He was wearing all black as usual, but instead of a black t-shirt, he was wearing a black button up. Probably because it was easier to get on. I don’t know how the hell he got the jacket on, but he did and he looked mouthwatering.
“I picked them up the other day.”
“And why are you getting a jacket on?”
“Because I’m going with you to work.”
“No, you’re not. You can’t follow me around all day.”
“I think we both know that’s not true. I’ve been doing it for months now.”
“Fine. Do whatever you want, but you are not stepping foot in my clinic. You’d scare the shit out of anyone that went in there.”
He stepped into my space and quickly grabbed me around the waist, hauling me against him. “Do I scare you?”
“Sometimes,” I breathed out.
“Do you believe me when I said I’d never do anything to hurt you?”
I wanted to believe him more than anything, especially after our talk the other night. But he was an assassin by trade. It would be ridiculous to believe that he didn’t have it in him to hurt me. When I didn’t answer him right away, his eyes turned hard and he took a step back from me.
“Maybe you should be afraid,” he said gruffly, then turned and walked out the door. What the hell did that mean? I followed where he had gone, but he wasn’t there. I looked around outside, but I couldn’t find him. I didn’t have time for this. I had to get to work.
I was a little later than I liked, but I was mostly caught up on my work, so I tried not to let it bother me. I was just about to open the clinic doors when I saw Sean walking up. He wasn’t one of my patients, which meant he was here in an official capacity. I broke out in a sweat at the thought of lying to him. He was probably wondering why Garrick was staying with me. I was sure Cole told him all about that. Except Sean was a detective and he would haul Garrick down to the police station if he showed his face. And if Garrick was serious about following me today, there would be no way he would stay away. I was going to have to have Sean follow me to my office so that hopefully Garrick wouldn’t see him.
“Hey, Kate,” Sean smiled as he entered the clinic.
“Hey, Sean.” I gave a nervous smile and tried not to fidget, but I was a nervous wreck.
“Just thought I’d come check up on you. It’s been a while since you were attacked here. I thought I’d see if you were having any more trouble.”
“Um, why don’t we go back to my office? We’re just about to open for the day.”
“Sure.”
He followed me back to my office and I prayed that Garrick hadn’t seen him. Things could get ugly. I shut the door behind him and took a seat at my desk, hoping that having something between us would calm me down.
“So, have you had any more problems lately?”
“Nope. I think that must have been a one time incident.”
“Or the person that shot him is scaring people off. Have you seen anyone suspicious around lately?”
He was being friendly enough, but I had known Sean for years and he was in investigative mode right now. And he was intimidating as hell as he looked at me now. I felt like he could see right through me and to top it off, he probably already knew about Garrick. That could only mean that he was grilling me to see how far I would go to protect Garrick.
“Nobody suspicious. Like I said, there hasn’t been anything unusual going on.”
He grinned at me, which made the hairs stand on the back of my neck. Not because I was afraid of him, but because I knew he was ready to go in for the kill.
“That’s good because if someone were to be hanging around and taking people out when he felt you were being threatened, that would be a serious problem for you.”
“I didn’t ask anyone to do anything,” I said, swallowing hard.
“But if you knew who it was and you were protecting them, that would be aiding and abetting. Now, for murder, that’s a pretty hefty sentence you would face. You would lose your clinic, your medical license, and your reputation would be shot.”
My mind raced as I tried to think about what exactly Garrick said to me that night. Did he admit to killing the druggie? I didn’t think so. He had alluded that he had done something about it, but he had never actually said the words.
“I don’t know who shot that man. I didn’t see it and it’s not like anyone admitted to me that they did it. I don’t see how I could be implicated in anything.”
Sean took a seat across from me and stared at me, waiting for me to say something.
“Sean, I’ve known you for a long time. Why don’t you just say whatever it is you’re here to say?”
“No bullshit. I can do that. I know that you have a killer in your house. What I can’t seem to get my head around is that you know exactly who he is and yet you aren’t doing a damn thing to make him leave. From what I understand, you made Cole leave and insisted that you could deal with it yourself. So, why don’t you tell me what the hell is going on? This isn’t like you, Kate.”
“The man that’s staying with me is injured. I’m helping him get better. End of story.”
“That man is an assassin. He could-”
“Kill me?” I interjected. “Believe me, I’ve heard it all from Cole already. Did Cole tell you that he talked to Sebastian and that Sebastian put someone outside my house?”
“Do you really think that’s good enough?”
“I don’t feel threatened in any way.”
The door swung open and banged against the wall. Garrick stood in the doorway with a scowl on his face, glaring at Sean. I stood quickly, hoping I could deflect the situation before it got out of control.
