“It’s not far, maybe half an hour. And it wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you where, so stop asking. You’ll just have to wait and see. Let’s get dressed, and then we’ll eat breakfast. Elly said she’d send up a tray.”
After getting dressed, Beth went into the bathroom to wash. Shane made the bed, then checked the news headlines on the television. He walked out on the balcony and watched the activity on the lake, sailboats, jet skis, and tourist cruises off in the distance. When he walked back into the bedroom, he was surprised she wasn’t out of the bathroom yet.
He stood quietly at the bathroom door, listening to make sure she was all right. He didn’t hear anything, not a sound. Surely if she was busy doing her morning ritual, she’d be making at least some noise. But there was nothing. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he turned the door knob. As soon as he’d eased the door open, he heard it, her quiet sobs.
Shane strode into the bathroom, his eyes quickly scanning the room. He spotted her sitting on a bench beside the Jacuzzi. Her arms were wrapped around her belly, and she was bent forward, her loose hair falling around her face like a curtain of sunlight. The anguish on her face tore at him.
“Beth, what is it?” He knelt on the rug in front of her and brushed her hair back from her face. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
“No,” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her eyes, filled with glittering tears, radiated pain.
“Then what the hell is it?” he said. He’d never felt so impotent. He couldn’t fight what he didn’t understand. “For God’s sake, Beth, tell me what’s wrong!”
She shook her head. “Nothing. I’m sorry, it’s nothing,” she said, wiping her eyes. “It’s stupid. Please, go back to the bedroom.”
Shane stood and scooped Beth into his arms. He carried her to the bed and laid her down, then came down beside her and wrapped her in his arms. “Talk to me.”
“I told you, it’s stupid,” she said, her body heaving as she struggled to catch her breath.
“Do you need your inhaler?”
“No, it’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
“I – ” She sucked in a deep, ragged breath, then let it out slowly. “We don’t – ”
“Beth, please,” he said, laying his forehead against hers. “You’re killing me here.” The sobs started again, quiet and mournful. Shane let her cry for awhile, until her tears began to subside.
She took a deep breath and steeled herself to speak coherently. “We don’t ... need... to take ... a pregnancy test,” she said. “I started my period.”
Shane was silent for a moment as her words sank in. A pregnancy test? And then he remembered their one episode of unprotected sex in his apartment. He’d completely forgotten about it in the aftermath of Andrew’s attack.
He kissed her shoulder to comfort her as he tried to figure out what to say. Frankly, he was confused by her reaction. “Did you want to be pregnant?”
“No, of course not,” she said. “Well, not really.” Once the tears had subsided, her adrenalin levels crashed, and she started shaking. “It’s stupid, I know,” she said, sniffling. “I don’t even know why I’m reacting this way.”
“You’ve had one trauma after another these past few days.”
Shane sat up and pulled the bedding out from beneath her, and then he covered her shivering body. When he settled back into bed beside her, he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. “Talk to me, sweetheart. Why are you crying?”
She turned her face into the crook of his neck, her voice muffled against his skin. “At first, I thought it was unlikely we’d get pregnant after that one time. I didn’t want to be pregnant. But the more I thought about it, the more the idea started to appeal to me. It got me thinking... about us, having a baby. I started picturing a little boy who looked like you. I know it’s stupid.”
Shane kissed the top of her head and laid his arm gently on her belly. “It’s not stupid, sweetheart. It’s not stupid at all. It’s just a little... premature.”
She sniffled. “You could say that.”
“I love the idea of having a baby with you someday,” he said. “When the time’s right.”
They lay in bed for a while just holding each other. Shane stroked her back as her breathing evened out.
A quiet knock on their bedroom door announced the arrival of breakfast. They ate together at the small table for two out on the balcony.
“The room service is very thoughtful,” Beth said, “but shouldn’t we go down to the dining room for breakfast? I don’t want Elly going to such trouble.”
Shane laughed. “Good luck with that,” he said. “Elly’s been dying to have a lady of the house for years. I think she intends to spoil you.”
Beth smiled as she sipped her hot Lady Grey. “As much as I appreciate it, I’m sure she has enough things to worry about. I don’t want her to go to extra trouble for me.”
“If you want, tomorrow we’ll go down for breakfast and beat her to it.”
After they finished eating, they headed downstairs and stepped out the front doors. Cooper and Jake were outside, standing beside the Escalade.
“We’re all going?” Beth said.
“Yes,” Shane said, leading her down the steps.
It was a hot summer day, and Beth was dressed in a sundress and sandals. Shane wore jeans and a white button-down shirt, and Beth was amazed how he could make such a simple outfit look sexier than hell.
Cooper and Jake were in jeans, too, but they both had on jackets over their t-shirts. Beth knew why Cooper had a jacket on, in spite of the summer heat – to conceal the gun that he never went anywhere without. But why was Jake wearing a jacket? Was he armed as well? And if so, why did they need two armed guards with them on their little road trip?
Beth leaned close to Shane and whispered. “Is Jake armed?”
“Yes.”
“But you’re not?” There was nowhere on him to conceal a firearm.
“I’m not,” he said. “That’s not my job today.”
