look, Tyler,” Shane said. “I plan to be around for a long time. You and I are going to have to learn to live with each other for Beth’s sake. I won’t have you upsetting her.”
“Me!” Tyler hissed. “I’m not the one who seduced her!”
“It wasn’t like that, Tyler!” Shane said stiffly.
“Then what was it like, Shane?” Tyler glared at him. “Tell me.”
“I love Beth,” Shane said. “Signed, sealed, and delivered.”
Tyler looked stunned. “What?”
“You heard me,” Shane said. “Get used to the idea. I’m not going anywhere.”
“How does she feel?” Tyler said.
Shane frowned. “We had a bit of a setback earlier this week,” he said. “But it’s nothing I can’t fix. I’m sorry, Tyler. This isn’t how I wanted you to find out.”
“She’s too young for you,” Tyler said. “She’s too... fragile for you.”
Shane shook his head. “She is young, but she’s stronger than you think, Tyler.”
Tyler leaned against the wall for support as he contemplated the fact that Shane and his sister were intimately involved.
“Tyler, I’m taking over Beth’s protection, effective immediately. As soon as she’s released from here, I’m moving her to my home in Kenilworth. She’ll have everything she needs there to recuperate.”
“She doesn’t need to move in with you,” Tyler said. “If she moves in with anyone, it should be me or our mother.”
Shane shook his head. “Tyler, understand this: Beth is mine. I will personally ensure her safety. The best way for me to do that is to move her to my estate in Kenilworth. It’s a secure location, monitored and patrolled 24/7. She’ll be perfectly safe there, and she’ll have everything she could possibly want.”
Tyler eyed Shane suspiciously. “And after she’s recuperated?”
“That will be up to her,” Shane said, “but I hope she’ll agree to stay.”
* * *
“So, where were we?” Lia said as she dropped back down into the visitor’s chair beside Beth’s bed. “Sorry about your face. It must hurt like a bitch.”
“It does,” Beth said, struggling not to smile. She was also trying hard not to stare at Lia, but it was difficult. Lia’s tongue was pierced, Beth realized, when she caught a glimpse of the silver ball attached to it. Beth wondered how much it had hurt to have that done. And she’d done it on purpose. Why? Why would someone do that to themselves?
“You’re Shane’s sister?” Beth said, highly skeptical. They looked nothing alike, and they couldn’t be more different in personality. Lia McIntyre was completely outrageous. She was nothing at all like her poised, restrained brother.
“One of them,” Lia said.
“I think Shane said he has three sisters?”
“Yeah,” Lia said. “Besides me, there’s Sophie and Hannah. I’m the cool one. Sophie’s a stuck-up princess, and Hannah’s a science nerd.”
Beth grinned at that, but quickly wished she hadn’t. Any facial movement was agonizing.
Lia’s blond hair was cut shorter than short and spiked with gel, the tips dyed purple. She wore an extraordinary number of tiny diamond stud earrings in both ears and a sapphire stud in her left nostril. She was dressed in black cargo pants that hung low on her lean hips and a black cropped t-shirt bearing the logo “Parental Advisory” that showed quite a lot of midriff. Lia was a couple inches shorter than Beth, lean, and muscled.
Lia’s belly button also sported some bling – a gold hoop with a charm dangling from it – was that a mermaid? On her feet were chunky, black combat boots that looked like they’d seen better days. And then there was the most striking feature of all – the tribal tattoos on her lovely, heart-shaped face. Above and below her eyes, on her nose and cheeks, were dots and squiggles, triangles and slashes. The tattoos were surprisingly beautiful really, if not extremely unconventional – like Lia herself.
Lia looked at Beth’s arm, which was immobilized in a temporary splint. The swollen lump on her arm was an angry mixture of dark purple and red. “Aren’t they goin
g to do something about that?”
Beth nodded. “I’m getting a cast once the orthopedic doctor reads the x-rays.”
“You don’t need an x-ray to tell that arm’s broken,” Lia said.
Lia propped her boots up on the footboard of Beth’s bed and crossed her arms, trying to get comfortable in the less-than-comfortable chair. “The cops arrested the fucker who beat you. I thought you’d want to know.”
“I didn’t know,” Beth said. “Thanks.”
“I hope they throw the book at the asswipe. If Shane’s attorney has anything to say about it, they will. Troy Spencer is a beast in the courtroom. He’ll make sure the guy rots in prison for a long time.”
