Witness Protection

by Morgan, Paris

  “Here, throw your backpack up. Then you swing up as you would get on a horse.” From the appraising look he was giving me, I assumed he wouldn’t have a problem helping me into the truck.

  “Um, dude, not everyone has ridden a horse. That’s just as foreign to me as trying to climb into your truck is.” A little sass never hurt to help cover an embarrassing situation as I threw my backpack inside.

  “EEK!” The word flew from my mouth as hands landed on my waist as I was lifted in the air and almost tossed into the truck.

  “I’ll just have to show you how it’s done, and you can do it by yourself next time.” He closed the door and hurried around with a grin plastered on his face. Probably from being able to put his hands on me without getting slapped for his effort.

  “This is how you get into a truck, place your left foot on the sideboard. Then bounce up while using the handles to give you extra momentum as you put your other foot on the floorboard while scooting into the seat.” He smiled as he stared at the truck. “Now if you ever have to get on a horse at least you’ll have a general idea.”

  “Just so you’re aware, I’ll manage perfectly fine all by myself next time,” I announced with red cheeks as I realized that he’d managed to put his hands on my and I hadn’t gotten mad.

  “Oh, and for the record, a lady never scoots somewhere. We simply glide into place.” I smirked at him as he tried not to laugh.

  I might not have been born in Texas, but I’d picked up enough about how a Southern lady was supposed to behave from living here that it was rubbing off on me.

  Justin headed toward the only place in town that was still open this time of night—Whataburger. It was the place that most drunks or late-night workers counted on to keep them feed in the middle of the night.

  Still hurting from the accident, I gingerly climbed down as Justin held the door open once again. If I hadn’t been moving so slowly, he wouldn’t have had a chance to get there before I opened it myself. I was just too tired and sore to make a big deal out of it.

  Figuring it was time for a little payback, I motioned for him to order first as if I needed time to see what I wanted.

  “I’ll have the breakfast burritos.” I slid the cashier a twenty before he could protest.

  “You can’t do that.” He started to try and give the guy his money as well. “If we are just friends then I should be paying for my food at least.”

  “Consider it cab fare.” I gave him a wink and took the number to a booth in the corner. As hard as it was to hurt his pride, I wanted to remain independent and pay my own way.

  “I give up.” He took the cups the cashier handed him and walked back over to where I was sitting. “Let me get your drink for you then.”

  “Fair enough, I’ll have a lemonade.” It was too late for more caffeine if I planned to sleep at all tonight.

  Returning with our drinks, he got right to the elephant in the room.

  “What’s this situation that you’re involved in? Someone tried to kill you and almost killed Julie.”

  Uncertain if I should confide in him or not, I decided that he’s saved Julie’s life and maybe mine as well. He deserved some answers.

  “My friend’s husband beat her up last week. When I took her to the hospital, he tried to kill her and now he’s determined that anyone that helped her has to die as well.”

  By the time the food arrived, I’d managed to answer most of his questions.

  “So, what happened tonight wasn’t some random event then?”

  “Assuming that Mike is responsible for attacking Julie and me, then yes it’s safe to say it was planned.” I shivered at the thought of how close he’d come to ending my life.

  “It seems as if his MO is trying to strangle people. I don’t want to take it personally, but I also know he’s trying to hurt Megan and in the process is leaving a trail of hurt people behind. It’s as if he doesn’t really have a plan anymore.”

  “That’s horrible. How could a man do that to his family? It’s unthinkable to do this kind of damage to innocent people much less those you are supposed to love.” Justin’s words filled me with a small ray of hope.

  “He’s been a cop for most of his life. He has to know that there’s no way he can come back from this so it’s making him more desperate trying to get his family to come back to him.” I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince, but it wasn’t making me feel better.

  He just nodded around the bite of food in his mouth.

  “There are a lot of people that might take him in, but it’s just a matter of time before they find him. He’ll make a few people mad that he hurt Julie since she’s one of their own. If he continues to escalate these attacks, then I’m not sure there will be much of a choice before this comes to a very unhappy end.”

  I realized that I was dominating the conversation and I was talking about some psychotic man when a hot guy was sitting in the seat across from me.

  “It’s been a very consuming week. I’m sorry, you’re not interested in hearing about all of this, and I’ve gotten pretty involved. Sally and Megan are becoming the family I never had growing up.”

  He leaned forward to grab my hand.

  “Never take what you’ve been through as though it’s something to be pushed aside or ignored. You’ve been a huge part of keeping Sally safe while Megan is recovering. Most people would have simply dropped Megan off at the hospital and never gone back to check on her. Instead, you dropped everything to take care of them and put your life in danger without asking for anything in return.” He rubbed a finger over the top of my hand.

  “You are amazing! If you need anything, I don’t mind helping out.”

  A blush crept up my cheeks and he let go of my hand as I’d burned him.

  “What is it you do for a job that allows you to take a week off whenever you want?” He tried to change the subject to ease the uncomfortable moment between us.

  “Don’t laugh, but I’m a Nova Lady.” My nose crinkled as I said it. “For real, ‘Ding Dong, Nova Calling.’”

