Gus dug under a couple of folders and pulled out a light blue one that was three times as thick as the red one. “I had just started to review these before you called about Mayer.”
He moved closer to the desk, flipped the folder open, then read the top page. It was a photo copy of a death threat that had been sent to the senator about six months after he took office. Dev scanned the words, then flipped to the next page to see the same type of letter. He fanned the remaining pages, guessing there to be a good sixty to seventy letters.
“Are these all threats against Mark specifically?” he asked.
“A few reference his family,” Gus said, “so I was going to focus on them first. Top fifteen or so are actual physical threats that have been investigated and dealt with by the Capitol police in D.C. After that, they’re a little less severe. Angry bordering on threatening. I figured it couldn’t hurt to have a second look at all of them.”
“Any chance I can get copies and read through them, too?”
“Be my guest. Copier is around the corner.”
When Dev had a folder of his own filled with copies still warm from the machine, he returned the blue file to Gus.
“Let me know if anything stands out to you,” the PI said.
“Definitely. And I’d appreciate any updates as they come available on your end.”
“You got it. Anything that keeps Shelby safe.”
Back in his truck, he set the folder on the passenger seat, then thought better of it and tucked it behind his seat before heading to his one-o’clock appointment with his therapist. When he admitted he’d taken the bodyguard job over the weekend, Bryan looked up from the tablet perched on his thigh.
“What prompted that change?”
“The guy guarding her was doing a shit job.”
“And you figured you could do better?” Bryan asked.
“Shelby deserves better.”
“That doesn’t answer my question. Three weeks ago you didn’t trust your physical capabilities enough to take the job. What’s changed, other than the fact you don’t have your cane with you?”
“I don’t need the cane anymore,” he said, as much for himself as for Bryan. “If I didn’t step up to protect her and something happened, I’d never forgive myself.”
Shrewd blue eyes narrowed. “You care for her?”
“Of course. Our families are close.” Dev shrugged, but couldn’t quite bring himself to look the guy in the eye. The last time they’d talked about this, it had been about the job, and his self-doubts, not about Shelby and what feelings he might have for her. “Even though she’s five years younger than me, we still grew up together.”
Bryan adjusted the tablet on his leg, typed a few notes, then sat back and lifted his gaze. “What if something happens and you’re not able to protect her?”
“I will.”
“It’s not guaranteed.”
He’d make sure it was. His therapist shifted his gaze down, and Dev realized he was absently rubbing his injured thigh. He stopped the movement and consciously fought to keep from fisting his fingers.
“Where is she now?” Bryan asked.
“At work.”
“And you’re here.”
He sat forward with a frown, bracing his elbows on his knees. “I didn’t leave her there alone. My brother is with her until I get back.”
“You trust your brother? Reyes, right?”
“Yeah—and obviously I trust him, or I wouldn’t have left her.” Dev shifted to the edge of his seat, fighting the urge to get up and leave. “What the fuck, man? Why are you trying to make me doubt myself?”
“I can’t make you do anything, so if you have doubt...”
He shook his head, his humorless laugh loaded with irritation. “I thought you’d be happy I made forward progress with this. Hell, you agreed with my brother that I should’ve taken the job right from the start.”
“Yes. But you need to acknowledge that there is a possibility something may happen that you can’t control.”
“Special Forces, remember? Expect the unexpected.”
Bryan smiled with a slight nod of acknowledgment.
“Nothing about this past week has been what I expected,” he admitted as he looked out the window toward the mountains. “But I have considered the possibilities. Multiple ways, multiple times.”
“And?”
“Same conclusion no matter what—I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.”
“Can you do what it’ll take to keep her safe?”
Dev turned his gaze back to Bryan’s. Slow, deliberate, sure. “Yes.”
Chapter 17
Shelby peeled her surgical gown off and tossed it in the garbage with her gloves, cap, and mask. She’d stayed to cover when one of the second shift vets was late. After a C-section delivery of five Great Dane puppies, she’d moved straight to emergency surgery for a hemoabdomen on a golden retriever. They’d stopped the internal bleeding and finished up with a transfusion to help with blood loss.
Thankfully, both patients appeared likely to make a full recovery, and the puppies were all doing well, too. But it was now nearly six p.m., and she was exhausted after eleven hours on her feet. Exhausted and ready to go home where she could fall into bed.
With Dev, preferably.
With less clothes even more preferably.
Her pulse sped up as she headed for the door. She’d managed to focus when needed, but all it took was one glimpse of him to recall how safe and warm and amazing it felt to be held in his arms last night. Would he offer the comfort of his bed again tonight, or expect her to man up?
Maybe the better question was, should she attempt to be strong, or use the situation to her advantage? The idea of that felt wrong, and yet being close to him had felt so right.
When she pushed through the door, she was surprised to see Reyes still in the hall with his brother. “What are you still doing here?”
“It’s two Torrezes for the price of one,” he joked.
“Lucky me.” She grinned while glancing at the orange folder Dev had closed the moment she’d stepped through the doors. “I wasn’t complaining, you know, just figured you’d have gone home hours ago.”
