Marlene moved to sit down. “I’m sure this is fine.” The greeter assisted her with the chair, then handed menus to them. He took Marlene’s coat when she slipped it off. “I’ll keep this for you up front.”
Garrett was satisfied that they had the most advantageous location. There was no chance that someone would sneak up from behind, and he could see anyone who came through the front door. Plus, there was an emergency exit a few steps away.
What was going to be a problem was the dress Marlene had chosen. It was black satin, and one shoulder was uncovered. The bodice accentuated her lovely shape, making Garrett imagine touching her soft breasts underneath. His lips tingled as he thought of kissing down her slender neck, then dragging his tongue along her bare collarbone and over the silky skin of her shoulder.
When Marlene looked up, Garrett studied his menu. This wasn’t a date; it was business. And his obligation was solely protection. Including protecting her from his lascivious nature. He had no misconception about being the good guy. Given other circumstances, he wouldn’t have hesitated. But this wasn’t other circumstances.
The waiter came by and Marlene ordered white wine, while Garrett stuck to club soda. And he took their dinner orders. He watched Marlene smear a bit of butter over a slice of bread and set it on her dish. He remained aware of his surroundings, the movement of the waiters, diners chatting and laughing.
The lower sections of the walls were paneled in wood, with shiny gold wallpaper above. Candles lit the tables, set with silver and china on white linen. The high ceiling sparkled, and in the center was a crystal chandelier in a French-looking style, with an ornate gold base, dangling from a thick chain. The fixture widened from the top, then narrowed, and a netting of crystal beads hung over it.
Below the chandelier was a huge marble table with an elaborate floral display. “Very fancy,” Garrett said.
Marlene took a sip of wine, leaving her bread untouched. “I think the filming went well today. Anna’s suggestion was clever. It gave us a way to bond as friends.” She put her glass down. “But anyway, enough about work.”
“Is Marlene a stage name? I don’t think I’ve met another woman with that name.”
“It’s my real name. My mother was a huge fan of Marlene Dietrich, so she named me after her. Do you know much about her movie career?”
“Hardly anything.”
“She was in silent films in the twenties. After she got a contract with Paramount, she starred in many Hollywood films. I’m sure you’ve seen Shanghai Express.”
“A long time ago, and even then it was an old movie.”
Marlene laughed. “Anyway, she was noted for her humanitarian efforts and did a lot for soldiers during World War II, appearing before troops to raise morale. She was known for her strong political convictions and wasn’t afraid to say what she thought.”
“You seem to know a lot about her.”
“I read a couple of biographies that my mother had.” Marlene sipped her wine, looking thoughtful for a moment. “In interviews, she revealed that she’d been approached by representatives of the Nazi Party to return to Germany, but she turned them down. She became an American citizen and reportedly sold more war bonds than any other star.”
The waiter came by with their food, then left them to their conversation.
Garrett began to carve into his steak. “So now you’re involved with charities to support vets.”
“I do what I can, and it’s fortunate that I have a career that allows me to do such things. I earn enough with my movies that I’m able to donate and really make a difference. Plus, I can organize fundraisers like that one the other day. Most are very successful, so funds are provided for worthy causes, and I’m proud of that.”
“You should be.”
Marlene tilted her head. “What about you? What got you into the bodyguard business?”
“I graduated from college before I went into the Navy. But my goal was to join the service. I was in for ten years, but in a skirmish I injured my ankle…pretty badly. It won’t be the same again. I was forced to consider another career.”
“Couldn’t you have reposted, not gone out on deployment?”
Garrett shrugged. “I’d be a lousy paper pusher.”
“Yeah, I can’t see you doing that either.” Marlene dipped her spoon into the bisque and lifted it to her mouth. Garrett stared as she delicately slipped the spoon past her lips…lips he’d like to kiss. “Why Stealth Security?”
Garrett scooped a bite of mashed potatoes and held it over his plate. “One of my team, Wyatt Mercer, got out before me. He went to work as a bodyguard there. He talked to Travis about me, so when I got out I gave it a try.”