  “I’ve heard it all and yes, I do make money doing it. When you work your business and provide good customer service, then customers come back because they know they matter to you.” I let it all out in a rush knowing the disdain that was certain to follow my declaration.

  When it didn’t, I tilted my head and waited.

  “So, working for yourself lets you help out your friends. That explains so much about you.” He nodded as if it had been a great mystery until that moment.

  “I answered your questions, but you haven’t told me what you do for a living?” I turned the tables on him and put the spotlight in his corner.

  “Nothing too crazy. I work for my parents out on their ranch. A handyman of sorts with anything that needs to be done to keep things running properly. I’m always around so I like to think I’m handy in that way.”

  A snort of laughter escaped, and I couldn’t help it after the kind of day I’d had.

  “Ah, I get it.” He shook his head as he figured out why I’d laughed at him. “I don’t live with my parents. I’m not hanging around their house all the time. Speaking of which, don’t we need to get you home so you can get some rest?”

  He glanced at his watch. “If we stick around here then we might be accused of joining the old-timers for breakfast. I would like to avoid all of them if you don’t mind.”

  “Oh, no. I didn’t mean to keep you out all night. If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to swing by the hospital first to check on Julie. Then I’ll just find one of the chairs there until they give us news on her situation.” I stood and cleared the table out of habit.

  He followed and only snickered when I used his instructions to climb into the truck, making it on the first try.

  “Hey, I’m a quick learner. I should have no problem if presented with a horse to ride at some point.”

  “I can see that,” He shut the door and came around to his side of the truck.

 
; All of my previous nervousness had fled as he’s listened to me and taken what I’d said into consideration. Maybe this friend thing would work out and I could handle having a guy around to keep me company. If he could just stay as nice and wonderful as he’d been so far then I’d be okay.

  We’d been gone long enough that Julie was out of surgery. She was groggy but coherent.

  “Allie, thank goodness you’re okay.” She grimaced and her pale face showed the exhaustion she was feeling.

  “It took forty stitches to sew up the stab wound and make sure everything else was closed properly.” The nurse informed us so that Julie didn’t have to talk. “She’s very lucky that you found her when you did. She’d lost a lot of blood, but her attacker didn’t hit anything vital.”

  “Light-duty for me for a few months. The doctor said it could have killed me if my rib hadn’t stopped the knife. I’m not sure that Mike was trying to kill me, but mostly put me out of commission so that he could get to you.” She sipped the drink the nurse handed her along with a handful of pills.

  “They think Mike was responsible? I couldn’t see who was behind me. They were wearing a ski mask and it was dark.”

  “He didn’t cover his face when he yanked open my door and shoved the knife into my side. I think he thought I’d be dead by the time anyone discovered me.”

  “We’re just glad that we found you before that happened.” Justin moved forward from the shadows.

  “When he stabbed me, I was able to slap at him. It made him mad because he hit me with the butt of his gun. He might have tried to keep stabbing me, but something distracted him.” Exhaustion and the pills were taking a toll on her body.

  “Who’s this guy that I’ve heard rescued me?” Even in pain, Julie was trying to play matchmaker for me.

  “Julie, this is Justin. He was at the bar and was about to head home when I was attacked. He’s been a gentleman so far.” I gave him a warning look to remind him that we were only friends.

  “Girl, you’d better take him home and put a ring on that.” Julie grinned as the pain meds kicked in and the loopiness started. “If you pass on him, I’m calling dibs. Those Greenley’s are top shelf and good looking too.”

  “All right, I think the drugs are influencing you. We’re going to leave now, but I’ll check in tomorrow when I wake up to see how you’re doing then.” With a kiss on her forehead, I pulled the covers up and turned out the light so she could sleep.

  “Don’t get any ideas because she wasn’t all there.” I warned, “You don’t have to stick around.”

  “Well, I thought I might hold up another wall or two until you were ready to go home. There’s no way you’ll get enough rest sleeping in one of these chairs.” He motioned to the very uncomfortable-looking seats in the waiting room. “Plus, I’ve volunteered so it’s not like you’re taking advantage of me.”

  Uncomfortable with being obligated, I decided that it might be okay to trust him. After all, Julie had vouched for him and I was going to have to let someone inside these walls that I’d built.

  Holding out my hand, I nodded reluctantly.

  “You can take me home. Just don’t make a big deal out of it, okay?”

  He placed his hand in mine and an unusual warmth spread up my arm before settling in my chest.

  “Yes, ma’am.” His drawl made me smile. “I’m glad she’s going to recover.”

  “She was too out of it to thank you herself, but you saved her life. When she’s able, I’m sure that she’s going to want to tell you that, but for now, you’ll have to take it from me.”

  It was strange how much safe I felt with Justin by my side. I hadn’t thought about Mike or the attack since it had happened. Having him there was comforting, but I didn’t want to start relying on it.

  I climbed into his truck and my eyes had closed before he had gotten into the vehicle.

  The truck stopped with a jerk and my eyes popped open. I was in a strange vehicle and didn’t recognize anything around me.

