Her fingers waltzed up his back and she released a sigh of contentment. “You’re a fantastic snuggle buddy,” she whispered.
A small burst of laughter left him. “You make it remarkably easy.” He disengaged from her and rolled off the side of the bed. “I’ll be right back,” he said and headed for the small adjoining bathroom.
A few moments later he stood in front of the mirror and stared at his reflection. What are you doing, man? He’d been conflicted about his feelings for her before, and making love with her had only made things worse.
She had a life in California and he’d be a fool to get hung up on her, a fool to believe that he could ever be enough for a woman like Brianna, not that he’d even want to be.
She was complicated, and he wanted simple. She was demanding and spoiled, and he wanted sweet selflessness. He closed his eyes and tried to summon the picture of his fantasy woman. It worried him that the only vision that entered his mind was one of Brianna.
Chapter Eight
Brianna awoke slowly, coming to consciousness with a sense of well-being she’d never felt in her life. Troy.
He was her first conscious thought and she reached a hand out only to discover that she was alone in his bed.
When she opened her eyes and saw the sunshine streaming through the window, she realized he’d probably gotten up some time ago.
She rolled to his side of the bed and buried her head in his pillow, capturing the faint lingering scent of him. She had no illusions about what they’d done the night before. It had been a combination of vulnerability and lust that had driven her into his bed, but she wouldn’t take back a minute of it.
As she hugged his pillow close, she realized how easy it would be for her to lose her heart to Troy. She’d done some foolish things in her life, but she had a feeling that would be the most foolish.
He might be attracted to her physically but he’d been clear on more than one occasion that he knew exactly what kind of woman he wanted permanently in his life and she wasn’t it.
Still, sleeping with him had been nice. Making love to him had been amazing. She’d awakened once in the night, the vision of the car careening toward her shooting her out of bed with a scream. Troy had calmed her, then had held her close to his chest until she’d fallen asleep again.
She released the pillow and sat up, knowing that today was going to be a difficult one. Not only would she have to contend with baggage from their lovemaking but she also knew he was going to want to talk about the fact that somebody had tried to kill her the night before.
Just as she’d suspected, her body ached as she stood to leave the room. Her shoulders burned and her back cried out to protest the unaccustomed pull of muscles from the roll down the hill.
She padded naked down the hallway, then went into her bedroom to grab clean clothes for the day. From there she scurried into the bathroom for a shower.
It was just after nine when she entered the kitchen to find Troy seated at the table, an empty cup before him. “Good morning,” she said as she walked to the coffeemaker.
She poured herself a cup of the brew, then carried the carafe to where he sat. “Want a refill?”
He nodded. “Thanks.”
She filled up his cup, replaced the carafe in the machine, then joined him at the table. “Have you heard from anyone this morning?”
“I checked in with Lucas. Nothing has changed at the house. I also called Kincaid, but he had nothing to report, either.”
She took a sip of her coffee. “I have to consider that my father’s dead, don’t I?” A wealth of emotion filled her chest. It had been four days, and there had been no word, no lead, nothing concerning her father.
Troy held her gaze, a touch of sympathy in the gray depths. “I think you should probably be prepared for anything.”
She nodded, grateful that he hadn’t tried to put on a smiley face for her. She trusted him to be honest with her, to always be a straight shooter.
He twisted his coffee cup between his hands, hands that had brought her an enormous amount of pleasure the night before, but she had a feeling that whatever thoughts were whirling in his mind wouldn’t bring her pleasure at all.
“What are you thinking?” she asked, not sure at all if she wanted to know. She hoped the darkness of his gaze didn’t mean they were going to have to have “the talk” about how last night meant nothing, that in the grand scheme of his life, she meant nothing.
He took a sip of the coffee, and when he set the cup down once again, his eyes were even darker. “I think maybe we’ve been approaching all this from the wrong direction.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I’m talking about the mall development and your father’s kidnapping, all of it.”
“I don’t understand,” she replied.
“Your father thought that the attack on you in California and receiving those photos of you were to scare him in his business dealing. He believed that the real target was himself. But this morning I’ve been sitting here wondering if maybe it has nothing to do with the mall development or any of his business matters.”
She frowned, trying to follow his train of thought, but finding it impossible. “Then what would it be about?” she asked.
“You.” His gaze held hers intently. “I think maybe it’s been about you all along.”
“Then why is my dad missing?” she asked.
“Because somebody close to you knew how much it would hurt you.” He reached out and covered one of her icy hands with the warmth of his. “Somebody close to you wants to see you cry. They want to see you cry before they see you dead.”
She couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped her at his words. She wanted to protest, to tell him that he had it all wrong, but the words wouldn’t come—because she was terrified that he might be right.
“So what do we do now?” she asked, sorry when he sat back and released her hand.
“We talk about the people in your life, and my gut instinct is that whoever it is isn’t in California but rather is here in Kansas City.”
She frowned. “But who?”