“Dev and I were catching up on things. Plus, it was cool to see you in action. I must say, I’m super impressed.”
She shrugged lightly, her curiosity over the folder growing. “Just doing my job.”
It was more than that, and his return smile confirmed he understood it was more of a passion considering they both knew she didn’t need to work.
“You do it well,” Reyes said. “Don’t know that I’ll ever be able to call you Baby Bells again now that I’ve seen you all grown up.”
“Thank God for that,” she exclaimed with a laugh. “Especially since I’ve been grown up for years.”
He turned a grin toward his brother. “Funny, that’s what Dev said the other day.”
“Oh really?” She switched her gaze to the man responsible for the butterflies tickling her stomach. “How ironic, considering he treats me like a kid.”
Dev’s arched brow challenged her words in a way that had those butterfly wings fluttering faster.
“Fine, you’ve been better,” she admitted with a small smile. To be fair, ever since she’d called him on it Sunday night, he had been much better. Especially considering she’d been too chicken to be alone any longer than it took for a quick shower.
To change the subject, she pointed toward the folder in his hand. “What do you have there?”
“Work stuff.”
It was her turn to arch her brows. “Far as I know, I’m your work. So, what is it?”
He shook his head and lightly tapped the folder against his leg. “Not now. You ready to go home?”
The curt shut-down morphed her butterflies to anxiety. A glance at Reyes gave her nothing. Whatever it was, Dev didn’t want to talk about it. Or he didn’t want to talk to her about it.
Resentment stiffened her sp
ine. So much for being straight with her. She was about to remind him of his promise when his other words from that day came back to her: Trust me.
Take a breath, Shelby.
Okay. She’d assume he had a good reason for keeping the information to himself. For now, anyway.
Lifting her chin to meet his gaze, she said, “Yeah, I’m ready.”
He gave her a brief nod, a glimmer of thanks in his blue-green eyes telling her he appreciated her not pushing the subject. Her tension eased, and she went to retrieve her purse from her locker in the break room.
Before they parted ways with Reyes in the parking lot, she stepped forward to give him a hug. “Thanks again for staying with me today.”
She’d felt as equally protected with him as with Dev, and was grateful she’d been able to spend the day focusing on work, not her personal life.
“Anytime. Stay safe,” he whispered in her ear before letting go and heading out.
Dev was quiet as he drove, and Shelby began to wonder if this was going to be how the rest of the evening went when they got home.
Home?
No. She had to be more careful. He could call it home, but for her, it was Dev’s house.
Finally, she couldn’t stand the silence anymore. “How’d your appointments go?”
He lifted a shoulder while doing a round of checking the mirrors. “Gus and the police are still working on things.”
Shelby ducked her chin to see the passenger side mirror even as she noted he wasn’t taking a circuitous route this time. “So, nothing new?”
“Not yet.”
Then why had he stuffed that folder behind his seat instead of setting it between them where she could’ve reached over to check it out? He’d said, “Not now,” in the hospital, but even with just the two of them in his truck, clearly, he wasn’t going to willingly volunteer any information.
As she watched the car behind them for the past mile or so make a right turn, it took conscious effort not to grind her teeth. Man, she couldn’t wait for this all to be over. To be able to drive herself somewhere. No more being escorted. No more being afraid of every shadow. No more people telling her only what they thought she could handle.
No more—
No more Dev.
At least, no more Dev as she’d gotten used to. The moment the stalker was caught, her time with him would be over.
A sharp ache tightened her chest as he turned into his driveway.
Once they were inside, he reactivated the security system, and she waited by the door while he did a quick recon of the house. Tension gripped her muscles until he returned from the bedrooms and gave her a swift, reassuring smile.
“All clear. I’ve got some stuff to bring in from my truck, but first I’ll get dinner started.”
Shelby grimaced as she toed off her tennis shoes and moved into the living room. “What if we have something delivered? I just want to take a shower and veg out.”
“Go ahead. You don’t have to help.”
She watched him head to the kitchen, turning to follow his movements. It wasn’t a big deal, and yet it didn’t seem right to leave him to do all the work.
He glanced up after taking a number of items from the fridge and setting them on the counter. “Take a load off while you can, Shelby. Because after dinner, I’m putting you to work.”
“Doing dishes?”
“Nope.”
She arched her brows in question.
Dev shook his head, keeping the secret as he reached for a cutting board. “Go. I’ll let you know when dinner is ready.”
She went, and was halfway through her shower when she realized he’d left the folder in his truck. Was that what he had to get yet? Was that what they’d be working on after dinner? She turned to rinse the conditioner from her hair and closed her eyes as the hot water streamed over her body.
A tilt of her head and slight angling of her body had the water hitting the part of her shoulder between her neck and shoulder blade. What she really needed was a nice, firm massage. The thought of asking Dev to put his strong, warm hands on her skin sent a flash of heat from head to toe.
Seduce that man.