“This is my friend, Sean,” I said, motioning to where Sean sat. To his credit, Sean sat lazily in his chair as if he didn’t have a care in the world, but I could see how his hand inched closer to the weapon at his side. So did Garrick. He pulled a gun quickly from behind his back and pointed it at Sean. Kathy stood behind him looking absolutely terrified. I gave her a quick shake of my head, hoping that she didn’t decide to call the police. Luckily, she turned and headed back toward reception and I could hear her greeting patients that were up front.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“I would point that somewhere else unless you want to go down for shooting a cop. I can guarantee that if you shoot me, you’ll have Cole, Sebastian, and the rest of Reed Security on your ass, not to mention the entire police force. I would imagine that would be pretty bad for business and probably not too good for you, Hudson.”
“I don’t want to shoot you. I just want you to back the fuck away from my woman.”
Shit. Why did he have to say that? Sean turned to me, a slow grin spreading across his face.
“Your woman, huh?”
“Sean, it’s not what you think.”
“I would say that since I’ve been fucking you and sleeping in your bed for the past few nights, it’s exactly what he thinks.”
My face flushed bright red as Sean raised an eyebrow at me. “Never took you to sleep with a murderer.”
“It’s complicated,” I said, clearing my throat.
“I’ll bet.” He slapped his hands on the arm rests as he stood. “Either way, I just came to make sure you were okay. Cole is worried about you and wanted someone else to check on you.”
“You’re not going to say anything, are you?” I asked nervously.
“As much as I’d love to get this asshole off the streets, Cole asked me not to cause any trouble for you, and I have no fucking clue how I would explain your fucked up situation to my boss. As far as I’m concerned, he’s an old boyfriend that showed up and I didn’t catch his name.” He turned to Garrick, who had lowered his weapon, but still had it at his side. “Don’t bring your shit here. Whatever you do outside here stays outside or we’re going to have problems.”
Garrick nodded and stepped aside so Sean could pass. I heard him say hi to a few people in reception b
efore I stepped around Garrick and quickly shut the door.
“What do you think you’re doing? You can’t pull a gun in my clinic!”
“I needed to make sure that you were okay.”
“How do you not see how messed up this is? You came into my place of business and threatened a cop. And not just any cop, a friend of mine.”
“Didn’t sound like he was being too friendly to me.”
“He was concerned and given what happened, I’m wondering why the hell I stood up for you. Just get out of here. I have work to do, and I can’t do it if you’re in here scaring my staff and patients.”
When he didn’t move, I pointed for the door. “I’m serious. Leave now. I don’t want you here.”
His dark eyes narrowed in on me and for a moment, I saw a flash of the killer inside. I had pissed him off big time by ordering him out, but I couldn’t let him dictate what happened in my life. He slowly moved to the door and opened it, pausing and glancing over his shoulder. I could feel the anger radiating off him, but luckily he kept moving. He left through the back door, which I was grateful for. Knowing how mad he was, I didn’t want him around anyone in the building.
Kathy came hurrying into my office with a look of panic on her face. “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t stop him from coming back and I didn’t want to cause a scene. He was really scary. Who was he?”
“He’s a friend of mine. Sort of.” Her eyes widened in disbelief, but she didn’t say anything. “I’m sorry that he came in here. It won’t happen again.”
“Okay. If he does, should I let him back here?”
“I really don’t think he will, but if he does, it’s better to just let him in. Don’t worry. He won’t hurt me.”
“What about everyone else?” she muttered, then slapped her hand over her mouth. “Sorry, it just came out. He just looks really dangerous.”
I gave her my best reassuring smile. “Look, let’s just get back to work. We’re running behind now.”
She nodded and quickly went back up to reception while I did my best to pull myself back together.
✯✯✯✯✯
I groaned as I stepped out of my shoes and flung my keys on the counter. It had been an exhausting day and I was dead on my feet. Opening the fridge, I pulled out the white wine and poured myself a glass. I might just drink the whole bottle tonight. Walking into the living room, I wasn’t shocked at all to see Garrick sitting in the dark in the corner armchair. What did surprise me was the gun that was resting on his knee.
“Planning a murder?” I asked as I lowered myself onto the couch.
“Just being prepared. It seems that people are running their mouths about me. Too many people know who I am and that’s dangerous for me.”
“Sean and Cole wouldn’t say anything. If Sebastian vouches for you, that’s good enough for them.”
He huffed out a laugh. “Sure. I’ll take your word for it.”
“You don’t have to take my word for it. If you don’t believe me, call Sebastian. He’ll tell you the same thing.”
