To Love and Protect

by Stacey Joy Netzel

“Now that I’m out and have gotten to know the amazing woman she’s become, I love her even more.”

  “So this isn’t just a quick little fling after being forced together this past week?”

  “No, sir. I promise you, I’d never do that to her.”

  Mark stared him down for a long moment before conceding with a slight nod of his head. “I respect you, Dev. Always have. And I trust you—otherwise I wouldn’t have put her life in your hands. So as long as you treat her right, we’re good.”

  Relief finally allowed a brief smile. “Thank you, sir.”

  “Mark.” The senator reached out and clapped him on the shoulder, then started inside once more. “Come on, let’s get in there.”

  A half-hour later, they watched as Neil Truman pled guilty to three counts of felony stalking, as well as all the other charges related to his threats against Shelby and the senator. The judge accepted the agreed upon plea deal from the prosecutor, and it was all over in about fifteen minutes.

  Surprisingly anti-climatic, but satisfying none-the-less.

  Back out on the steps of the courthouse, Dev offered Mark a smile and a handshake. “It’s been nice working for you.”

  Mark chuckled. “I guess we are done, aren’t we?”

  “Happy it was short-lived.”

  “Me, too. And if you’d like a letter of recommendation for anything, just say the word.”

  “Thanks, but working with Shelby actually gave me an idea I’m mulling over. If that doesn’t pan out, I’ll let you know.”

  “Sounds good.” Mark glanced toward the street as a black SUV pulled up to the curb. “That’s my ride back to the office. Give my baby Bells a hug for me.”

  Dev smiled at the nickname, even as the not so subtle reminder to treat his daughter right rang loud and clear. “I will.”

  A second later, as he watched the senator descend the steps, a memory of the message on Shelby’s vanity mirror flickered in his mind.

  Beautiful silver Bells.

  Bells. What was the likelihood Neil Truman knew her family nickname? He supposed a lot of people knew it, like Eli at the veterans foundation. And it was very possible the guy overheard it at an event or something, but…

  But no amount of rationalizing could stop the sliver of unease that slid down his spine.

  While taking the steps as quickly as possible without his knee giving out, he pulled out his phone and called Gus. The moment the PI answered, he asked, “Do you have a detailed list of what Truman all confessed to?”

  “No, but I heard he pled guilty to all charges.”

  “Yeah, he did, I’m just leaving the courthouse. But there were a few details missing. There was one count of breaking and entering on private property, but they didn’t specify if it was for the Diamond estate, or Shelby’s apartment. Shouldn’t there have been two?”

  “Hold on, let me see what I got in my notes.” Paper rustled and then he said, “My contact at the department said he copped to the note on her windshield at the hospital, the power steering tampering, and the break-in at the estate.”

  “And Shelby’s apartment?”

  “Yeah. He knew where she lived and admitted to being there more than once.”

  Dev fisted his fingers around his keys in frustration. “But did he actually break-in? Did he write the message on her mirror, or did he just say he’d been there? What about the flowers sent to her at work? The phone calls? The vandalism at her vet clinic? Did the cops cover all those things in his confession?”

  “I do know the vandalism was not him, but I’d have to call my guy on the rest of it.”

  “Do that,” Dev said as he got in his truck. “Call me back as soon as you’ve talked to him.”

  “Sure, but…what are you thinking here?”

  I’m thinking I let down my guard way too fucking much the second Truman was caught.

  A huge ball of lead sunk in his stomach as he said the words out loud. “I think Shelby has a second stalker.”

  Chapter 28

  “I’m so sorry. I’ll give you a few minutes to say goodbye.”

  Unfortunately, Shelby had said those words twice in a matter of just three hours this morning. Needing a breath of fresh air, she told her vet tech she was stepping out for a few minutes, and slipped out the back door of the animal hospital into the chilly sunshine. The second worst part of her job was telling someone she hadn’t been able to save their beloved four-legged family member. The worst was when she couldn’t save them.