  “What? Where am I?” I tried to focus but exhaustion was making it difficult.

  “This is my apartment. I wasn’t sure where you lived, and you were out so I drove here instead.” He appeared to be waiting for me to explode or protest, but I just didn’t have the energy. “If you tell me where you live, I can drive over, or you could just sleep here for the rest of the night.”

  “It’s been a long week. Having another person to watch my back would be great.” I tried not to cry at his gesture. It didn’t mean anything special he was just being nice.

  “Nothing is going to get past me, my gun, or the security system. I’ll be a perfect gentleman and take the couch so you can get some real rest. You shouldn’t have to worry that someone is going to try to kill you while you sleep.” Justin tried to reassure me.

  “You win,” I said with a yawn. “I’ll stay.”

  Not giving him time to recover from the shock of my answer, I opened the door and hopped out of the truck.

  It didn’t take him long to catch up or put a comforting arm around my shoulders to guide my sagging body to his apartment.

  He leaned me against the wall with a smile. “Guess it’s your turn to hold up the wall for a minute.”

  Sheer willpower was the only thing keeping me going at the moment, but his attempt at a joke was cute.

  With the door open, he scooped me into his arms and carried me inside pausing only to lock the door after us.

  The bedroom was dark, but he went straight to the bed and sat me on the side before fumbling with the lamp on the nightstand.

  He bent to the floor and gently took my shoes off sitting them on the floor. The backpack followed and before I knew it, I was laying down with the covers tucked under my chin.

  Suddenly nervous, he shifted his weight as if he didn’t know what to do next.

  “Oh, you might need to use the restroom. It’s just over here.” He reached around the doorway to turn the light on. “I’ll just go in here and make sure everything is locked-up tight.”

  “Justin,” my voice stopped him.

  “Yes?” The question in his eyes made me sad.

  “Can you make sure that I don’t fall over on the way to the bathroom?”

  “Sure thing.” He held out a hand and I undid all his hard work by getting up. “I’ll just be in there until you’re done. Then I’ll tuck you in again.”

  The trip to the bathroom was uneventful in that I didn’t pass out or fall over. He must have been listening for me to come back into the room because he was by my side before the door had opened all the way.

  After tucking me in a second time, he flipped out the lights.

  “Um, I know this is going to sound crazy, but can you turn the bathroom light back on, please? I won’t be able to sleep for fear that Mike is lurking somewhere in the shadows.” My body started to tremble at the thought of what he could do if I let my guard down.

  Justin didn’t say a word as he turned the light back on in the bathroom.

  He came around the side of the bed and leaned down to wrap his arms around me.

  “Do you want me to sleep on the floor in here with the door closed? I can move the dresser in front of it if it will make you safer.”

  I could only nod yes as he got up to close the door. It was when he started to make a pallet on the floor that I knew I was going to have to get over my fears.

  “You’ve been more wonderful than I could even have imagined for letting me drag you into this mess. I’m usually more independent than this. I can’t stop shaking though.”

  “Do you want me to hold you until you fall asleep? No strings attached and then I’ll move down here to the floor after you’re out?” He moved the cedar chest from the foot of the bed in front of the door.

  “How about a compromise? I feel safe enough with you holding me, would you be okay sleeping next to me instead of on the floor?”

  “Just let go and relax. I’ll be here when you wake up. Everything is locked up.�
�� He slid on top of the covers next to me and pulled me into his arms. “There now, you can sleep knowing someone else is taking control, and you rest.”

  He felt so good and warm. I wasn’t able to stifle the groan of contentment I felt in his arms.

  “Last chance to change your mind. I can always sleep on the floor if you’d be more comfortable?”

  “No, um. I’m not changing my mind, but it’s just for tonight.” I warned snuggling in, “There aren’t any guarantees on future sleepovers because we’re doing this now.”

  He kissed the top of my head, “Close your eyes, Allie. I’ll be the perfect gentleman for tonight at least. Tomorrow, all bets are off because I like how you feel in my arms.”

  It was going to be hard to resist him when I had the memory of being held as if I was special. What would normally take weeks for me to feel comfortable enough to allow someone to even date me had been accomplished in one night of terror. An intimacy that couldn’t be ignored.

  Chapter 12

  Justin

  I didn’t remember drifting off, but the sound of my phone ringing brought me back to the present.

  Allie stirred next to me, and I grabbed the phone silencing the call so it didn’t wake her up. She mumbled something and snuggled deeper into the blankets.

  Relieved, I looked to see who it was.

  “Crap!” It was my mother and I’d just sent her to voicemail.

  Careful not to disturb Allie, I climbed out of bed and found the t-shirt I’d discarded the night before.

  The cedar chest rolled out of the way, and I snuck into the living room so that I could call my mom back. I’d already missed four calls from her and numerous text messages.

  “Hey mom,” I pulled the door shut and took a seat on the couch for what was going to be a long discussion about respect. “What’s up?”

  “What do you mean, what’s up?” Her voice rose three octaves and I had to hold the phone away from my ear. “I’ve been calling all morning with no response. I’ve even texted you.”