Raine’s suggestion sent another spear of heat much deeper. It lingered as she dried off and dressed. If her time with Dev was limited, she should make the most of the time she did have left. While she wasn’t nearly brave enough to dig the negligee from her suitcase, she did pick out her most clingy T-shirt with a low V-neck, and a pair of curve-hugging, hot-pink velvet lounge shorts that barely covered her butt.
Nerves tickled her stomach as she left her bedroom, even as the smell of chicken and spices had her mouth watering. Sounds from the empty fourth bedroom brought her to the doorway to find Dev unwrapping plastic from a section of gym mat he then lay next to another section already on the floor. One more to go, and the entire surface would be covered.
He shot her a glance, then did a double take, his gaze sliding from her damp, braided hair to her bare feet.
“What’s this?” she asked as her whole body flushed with heat from that one look.
He turned away and ripped the plastic from the last mat. “This is for after dinner.”
Confusion prompted a smile of bewilderment. “Are you going to make me do yoga? Gymnastics? Wrestling?”
A smile tugged at his mouth with all her guesses while he placed the last section. “I’m not going to make you do anything. But I am going to give you back some control.”
She eyed the cushioned floor with a frown. “How so?”
“I’m going to teach you self-defense.”
Chapter 18
Dev had a good half-dozen bites to go, and Shelby was already up at the sink rinsing her plate. He’d been a little nervous about his plan, but the moment he’d said self-defense, her eyes had lit up. She wolfed down her chicken stir-fry and rice and was raring to go.
Now, he was dragging his feet. Because how the fuck was he supposed to concentrate on teaching her when all he could think about was touching her? Every tempting, tantalizing, deliciously-scented inch of her.
He’d about swallowed his tongue when she’d appeared in the doorway after her shower—because imagining her under the steamy spray wasn’t bad enough. Under that tight gray T-shirt, he could see the faint outline of her dark bra. And those hot pink short shorts. They were just begging him to run his palm up her bare thigh to the curve of her ass cheek. He was dying to compare the velvet of the material to the velvet of her skin.
Clearly, after crossing the line last night when he allowed himself to touch her in the name of comfort, there was no going back. That fact had been obvious when he’d come up with this plan requiring all kinds of body contact and hadn’t even tried to reason himself out of it. At least by teaching her self-defense, he could pretend it was for an altruistic reason.
You know, idiot, you might just end up giving her the courage to sleep alone again.
That was the point, wasn’t it? Keeping her safe and making sure she felt safe was all part of the job. Even if the end result meant she didn’t need him tonight, boosting her confidence was more important.
Shelby paced back to the couch from the kitchen. “You eat like my Grandpa Ira,” she complained.
“You don’t want to start the second you’re done eating,” he reasoned. “You need to let your food settle.”
“It’s not like swimming.”
“You won’t be saying that when you throw up.”
“Okay, fine.” She perched on the edge of the cushions and gave him a sheepish smile. “I can’t help it. I’m a little excited.”
“Only a little?” he teased, even though her eagerness made his heart happy. It felt good to give her something back instead of only telling her what she couldn’t do.
“I don’t know why I didn’t think of something like this sooner,” she mused.
Dev shot her a sideways glance. “From what I saw today, you’re busy at work, and you’ve got more than enough going on with fam
ily, too. All those weddings and babies.”
“There is that,” she agreed, sitting back on the couch while he finished eating. “Not that I’m complaining. Family-wise, it’s been a great year. It’ll be nice when I can babysit again.”
Which wouldn’t be until her stalker was caught. A brief wish that it didn’t happen too soon brought a huge wave of guilt. Because now that he’d crossed that line, selfishness was beginning to creep in. He ate his last bite and rose to take his plate to the kitchen.
Shelby twisted around and draped her elbow over the back of the couch. “How long will it take you to teach me?”
“Depends on how fast you pick it up.” He shrugged while rinsing his dish. “Could be a couple of nights, or a couple of weeks. The most important thing will be practicing so the moves become automatic if you need them.”
“And you really think I can learn it?”
“I saw you give a dog a C-section today. I know you can learn to kick some ass.”
He looked up to see her smile as she watched him, but the moment their gazes met, she dropped her attention to where she was tracing the seam of the couch with her thumbnail.
“So…um…if this guy is caught before we’re done, will you keep teaching me?”
“Of course.” The reply was automatic, but no less sincere. And the relief in the return of her smile made his pulse skip in a way that had him equally dreading and anticipating the next hour. He walked past the couch toward the hall. “Let’s go.”
She popped up to follow him. “Don’t you need to let your food settle?”
“I’m used to eating and getting right back to physical work.”
“Because of the military?”
“Right.” He picked up the training suit he’d bought with the mats. “But enough talk. Let’s get to it.”
Her head tilted as she watched him gear up in all the pads. A smile tugged at her mouth. “You need all that for little ‘ole me?”
He flashed back to the stairwell incident at the hospital. “Considering how well-acquainted I am with your knee—yep.”
Her smirk became a grimace. “I apologized for that.”
To Love and Protect Page 12