  The last one had been more heart-wrenching than usual. The family dog had been hit by a car, and the mom had had to bring her two kids along because no one else was home to watch them. Seeing their tear-streaked faces tore at her heart.

  She leaned back against the brick wall and closed her eyes while turning her face up to the sun. What she wouldn’t give for a hug from Dev right now. The weekend had been amazing beyond what she ever could’ve dreamed, and as much as she had hated having someone watching her every second of every day, she’d found she’d missed him all morning. Countless times she’d glanced up looking for his handsome face, only to remember he’d gone to the courthouse for the arraignment.

  Hopefully, when he picked her up later, everything would be over for good. And even if it wasn’t, as long as he held her in his arms and told her he loved her, she’d deal with whatever came next.

  “Shelby! Thank God you’re here.”

  The familiar voice jerked her head down, and the sight of Chad hurrying toward her brought a frown. As she straightened from the wall, her stomach gave an uneasy lurch at the sight of his tense expression.

  “I need your help,” he said in a frantic rush. “Pixie was hit by a car. She’s hurt bad.”

  Hearing the Rottweiler’s name, she tensed as she glanced behind him. “Where is she?”

  Even as she asked, she spotted Mrs. Walters’ Cadillac SUV over by the side of the building, driver’s door hanging open, engine still running.

  “I have her in the back seat.” He started backing toward the vehicle again. “Please help me.”

  She broke into a jog, pulse picking up speed at the thought of another emergency so soon after the last. “Why didn’t you bring her inside?”

  “I was afraid to move her.”

  “Is your grandma okay? Was she with you?”

  “No.”

  They’d reached the SUV by then, and as he opened the back door, she hurried past him to assess Pixie’s condition.

  But there was no dog in the back seat.

  In the split-second she realized her mistake, Chad shoved her face-first against the side of the vehicle. Her cheek hit the glass, and the blast of pain jammed her heart up into her throat, cutting off her breath.

  Oh, God, how could she have been so stupid? He was parked too far from the door. In the back of the building—as if he’d been waiting for her. Instinct had told her it wasn’t right—that’s why she’d asked why he hadn’t brought the dog inside. But her emotions had distracted her, and she’d fallen for his excuse to lure her over.

  His lips brushed against her ear, his hot breath sending slivers of ice through her veins.

  “You should’ve given me a chance, Bells.”

  Her nickname in his voice sent an icy chill through her veins. Her cheek throbbed as fear held her paralyzed, her breath rasping in and out of tight lungs, on the verge of hyperventilating. She closed her eyes, desperate to get enough oxygen so she wouldn’t pass out.

  “Rule number one—use your voice.”

  She popped her eyes open at the memory of Dev’s command. Hope surged, and she focused on controlling her breathing as her mind whirled. She needed air to scream and yell. She needed air to fight.

  “Keep your mouth shut,” Chad growled in her ear as he yanked her arms behind her back.

  The scrape of something over her wrist jolted her pulse, and she struggled to pull away. She couldn’t let him tie her hands, and she definitely couldn’t let him get her into the vehicle. For a
second, she freed one hand, but he grabbed it back before reaching up to slam her head into the SUV again.

  Stars sparked in front of her eyes, and tears blurred her vision. “Please don’t,” she whispered.

  He pressed close to her again, the long length of his body against hers turning her stomach.

  “Why not me, huh?” Anger roughened his voice. “We got along good. We were friendly during your dad’s campaign. I was always nice to you, so why the fuck not me?”

  Blinking to clear her vision, she judged the distance around the building. It was farther to the front than the back door, but people would be in the front. And if she got free, she could run straight for the corner instead of trying to get around him and the car doors.

  “I’m sorry,” she whimpered weakly. “I—I—oh, God, I’m gonna be sick.”

  She dry-heaved, and he backed off just enough to give her the room she needed. Giving a shout that scraped her throat raw, she bent her knees slightly to center her weight over her hips, then pivoted to throw her elbow up into his face with everything she had. He cried out in surprised anger.