A nurse came into the room and introduced herself to Beth – her name was Sherry. Sherry had brought Beth a pitcher of ice water and a plastic cup with a lid and straw. Sherry took Beth’s vitals, then administered the next scheduled dose of pain medication through Beth’s IV. She showed Beth how to operate her bed and the television set, and how to call for a nurse. Beth noticed that the nurse’s curious gaze kept sliding over to Lia.
After the nurse left, Beth finally had to ask. “Are those tattoos on your face real?” Lia had such a lovely face. Beth couldn’t understand why she’d want to mark it up like that. The tattoos were mesmerizing, yes, beautiful actually, but still... were they permanent?
“Nah, they’re fake. Shane won’t let me have real tats on my face. I do a lot of undercover work, so I can only have tats in places that people generally don’t see. You know, like on my ass.”
“Oh.” Beth nodded. “Lia, do you mind if I ask how old you are?”
“I’m 22,” Lia said.
“I’m 24,” Beth said, giving her new friend a small smile.
“I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other now, since my brother is freaking nuts about you.”
Beth blushed. “I guess so.”
Chapter 40
Shane stepped into the waiting room and a small crowd of people jumped to their feet. It was after 5 o’clock, and a few more faces from the office had appeared, including AJ and Frank from IT and Shane’s executive assignment, Diane.
Diane walked up to Shane and wrapped her arms around his waist, tears in her eyes. The top of her head barely came halfway up his chest. “I’m so sorry, honey,” she said. “Is she all right?”
Shane nodded as he returned Diane’s embrace and patted her back. “She will be. She’s in a lot of pain, but her injuries aren’t serious.”
“That poor child,” Diane said, wiping her wet eyes on her sleeve. “How could someone do that to such a sweet girl?”
The elevator across the hall opened its doors, and two women stepped out. Shane recognized one of them – Gabrielle Hunter. The other woman was an older blond, tall and slender. Both women seemed a little bit lost.
He knew immediately that the other woman had to be Beth’s mother, Ingrid Jamison. The resemblance between them was obvious. Ingrid Jamison was a beautiful woman. In her mid-sixties, she was tall and slender like her daughter. Her face was heart-shaped, like Beth’s, and she had clear blue eyes. Ingrid’s pale blond hair fell to her shoulder blades. When she smiled hesitantly at Shane, her face lit up with a smile that was identical to Beth’s. The sight of it made his heart contract.
“You must be Beth’s mother,” Shane said, as he approached her.
“Yes,” she said, looking hesitantly at the small crowd assembled in the waiting room. “I’m Ingrid Jamison.”
Shane offered his hand to Ingrid and they shook. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Jamison. I’m Shane McIntyre.”
“How is my daughter?” Ingrid said. “Can I see her?”
“She’s in Orthopedics right now, having her arm casted,” Shane said. “Tyler’s with her. Beth’s ribs are bruised, and she has a concussion. Her face is pretty badly battered, but her doctor said she should heal fine. She’s going to be fine, Mrs. Jamison. You can see her as soon as she gets back to her room. I’ll take you there now, so you can wait for her.”
Shane glanced at Gabrielle, who looked very ill at ease. “Hello, Gabrielle,” he said. “I’m glad you came. Beth will be happy to see you.”
Gabrielle glanced at Ingrid Jamison, then back at Shane. “Shane, I’m sorry for telling Beth like I did.”
Shane shook his head, dismissing her apology. “There’s no need to apologize, Gabrielle. I understand why you did it. It’s okay.”
* * *
Cooper was standing guard outside Beth’s room when Shane and the two women approached.
Shane nodded at Cooper, then ushered Mrs. Jamison and Gabrielle inside the room. The center of the room – where Beth’s bed would be when she returned from Orthopedics – was conspicuously empty. Lia got up from the guest chair she’d been sitting in and hopped up on the window sill.
“Mrs. Jamison, this is my sister, Lia McIntyre,” Shane said. “She’ll be helping me look after Beth. Lia, this is Beth’s mother and Beth’s roommate, Gabrielle Hunter.”
“Hello,” Lia said.
“Call me Ingrid, please,” the woman said. “Do you mind if I sit?” Ingrid sank gratefully into one of the two chairs in the room. Gabrielle took the other.
Ingrid’s gaze went to the doorway. Shane glanced behind him to see what she was looking at. It was Cooper standing in the open doorway.