“Let’s start with Kent.”
“Kent?” She looked at him in surprise. “Kent would never do anything like this. We’re best friends.”
“You mentioned that you went to high school with him?”
She nodded. “Actually, we dated all through high school and college.”
“And what happened?” He picked up his coffee cup once again.
She shrugged. “Nothing really. I knew Kent wasn’t my one great love. I cared about him far more as a friend than as a romantic interest. I moved to California and he stayed here, and we’ve managed to maintain a wonderful friendship. It was a nice first love that never really matured into anything more.”
He took a sip of his coffee, his gaze holding hers over the rim of the cup. “And he didn’t have a problem with the relationship changing from romantic to friendship?” he asked as he set the cup back down.
She hesitated before answering. Although Kent had put on a brave face at the time, she’d always had a feeling she’d broken his heart. “I don’t know, maybe initially he was hurt by my decision to run off and leave him behind. But that was years ago,” she protested.
“Emotions can fester for a long time,” he said.
“So you think he’s become some sort of psycho stalker?” She couldn’t hide her disbelief.
He released a sigh. “I don’t know what to think,” he confessed. “All I’m telling you is that I think it’s time we consider the people closest to you. What about your coworkers at Precious Pets?”
“Sandy and Mike?” She bit back a small laugh as she thought of either of them being crazy killers. “I can’t imagine either of them having any reason to want to see me dead.”
“Tell me about them.”
She leaned back in her chair. “Sandy started working at Precious Pets just after she turned eighteen. She’s an avid animal lover, ha
d both office and grooming skills and was good with people. Mike is actually Dr. Mike Kidwell. He’s a veterinarian who is as committed to rescuing animals and caring for them as I am. Neither of them would have a reason to want to see me dead. It doesn’t make sense, and I hate that you’re making me question the loyalty of the people in my life.”
“I know. I know none of this is easy,” he replied.
“So what’s the plan for today?”
“I think we should just sit tight. You need to spend the day making a list of everyone you have dealings with here in Kansas City and anyone from California you think might resent you or be angry with you.”
She frowned thoughtfully. “I’ve always tried to be a good person, to be nice to people and treat them the way I’d want to be treated. I can’t imagine anyone doing this to me.”
“You have to imagine it because it’s happening,” he said with a touch of toughness. “There have been two attempts on your life since you’ve been here in Kansas City, and no state of denial you try to maintain will change that fact. Make a list, Brianna.”
She nodded and watched as he got up from the table and carried his cup to the sink. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to leave for a little while. I’ve got a meeting set up with my partners. Unfortunately, we’ve got other things going on that I need to discuss with them.”
She suddenly realized how much he was giving up to be here with her. He hadn’t signed up for this, and his life had been placed on hold as much as hers.
“Troy, I’m sorry I got you into this mess. I know you didn’t intend to be stuck with me for so long.”
He smiled and the gesture lightened the depths of his eyes. “I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be stuck with,” he said. His smile fell and he pulled her car keys from his pocket. “I’m going to have to use your vehicle. I had Micah drive mine back to my house the night we went to your father’s office.”
“No problem, just make sure there isn’t a bomb in it before you start it,” she said dryly.
“You’ll be safe,” he said as if to assure her. “Nobody knows you’re here.”
“I know.”
“I should be back by lunchtime.”
“Get out of here,” she exclaimed. “I’ll be fine.”
The minute he left the house, Brianna felt his absence deep inside. It scared her just a little, how attached she was becoming to Troy Sinclair.
She had no illusions about the fact that whatever relationship they’d formed in the last week meant nothing, that there would be no happily ever after for the two of them.
He’d been hired by her father to take care of her and he took his commitments seriously. That was probably the only reason why he was still with her, because he was a man of honor and had made a promise to her dad.
Besides, he already knew what kind of woman he wanted to eventually share his life with, and there was no way she could twist herself to fit into the box he’d invented.
She knew he wanted her to use this time to try to figure out who might want her dead. She couldn’t imagine Kent harboring some obsessive love-hate attachment that would drive him to want to kill her. Nor could she see Mike Kidwell or Sandy Cartwright being angry with her in any way. The only dealings she had with the two concerned Precious Pets, and she’d never shared a cross word with either of them.
So who?
There was still a part of her that desperately wanted to cling to the fact that this was a result of a business decision her father had made. Otherwise, her father had been kidnapped because of her, and that possibility broke her heart.
Between Troy and her dad, her heart felt as if it had been battered a hundred different ways. One man she could never tell about her growing feelings for him. And she feared she might never again get the chance to tell the other how much she loved him.
“YOU KNOW you could probably get Kincaid to give Brianna some sort of protection and get yourself out of this assignment?” Micah asked Troy as they sat in the Recovery Inc. office.
Lucas was at the Waverly house, and Micah and Troy had spent the last hour going over pertinent issues concerning their business.