  Adrenaline twisted her the opposite direction, and she landed a second blow as he grappled for her. Once more in the other direction and she ducked and spun out from in front of him just like she and Dev had practiced dozens of times.

  But her shoulder grazed the side of the SUV, throwing off her balance, stumbling her steps. Chad grappled for her, and yelling out again, she swung to land a cupped palm over his ear.

  He staggered back, but his bruising grip locked on her arm. When he jerked her toward him, she went for the groin kick. He blocked her knee, and a hard shove bounced her off the SUV, knocking the wind out of her for a terrifying second. As he came at her, she mustered everything she had and used the palm-heel strike up under his chin while screaming so hard her voice broke.

  Her blow slammed into his jaw and snapped his head back. When he stumbled backward, she took off running for the front of the building, yelling all the way.

  Two steps around the corner, she ran into a wall—a wall of muscle with Dev’s voice. “Shelby, it’s me. It’s Dev. I got ya.”

  The second her gaze met his, her knees gave out and she sagged against him. He caught her, his eyes frantic as he reached up to gently cradle her throbbing cheek. “Are you okay?”

  Her breath caught on a sob of relief as she nodded.

  “Stay here.” He swung her around, switching their positions to push her into the arms of a man holding a Chihuahua. “Keep her here.”

  She frowned as he backed away from her. “Dev.”

  He held out one hand, glancing over his shoulder and as he backed up while drawing his weapon. Meeting her gaze once more, he promised, “I’ll be right back, Shelby. Stay here.”

  And then he was gone around the corner of the building. She held her breath, then flinched when his shout cut through the air.

  “Stop right there, Mayer.”

  A door slammed, and three shots rang out.

  Chapter 29

  Shelby jerked in stunned shock, then cried out and tore free to run around the corner. She slid to a stop when she saw Dev rushing the driver’s side door with his gun pointed at the window.

  “Get the fuck out and get on your knees,” he barked. “Now.”

  When Chad did as ordered, Shelby noticed the Cadillac sitting at an odd angle. Relief weakened her knees as she realized Dev had shot the SUV’s tires.

  Police sirens sounded in the distance, getting louder with each passing second. Dev shoved Chad to the ground, kneeled on his back, and bound his hands with a zip-tie—probably the same one he’d tried to use on her. When he started to turn his head in her direction, Dev shoved him face-first into the gravel.

  “Don’t fucking move, asshole. Your ride’s almost here.”

  The sirens had reached the parking lot by now, and Dev glanced over his shoulder as he tucked his gun away. He grimaced when he saw her standing there watching, but stayed kneeling on her attacker’s back with his hands raised as the cops rounded the corner.

  One officer went to her, the other advanced on Dev, weapon drawn. Shelby tried to tell them he was okay, but her throat was so raw from yelling, no sound came out.

  Dev explained the situation, and a call to the precinct straightened things out in record time. Everything seemed to happen in a fog as the police took their statements, while her alarmed co-workers and curious clients dispersed back inside.

  At some point, someone had given her an ice pack for her cheek, and she lowered it when finally, she stood by Dev’s side as Chad was handcuffed and shoved in the back of the police car.

  The moment the squad was out of sight and it was just the two of them, she buried her face against Dev’s chest and let her tears flow. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned back against the side of building, almost as if he needed the support, too. She felt his lips against her temple as his hold tightened.

  “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you. I’m sorry I didn’t protect you.”

  The raw guilt in his voice pierced her heart, and she shook her head. When she lifted her face to him, anguish filled his eyes as his hand rose. His fingers trembled, hovering a centimeter from her swollen cheek.

  “This is all my fault.” Moisture brightened his eyes, and he fisted his hand as his whole body shook against hers with suppressed anger.

  “No,” she croaked. The pain in her throat made her wince, so she switched to a hoarse whisper. “You are the reason I’m okay, Dev, because you taught me to protect myself.”

  He frowned, his expression telling her he didn’t like her trying to absolve his guilt. But no way in hell was she going to let him take any of the blame.