“I beg your pardon,” Shane said, smiling apologetically. “Mrs. Jamison, this is Daniel Cooper. Cooper, this is Beth’s mother, Ingrid Jamison.”
“Ma’am,” Cooper said, tipping his head at Ingrid.
“Hello,” Ingrid said.
“Can I get either of you anything?” Shane said to Ingrid and Gabrielle. “Coffee? A soft drink? Water?”
“I would love some coffee,” Ingrid said, looking at Shane with a hopeful expression on her face.
“I’ll get it,” Cooper said. “How do you take your coffee, ma’am?”
Ingrid smiled at Cooper. “Thank you, that’s very kind. And please, call me Ingrid. Sugar and cream, if it’s not too much trouble.”
“Not at all... Ingrid,” Cooper said. Then he looked at Gabrielle. “Anything for you, miss?”
“Water, please,” Gabrielle said.
After Cooper left, Ingrid looked imploringly at Shane. “Please tell me what happened to my baby. Tyler was very vague when he called me.”
Shane frowned. “Beth was attacked earlier today in her office. It was a pretty brutal beating, and she’s in a lot of pain, but none of her injuries are serious.”
“Do they know who did this to her?”
“Yes,” Shane said. “He’s a student at the medical school. He’s been arrested and is in the County jail now, awaiting arraignment. My attorney is investigating what charges we can bring against him. For starters, he’s charged with assault and battery. I expect there will be more charges coming.”
“Your attorney?” Ingrid said, taken aback. “Why yours? Why not Tyler’s?” She eyed Shane suspiciously. “Pardon me, I don’t mean to be rude, but what business do you have with my daughter?”
Shane hesitated, painfully aware that this wasn’t the best time or place to tell Ingrid he was involved with her daughter.
“I’m Beth’s boyfriend,” Shane said. There was that god-awful word again. It didn’t do their relationship justice.
“Her boyfriend?” Ingrid eyed Shane skeptically. “Beth didn’t even tell me she was dating anyone, let alone that she had a boyfriend.”
Ingrid looked at Gabrielle for corroboration of Shane’s claim.
Gabrielle nodded. “Beth’s been seeing Shane for a couple of weeks.”
Ingrid looked back at Shane. “No offense, but aren’t you a little too old for my daughter?”
“No, ma’am, I’m not,” Shane said.
She frowned at him. “Where did you meet Beth?”
“I met your daughter through Tyler,” Shane said. “Your son hired my firm to provide bodyguards for Beth.”
“Bodyguards!” Ingrid sa
id, sitting up in her chair, completely astounded. “Whatever for?”
Just then, Cooper walked through the door carrying two cups. He handed a Styrofoam cup of ice water to Gabrielle.
“Here you go, Ingrid.” Cooper smiled at her as she took the coffee cup from his hand. “Sugar and cream.”
“Thank you,” she said, smiling back.
Cooper looked at Shane. “I just passed Beth and Tyler coming out of the elevator. They’ll be here any second.”
Ingrid Jamison jumped to her feet as the orderly wheeled Beth’s bed into her room. “Oh, my God, Beth!” she cried, horrified by the cuts and bruises on her daughter’s face.
“Mom!” Beth cried, seeing her mother.
Cooper intercepted Ingrid and took the cup of hot coffee from her hand. She smiled gratefully at him.
“Oh, my sweet baby,” Ingrid said, as she moved to Beth’s side and reached for her daughter.
“Careful!” Shane barked, and Ingrid froze, a stricken look on her face. “I’m sorry,” Shane said. “Just be careful where you touch her.”
Ingrid looked from Beth to Shane to Tyler, her hands hovering uncertainly over Beth. “Where can I touch her?” she said. Her gaze went automatically to Tyler, who stood looking grim beside Beth’s bed. “Tyler?” Her voice cracked.
“She’ll be okay, Mom,” Tyler said, putting his arm around his mother.
“The top of her head’s okay,” Shane said. “Avoid her chest and face. They’re the worst.”
Ingrid laid gentle hands on her daughter’s legs, sliding them up carefully to her waist. “My poor baby,” she said, crooning in a way only a mother could.
“I’m okay, Mom,” Beth said. “Please, don’t worry.”
Ingrid moved up to the head of the bed and leaned over and stroked the top of Beth’s head gently, then leaned down and kissed her daughter there. “It’s okay, baby,” Ingrid said. “We’ll take very good care of you.”
Vulnerable: (McIntyre Security Bodyguard Series - Book 1) Page 36