“And you like it?”
Since when did liking something affect one’s decisions? It was duty, using one’s abilities and training for good. But Garrett just said, “I can do a lot of what I was doing in the service, only as a civilian. Not missions, exactly. But I can use my skill. It’s physical. That’s what I’m best at.”
For a few minutes, they ate in silence. Garrett marveled that he’d told her anything personal. He wasn’t much of a talker, especially about himself. Marlene seemed to bring out a different side of him.
Garrett wanted to know more about her. “It’s interesting that you’re doing a war-themed movie.”
“Yes, it’s an extraordinary story about how the First World War affected the lives of a particular family and those who were close to them.” Marlene pushed her plate back. “I’m honored to star in it. It’s a good part for me. I’m not just a pretty face. With a role like this, viewers and critics will consider me a serious actress.”
“I don’t see how they couldn’t.” Garrett had just seen one day of filming, but he already knew it was going to be a quality movie. And he was convinced that Marlene was great in it.
Garrett felt like he was getting to know her. Marlene wasn’t some remote movie star, or even just a client. She was a woman with a heart, with passions, and he admired her. Any man looking at her on the big screen would fall for her. But it was more than that.
Marlene cared. She really cared about wounded warriors, about the issues veterans had. And she did something about it, including funneling her own income to the cause and using her fame to persuade others to provide support.
Plus, she was simply gorgeous. Marlene’s blond hair glowed in the candlelight, and her porcelain skin looked so soft. Garrett wanted to touch, but he didn’t dare to allow himself the luxury. He was on thin ice. The woman had gotten to him, when he’d thought he was made of steel.
Behind enemy lines he could be a rock, unemotional, ruthless. Yet gazing into her soft green eyes turned his insides to Jell-O. It was time to rein in his feelings. His relationship with Marlene was strictly professional, and it was important that it stayed that way.
Plus, Garrett wasn’t the guy for her, and she deserved more than a mere fling. Plus, he wasn’t the type to get tied down. Some men were the marrying kind, but Garrett had always known he wasn’t. His life was in peril more often than it wasn’t. That was no way for a woman to live, always wondering, continually afraid her man wouldn’t come home. He wouldn’t ask that of Marlene. So it was best to cool things off before Garrett did something he’d regret.
Chapter 6
Talking to Garrett was natural, easy. It felt as if Marlene could talk to him all night long. She was comfortable with him, not only because he was there to look out for her. He was a guy that put on no pretense. He was direct, blunt, and seemed interested in her. It was a refreshing combination.
Dating had been an arduous process for Marlene. Her life was under a microscope, allowing only a minimum of privacy. Any guy she went out with could expect to see his photo plastered across the tabloids, with lots of speculation about his relationship with her.
What the press didn’t know, they made up. If not outright lies, articles were concoctions of partial truths, implications, or mere guesses. It had taken Marlene a long
time to get used to being in the public eye, and really, the things that were said about her still got under her skin.
One reason Marlene had chosen this restaurant was that it had a no-photos policy. Management didn’t allow the paparazzi inside, and discouraged them from loitering anywhere too close. It was one place that she could go out to eat where there was some semblance of normalcy.
Garrett was looking at the guests dining around them, and following the motions of waiters. He was on duty. This wasn’t a date, as much as she wished it was. Getting to know him was a slow process. Garrett wasn’t the chatty type, but he didn’t hold back either. He appeared to answer questions honestly, although he didn’t elaborate much.
But everyone had secrets. Marlene had learned that long ago. It was likely that Garrett had more than most, if one added up all the secrecy connected with special ops. Yet she didn’t care to ask about that, knowing he wouldn’t share any details. Her interest was in the man, and what made him tick.
She understood the motivation of joining the military, but taking on the role of a SEAL was a step beyond. The man’s fortitude, as well as physical strength, had to be superhuman. Garrett was the whole package: physically fit and sexy as hell, handsome, smart, and the best protector a woman could ask for. Marlene’s desire to know him better, to experience intimacy with such a man, was overpowering.