Beth frowned. “What’s your job, then?”
“In the event of any unpleasantness, my job is to extricate you from the vicinity.”
She frowned. “Why would there be any unpleasantness? Andrew’s locked up, right?”
Shane nodded. “He is. But Kline’s an unknown variable right now.”
She blanched at the mention of Kline’s name.
Lia walked out the front door. “Hey, Princess,” she said. “Don’t worry about Kline. We’ve got that covered.”
Beth turned to look at Lia and did a double take. Lia’s facial tattoos were gone, as were her nose and lip rings. She wore her hair in a cute pixie style. She was dressed in a short skirt and a tank top that showed off her tanned and sleekly muscled arms, and sneakers. She looked… normal. She looked pretty, in a girly way. How could this be the same Lia she’d known up until now? Shane hadn’t been kidding when he said Lia was a chameleon. Had she ever known the real Lia?
“Lia, you look amazing,” Beth said.
“What, this?” Lia glanced down at herself. “Oh, it’s nothing.”
Cooper opened the driver’s door and climbed in. “All right, folks. Let’s get this show on the road.”
Shane opened the rear passenger door and helped Beth step up into the Escalade.
“Where are we going?” she said.
“I told you, it’s a surprise,” Shane said, climbing in after her.
“Lia’s not armed,” Beth said, watching her bodyguard skirt around the front of the vehicle.
Shane chuckled. “Lia’s always armed,” he said. “She just doesn’t carry a gun.”
Lia climbed in on Beth’s other side.
“Why the makeover?” Beth asked, as Lia buckled herself in.
Lia shrugged. “New assignment, new look. It’s all part of the job.”
“Hey, Rainbow Girl,” Jake said, turning back from the shotgun seat to look at Beth. “You’re looki
ng good.”
“Rainbow Girl?” Beth said, frowning.
“Yeah,” Jake said, pointing at her face. “The array of colors on your face is impressive.”
“Jake,” Shane said, glaring at his brother.
Beth shivered. That tone.
“What?” Jake lifted his hands in self-defense. “That’s a good thing. It means her bruises are healing.”
Once they left the lush, green expanse of the suburb and hit the city limits, traffic picked up. Cooper exited onto N. Michigan Avenue and they headed west. They weren’t far from Shane’s office building, and for a moment Beth thought they might be headed there. But in the middle of the shopping district, Cooper pulled to the curb, sliding effortlessly into a reserved parking spot in front of a familiar building.
Beth peered out the window at her favorite spot on Earth.
“Are we going to Clancy’s?” she asked, grinning at Shane. “Please say ‘yes.’”
“You could say that,” Lia said, opening her door and hopping out.
Beth followed Lia out of the vehicle, and Shane followed right behind her. Cooper and Jake joined them, and they all stood on the sidewalk in front of the entrance to the bookstore.
One of the doors to the bookstore opened and out walked a man who was 90 years old if he was a day. He was a small man, not even Beth’s height, and frail. His posture was stooped, and his fingers were bent with arthritis. What little hair he had was white and trimmed short, and his face was heavily wrinkled and tanned to a permanent shade of leather. He was definitely a man who’d spent a lot of time outdoors.
The old man walked right up to Shane and offered him a shaky hand. “Mr. McIntyre, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person,” the man said, smiling up at Shane, who towered over him.
Shane smiled back, shaking the man’s hand. “Please call me Shane,” he said. “And the pleasure is all mine, sir.”
Shane put an arm around Beth’s shoulders and drew her close. “Sweetheart, I’d like to introduce you to Fred Clancy.”
Beth’s eyes widened. “Clancy? You’re the owner of Clancy’s?”
Fred Clancy nodded, smiling at Beth. “For the past 63 years,” he said. “And thanks to Mr. McIntyre, I can retire now in style to Florida and fish all year round.”
Clancy reached into his trouser pocket with his gnarled fingers and fished out a set of keys on a gold key ring. He held the key ring out to Beth, dangling it from his shaking fingers.
Beth frowned. “I don’t understand.”
Clancy took Beth’s good hand and dropped the key ring into her palm, then folded her fingers around it.
Beth glanced up at Shane.
“Think of it as... a token of my affection,” he said, smiling at her. “If you’ll have... it.”
Beth stood speechless, her mouth open. For the life of her, she couldn’t form a coherent thought.
Lia leaned toward Beth and whispered loudly. “He bought you a bookstore.”
“What!” Beth cried. “I – ”
“And I think he just asked you to go steady,” Lia added, rolling her eyes. She shook her head. “I didn’t think this would be so hard.”
Beth turned to Shane, her expression dumfounded. He couldn’t possibly be serious! She couldn’t even begin to imagine what a business like Clancy’s would go for in downtown Chicago. The price tag on the building alone in this part of town would be exorbitant, not to mention the cost of the business itself. And she knew absolutely nothing about running a business. This was insane!
“The store is all yours,” Shane said. “It’s paid for in full. The transfer of ownership paperwork is solely in your name.”
Beth didn’t know when the tears had started, but she realized her cheeks were wet. She wiped her tears with the back her hand – the one holding the keys – wincing at the tenderness of her face. Good grief, she’d cried more in the past two days than she had in the past decade.