  Holding his gaze, she grabbed his hand and pried open his fist until she could lightly press his palm to her aching cheek. “When he first grabbed me, I froze. I was so scared I could barely breathe, much less scream. But then suddenly you were there in my head, yelling at me about rule number one, and I found my voice. And as soon as I found my voice, I started fighting.”

  The crease in his forehead eased, but not enough. She turned her head and pressed a kiss to his palm. “You kept me safe, Dev. You taught me how to protect myself, and you were right there with me in every move I made. That counts double in my book.”

  He shook his head before pulling her close to bury his face in the crook of her neck while holding tight. After a long moment, he whispered hoarsely, “I don’t deserve you.”

  Shelby smiled slightly and rolled her eyes even though he couldn’t see her. “Sure you do.”

  “No, I don’t, but I love the hell out of you, so I’m keeping you anyway.”

  “I love the hell out of you, too. However...” She pulled back, arching her brow as she tilted her head. “Who said it’s your choice? Maybe I’m keeping you.”

  He gave a wry grin before dropping a feather-soft kiss on her mouth. “In that case, it’s definitely your choice. Always.”

  “I choose you, Dev. It’s always been you, and always will be.”

  She rose up and pressed her mouth more firmly to his. After a long moment, his lips parted and he gently deepened the kiss. The slow, cherishing strokes of his tongue against hers echoed the overwhelming welling of emotion from the depths of her soul.

  Her heart was near bursting when he eased back from the kiss and straightened them away from the building. Dev’s gaze shifted to her cheek again, and then he bent to retrieve the ice pack she hadn’t even realized she’d dropped. A quick swipe against his jeans got rid of any dirt before he pressed it back to her face. “We should go get this checked out.”

  She made a negative sound while taking hold of the compress. “It’s all surface. I’m okay.”

  “Shelby…”

  “I’m good, Dev. I promise.” When he still didn’t look convinced, she took his hand with her free one and pulled him toward his truck. “All I want is for you to take me home. Just you and me.”

  He follo
wed as she continued to back up. “We are going to have to call your parents. Not only are they going to want to hear directly from you that you’re okay, if your Dad hears about it from the cops first, I’ll be back in the doghouse.”

  Her steps slowed. “When were you were in the doghouse?”

  “When your dad thought I was fucking around on the job.”

  She stopped abruptly, eyes wide. “He said that?”

  “No, but he didn’t have to.” He leaned in to drop a kiss on her nose while reaching past to open the passenger door for her. “Don’t worry, we cleared the air this morning, and he gave me his blessing.”

  Shelby felt for the running board with her heel and stepped up so she was looking down at him by a couple of inches. She reached back to toss the ice pack on the seat, then draped her arms over his shoulders. “You didn’t need his blessing. My dad doesn’t get to decide who I date.”

  “Maybe not, but my future father-in-law’s respect matters to me.”

  Of course it did, and she loved him even more for that. Though the future father-in-law had her shaking her head in mock disapproval. “You haven’t even asked me yet.”

  A smart-ass smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. “And yet you already said yes.”

  “You still have to ask.”

  “I will.”

  “When?” she asked with a grin.

  He reached up to pull her arms from around his neck, then clasped her hands together, with his on the outside. His gaze met hers from under his lashes while he pressed his lips to the back of her hands. “When you least expect it.”

  Which was fine by her. She hadn’t expected to run into him in the stairwell at the hospital a month ago. She hadn’t expected that he’d become her bodyguard and teach her how to save her own ass.

  Most of all, she hadn’t expected the man of her dreams would become an amazing reality ten times better than any fantasy she’d ever had.

  Epilogue

  A little over two months later, on a warm evening in early May, Shelby’s heart swelled with happiness as a crowd of smiling faces watched her take the makeshift stage Dev had set up for her outside the doors of her new veterinary clinic—and his attached gym. When he hung back at the stairs, she turned from the top with an arch of her brows.