Garrett looked across the table at her. His blue eyes unnerved her, the way he looked at her, as if he knew…what? It was as if he knew her, understood her better than he should have, after knowing her hardly more than one day. Garrett pushed back from the table.
Marlene took the last sip of her cappuccino, her indulgence for the evening. She’d already signed the tab. A bonus was that meals with her bodyguard could be expensed—not that money was a concern. “We should probably go,” she said.
Garrett gave her a nod. Then her phone dinged; it was a text. “Just a sec,” Marlene said. “It’s my mom. She saw the news about yesterday. I should have called her.” Quickly, Marlene responded: I’m fine. Hired a new bodyguard. No need to worry. I’ll call you tomorrow and tell you everything. Love you.
Garrett leaned forward, with his hands on his knees, prepared to get up. Marlene secured her phone in the small clutch she’d brought with her. She grasped the silk purse in one hand, then remembered her coat was up front and glanced toward the entrance.
In the next second, the sound of a rifle shot cracked like thunder, and a blinding flash of white scorched her eyes, partially blinding her. It was accompanied by the tinkling of breaking glass, and a vision of glittering crystal exploding through the air. Marlene saw tiny pieces spraying into the room like sparkling stars, and realized the chandelier had burst into thousands of flying shards.
Marlene heard a loud thud, which could only have been the heavy gold base of the fixture impacting the marble table beneath it. Garrett had his arm around her waist, and had already pulled her under the table. The tablecloth hung down over the sides, providing cover. But he didn’t hesitate. With Marlene in his lap, Garrett was crouched below tabletop level, out of the line of vision to the dining room. He took a couple of powerful strides on bent legs, then was able to thrust one foot out with enough force to kick the emergency door open.
Once in the back alley, Garrett stood up. As the door closed behind them, Marlene heard shouting from the people still inside. The parking lot was across the alley and Garrett sprinted in that direction with her still in his arms. Samuel opened the door for them, and Garrett ducked inside with her on his lap. “Drive. Now!”
Faster than she would have thought possible, the limo peeled out of the lot, with tires skidding. “Don’t slow down,” Garrett barked. “We need to get home...out of danger.” He slumped down in the seat so his head wasn’t visible in the windows, and pressed Marlene’s head to his chest.
Marlene’s heart pounded and she couldn’t get air. Garrett rubbed her arm. “Breathe, Marlene. Breathe.” She gasped, drinking in oxygen, yet still suffocating. “Slow and easy.” Garrett had one strong arm around her, holding her tight. “In and out. In and out.”
Like a mantra, Marlene repeated the words in her head, trying to focus on breathing. Her heart was pounding so hard it made her ears throb. She was terrorized, but began to calm. Then she was angry. The attacker had returned, scaring her half to death, and she was royally pissed. Between feelings of intimidation and helplessness, Marlene raged at the injustice.
Glancing up, she could see that Garrett was on high alert. He scanned the scene out the windows, while holding her in a protective embrace. “We’re almost there,” he said. Marlene leaned into him, feeling his strength, imagining how vulnerable she’d be without him.
The voice of the guard at the gate was a welcome sound. Marlene was home. The place was secured, and she mentally thanked Garrett for posting guards at the perimeter. What had once seemed excessive was now vital. As soon as they were inside the garage, Samuel rolled into a space near the elevator.
Garrett released Marlene and she sat up, then slid onto the seat beside him. The driver held his phone up as if to read something under the dim garage lights. “What’s this?” He had a piece of paper clutched in his hand, along with his phone.
“What is it?” Garrett said.
“You’ll have to take a look.” Samuel handed the folded paper over the seat. “It’s addressed to Marlene.”
When Marlene reached for the note, her hand trembled. She was still shaken, and the mysterious note didn’t help. She opened it, and Garrett looked over her shoulder as she read it out loud.