Shane pulled the tail of his shirt out of his jeans and used it to gently dab her tears.
“My dear, would you like to come inside and have the grand tour?” Fred Clancy said, taking Beth’s hand.
She looked back at Shane.
“Go ahead,” Shane said. “I’ll be right behind you.”
Fred Clancy led Beth through the front doors of the shop, Lia close on her heels. “Come meet your new employees,” he said, pointing to a cluster of people standing next to a display of newly-released hardcover books. “They’re anxious to meet you.”
Beth looked at the display of crisp, new hardcover books, recognizing several that she’d been looking forward to reading. She picked one of them up and opened the front cover, loving the pristine feel of a brand new book in her hands. While she adored her e-reader, she’d never lost her love for physical books.
She glanced up and looked around, taking everything in. So many books. It was overwhelming. It was like Christmas and her birthday and – she couldn’t do it justification – it was like everything, all wrapped into one. It was so fantastical, she couldn’t even begin to comprehend it. Her heart skipped a beat, then started hammering in her chest.
She looked back at Shane, who stood behind her, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched her. He smiled at her, and she walked straight into his arms, her good arm going around his waist.
“I know absolutely nothing about running a business,” she said.
He shrugged. “That’s all right. You love books, and you love this place. That’s what matters most. You’ll learn what you need to know about running a business – if you want to – and I’ll give you all the help you need. Besides, there’s a highly competent staff here already who know how to run this place. You’re the owner, Beth. You don’t have to manage it, if you don’t want to. But it’s yours now, so enjoy it.”
Shane was about to follow Beth further into the store when Jake caught his eye and signaled him to hold back. As Beth and Lia moved on with Fred Clancy and a couple of the employees, he and Cooper remained with Jake just inside the bookstore entrance.
Jake finished reading the message that had just come in on his phone, frowning. “It’s from the Kline surveillance team. Kline just boarded a bus headed to Hyde Park.”
“Damn,” Cooper said.
Shane frowned. “Do they know his exact destination?”
Jake shook his head. “It’s too soon to tell. It could be her townhouse or the Kingston campus – they’re both on the same route. We’ll know if, and when, he gets off the bus.”
“I want to know,” Shane said.
“You know he’s not going to stop,” Jake said. “He keeps coming one step closer to her each time. He’s got a gun, ammo, and now he’s casing either her home or her workplace. Eventually he’s going to go after her.”
“I know,” Shane said, his expression somber.
“What are you going to do?” Cooper said.
“The only thing I can do,” Shane said. “I’m going to take him out. It’s the only way to ensure Beth’s safety. We’ll give him an opportunity to go after her, and we’ll be ready for him.”
Jake looked skeptical. “You’re going to use Beth as bait?”
“Hell no,” Shane said. “It won’t be Beth – we’ll use a decoy. But Kline will think it’s Beth, and we’ll be waiting for him.”
* * *
Shane caught up with Beth and Lia on their tour. He put his arm around Beth and drew her close. “I love you, sweetheart,” he said, kissing the top of her head.
His words gave her goose bumps, and she hugged him back. “I love you, too, Shane.”
“Oh, thank God,” Lia said, rolling her eyes. “Otherwise, this little outing would have been awkward.”
The End
Upcoming New Releases
What’s coming next? In Fearless, the sequel to Vulnerable, Kline’s coming for Beth, but this time she’ll be ready for him. Also stay tuned for Lia’s story, Jamie’s story, and a whole lot more in the McIntyre Security series.
&n
bsp; To find out about new releases and to receive free and exclusive bonus content featuring Shane, Beth, and other characters from this series, sign up for April’s New Release Mailing List at http://www.aprilwilsonwrites.com. This mailing list will be used only to announce new releases, giveaways, and to send out periodic free bonus content. The names on the mailing list will never be shared or sold. And you can unsubscribe at any time.
Praise for Vulnerable
Here’s what some readers had to say about Vulnerable...
“I can't even begin to explain how much I loved this book! The plot, your writing style, the dialogue and OMG those vivid descriptions of the characters and the setting were so AMAZING!”
– Dominique
“I just couldn't put it down. The first few pages took my breath away. I realized I had stumbled upon someone truly gifted at writing. ”
– Amanda
“Vulnerable is an entertaining, readable erotic romance with a touch of thriller adding to the tension. Fans of the Fifty Shades series will enjoy the story of wildly rich and amazingly sexy Shane and his newfound love, the young, innocent Beth, who needs his protection.”
– Sheila
Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank the following people who helped make this book possible:
To my daughter, Chloe, for listening patiently to me talk on and on about my dreams of becoming an author
To my sister and BFF, Lori, my steadfast cheerleader, manager, sounding board, and therapist. Without her unwavering support, this book never would have seen the light of day.
To my brother, Matthew, who kept asking me, “So, when are you going to publish a novel?”
To my parents, for always being there for me and believing in me
To Sheila Trask: Thank you for the constructive, encouraging and insightful editorial feedback.
Vulnerable: (McIntyre Security Bodyguard Series - Book 1) Page 42