“The police don’t have the manpower to watch over her like I can,” Troy replied. The idea of anyone else watching over Brianna filled him with a kind of horror. Nobody else would know her like he did. Nobody else would care as much as he did.
He thought of the way she’d fit so perfectly against him as they’d fallen asleep, of that moment when she’d awakened crying and he’d comforted her. Who would hold her if she had another nightmare? Who would soothe her fears if he walked away?
“Brandon hired me and until Brandon releases me, I’m in for the long haul,” he said.
Micah gazed at him for a long moment and asked, “You realize Brandon might not be in a position to release you?” Troy nodded and Micah continued. “How long are you willing to put your life on hold for this particular assignment? And equally important, how long is Brianna willing to stay holed up in the safe house? Eventually she’ll want to get back to her life.”
“I don’t know,” Troy answered truthfully. “Right now all I can do is take it one day at a time.”
“I’m not sure how long Lucas and I can continue sitting at the Waverly place,” Micah said. “We can’t let the business suffer because of one job.”
“I know,” Troy replied. “I told Wendall I didn’t want a police presence at the house because of the threat on Waverly’s life. I know the police are doing what they can, but I guess it’s time for them to be more aggressive.” He sighed. “I was hoping this would resolve itself before now. I was also trying to respect Heather’s wishes to keep the cops out of it as much as possible, but I’ll talk to Brianna about it when I get back to the safe house.”
It was only later when he was in the car returning to the safe house that Troy replayed Micah’s words in his head.
They couldn’t go on like this forever. Although Troy was committed to seeing this through, he certainly couldn’t expect his partners to be as committed.
And he and Brianna couldn’t continue staying in the safe house while closing out the rest of the world.
Brianna was a woman who wanted the world, who loved to have her picture taken and hang out in swanky clubs. No matter the risk to her, Troy knew the isolation of the safe house would eventually force her back out into the world. And that thought scared the hell out of him.
Until they knew who was behind the attacks on her, she was vulnerable everywhere she went, with everyone she met. He tightened his hands on the steering wheel. Dammit, they needed a clue. They needed a break that could bring this all to an end.
She’d go back to California and he’d forget that her skin was silky soft, that she had made love to him with a passion that had astounded him. She’d bask in the lights of movie openings and wear little designer gowns that cost more than some people’s yearly salaries. And he’d continue to search for the woman of his dreams, the fantasy who had remained elusive so far.
However, none of that could happen unless they could figure out what the hell was going on. So far she’d been reluctant to take a good hard look at her life and see who might have a grudge against her.
If the threat came from somebody who was in her life in California, only she could identify a potential suspect. Whoever that person was, it was obvious they were in Kansas City now, far too close for comfort.
He was completely in the dark and he didn’t like it. Maybe she wasn’t being honest with him. Maybe there was an old boyfriend who had turned into a psycho stalker.
She’d said there were no old boyfriends except Kent Goodwell, but a woman who looked like Brianna didn’t go through life alone. She had to have dated someone else.
He pulled into the driveway of the safe house and got out of the car with a new determination to grill Brianna about her life in California.
He never got the chance. She greeted him at the door, her face flushed
and her hand trembling as she grabbed him by the arm.
“What’s going on? What’s happened?” he asked with alarm.
“I was going through my dad’s e-mails,” she said as she led him through the living room and into the kitchen. “And I found one from a lawyer. Troy, Dad was divorcing Heather.”
She dropped her hand and began to pace the kitchen floor as Troy tried to process what he’d just learned.
“Maybe that’s why she refused any help from the cops,” Brianna exclaimed, her steps short and quick as she moved from one side of the room to the other. “Maybe she wanted to get rid of Dad before the divorce went through, and maybe she wants to get rid of me while she’s still Dad’s beneficiary.”
She stopped pacing for a moment and faced him, her eyes wild with emotion. “She managed to get rid of me before, now maybe she’s trying to make it more permanent.”
Chapter Nine
“Brianna, sit down,” Troy commanded. “You’re making me dizzy.” He sat at the table and gestured for her to sit across from him. “What do you mean she got rid of you before?”
She threw herself into the chair, as if finding the confinement abhorrent. She leaned back and drew in a deep breath. “It was Heather’s idea that I move to California. When she and Dad first married, she was always reading the tabloids. She’d tell me I was as pretty as all the women who were party dolls in Hollywood. She encouraged me to take off and enjoy my youth. I was so desperate to please her, and to be honest, I was starting to feel like a third wheel. Anyway, I packed my bags and headed off to make her happy.”
She raised a trembling hand to shove her hair behind her ear. “This is the first thing that makes sense, Troy. According to the e-mail, Dad had an appointment to go to the lawyer’s office next week and finalize his petition for divorce. Heather must have paid somebody to take care of him, and now she wants me dead. If Dad’s gone and I’m dead she gets everything, the house, the money and the business.”
She jumped up from her chair. “I need to go to the house. I want to see Heather. I need to look her in the face and ask her about the divorce.”
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