By now, you are aware of what I can do. You should pay attention, Marlene. Your new bodyguard is not welcome. Warn him that he should not interfere. I almost killed him yesterday. Next time, I won’t miss. Heed my words, or you’ll get hurt.
The message was printed in large letters, but Marlene’s eyes went to the signature scrawled at the bottom, which was the initial B.
“He signed with his initial. That asshole wants us to know who he is.” Garrett took the note and looked at Samuel, who was visibly shaken. “Where did you get this?”
“It was just in my pocket,” the driver said, clearly as stunned as they were. “While I waited for you, I’d been leaning against the car, getting some air. I saw a few couples going back to their cars.” He thought for a second. “One guy did brush against me, but I didn’t think anything of it at the time. After that, it was quiet outside, until I heard some kind of explosion. Then you burst out the back of the restaurant.”
“Goddammit.” Garrett gripped the note in his fist. “The creep managed to slip the note in your pocket without you seeing him. That takes unique skill.” He opened the car door. “Let’s get inside.”
Low lights shone in the foyer, so they didn’t enter into darkness. But no one else was there. Laura had gone for the evening, and James had the day off. Marlene walked on shaky legs to the library and sank into a leather chair. Garrett typed on his phone, then said, “I let the team know there was an incident at the restaurant but we’re safe. I’ll give them details in a bit.”
Garrett paced the carpet, still holding the note. “This guy pisses me off.” He lifted the paper, then expelled a breath. “I’m trying to sort this out. It’s of interest that this note was delivered in such a clandestine manner. A man who approaches like a shadow is more than likely ex-military. Or if not, a well-trained professional.”
Marlene didn’t know what to think of it all. Oddly enough, she thought of calling her mother, worrying over how to explain what had happened. It was alarming that there had been a random shooter at her charity event, but it painted a far worse picture that the man had returned. There was no way to tell her mother that he’d wielded a gun in a restaurant, and her life was in peril, without upsetting her horribly.
As if realizing her distraught state, Garrett stopped pacing. “I know you must be scared to death.” He walked over to her. “I’ll get this guy. I promise.”
Then he w
ent to the bar and poured a drink. When Garrett handed her the glass, he said, “Drink this. You’ll feel better.”
“It’s not white wine.”
“No, it’s not.”
Marlene cupped the glass in her hands and took a gulp. It burned on the way down, but seemed to take the edge off her anxiety. She leaned her head against the back of the chair and closed her eyes for a minute. When she opened them, Garrett was sitting on the sofa, looking at her.
“Better?”
“A little.” Marlene’s head wasn’t pounding and she could breathe. But she was still severely rattled.
Garrett hit a button on his phone, then waited. “Travis, I hope you’re still awake. There was another incident.” He put the phone on the table. “You’re on speakerphone. I’m here with Marlene, back at her place.”
A gruff man said, “I’m awake now. What happened?”
“Some idiot shot out the chandelier, some huge French fixture, loaded with crystals. The damn thing exploded in the middle of the restaurant.”
“At Diamonte’s?”
“Yes, he was considerate enough to let us eat first, but I heard the rifle shot. He blew out the gold base and the force shattered the crystals. Glass sprayed over the place like fireworks.”
“Is Marlene hurt?”
“Shaken up pretty bad,” Garrett said. “We didn’t stick around to see if the perpetrator had any bullets left. I got her the hell out of there. But I’m telling you it’s the same guy.”
“Has to be.”
“Expect to hear from the police. See if you can delay them from contacting us. Marlene’s been through enough.”
Travis growled, “You’re safe at home. So stay there.”
“We’re not going anywhere tonight. I don’t like being shot at when I can’t get the guy in my sights. He’s a marksman, or he wouldn’t have been able to hit a small target like the base of that chandelier from outside the front of a restaurant.”
“You didn’t see him inside.”
“Nope. I was against the back wall, and no one got in the door unseen.”
Cold Peril_Military Romantic Suspense Page 6