“Maybe you don’t get it. I’m not friends with Sebastian. We did one job together. His word means jack shit to me.”
“He saved your life.”
“No, you saved my life. He brought you in, but that’s as far as our brotherhood goes. Don’t get any ideas that I’m going to work for him and everything will be great.”
His voice was as hard as steel and I had to remind myself who I was dealing with.
“I wasn’t suggesting that you would.”
“Well, now that my secret is out, it’s time to move on.”
“What?” I said, a little panicked. “I thought you were staying until you were healed?”
“Well, that plan’s blown to shit now. I can’t stick around with everyone watching me. It’s bad for business and gives me the hives.”
I stood and swallowed down the rest of my wine. “Well, I wouldn’t want to stand in the way of your murdering, so by all means, please show yourself out.”
I walked out of the room and headed for the stairs. I’d had enough of this day and a bubble bath sounded really good right now. Before I could hit the bottom step, Garrick grabbed my wrist and spun me around, pinning me to the wall.
“I’m not through with you. Just because I’m leaving doesn’t mean that this is over. I told you that you were mine if you let me in. You handed yourself over to me and now you belong to me. I’ll kill any other man that tries to touch you.”
“Is that supposed to make me swoon?” I snapped. “What a beautiful thing to say. It makes my poor, little heart go pitter-pat to hear such heartfelt words.”
“I’m not fucking around, Kate. I meant what I said and I’ll know if you so much as say hi to another man.” His grip tightened on my waist painfully and I swallowed down the fear that I felt when he got this intense.
“I’m just supposed to wait around for you to come back? I don’t work that way, Garrick. If you want me, you stick around. Otherwise, disappear and let me live my life.”
“You might mean that now, but when you start getting lonely, it’s going to be my cock you’re thinking of.”
He ground his hips against mine, eliciting a moan from me that I tried to hold back. His lips left a trail of kisses down my neck that had me thirsting for more. He was right. I craved his touch. It was only him that I wanted and no other man would ever make me feel a tenth of what I felt when I was with him. I hated that he had this power over me. I pushed him away and stared him down.
“I meant what I said. If you walk out that door, don’t bother returning. You won’t be welcome.”
He clenched his jaw tight and turned, storming out the door and leaving me feeling completely rejected. I knew this was for the best. It would have never worked out, but I couldn’t help the sadness that weighed heavy in my chest as I looked around my empty house.
✯✯✯✯✯
I don’t know why, but part of me expected him to show up the next night or the night after that, but he never did. I kept looking outside my clinic for him, even though I couldn’t feel him. I always knew when he was around and there hadn’t been any sign of him for weeks. My nights grew lonelier and lonelier, and most nights I just stared at the wall, wondering how I could be so devastated over a man that I knew for only a short time. He had done something to me, though. I couldn’t deny that what I felt for him was strong, and more than I had ever felt for anyone else.
After about a month, I fell back into my normal routine at the clinic. I had been moping around for too long and Kathy pulled me aside one day and asked if I was alright, that I hadn’t been myself lately. That had been the turning point for me. I couldn’t allow my feelings for Garrick to rule my life. I was stronger than that and I needed to pull it together. But that all changed the day that Cole and Alex stopped by.
Cole claimed that he wanted to check over the house, something he did for me because he didn’t want me paying for a maintenance man when he could do small fixes. He went about checking out things while I sat at the kitchen table with Alex.
“So, what reason did Cole give you for coming over here today?” I asked.
She raised an eyebrow at me. “Like you don’t already know? He wants to check on you. He said that you haven’t been the same recently and he was worried about you.”
“Cole is always worried about everyone.”
“Tell me about it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful to him. He has helped me through some of the hardest times of my life, but he always wants to make everything better.”
“Well, there’s not much he can do to make this better for me.”
“Cole hasn’t told me much. He said that you were involved with someone and he didn’t think he was good for you.”
“That about sums it up. Let’s just say that this man is not necessarily a good man. I mean, he does bad things, but I think he does them for the right reasons. Does that make sense?”
“Sure.”
“It d
oesn’t matter anyway. He’s gone now.”
“Did you love him?”
“Can you really love someone that you’ve only known for a short time?”
“I don’t know. Cole and I had an instant attraction and I fell in love with him pretty fast. Of course, then I forgot him for a while, but when I remembered, all those feelings returned. He would do anything for me and he protects me the way no one else has. I’m not ashamed to admit that I need someone like that in my life.”
“This guy takes protection to the extreme. He doesn’t have any boundaries. He walked into my clinic and threatened Sean because he was in my office with me.”
“He sounds intense.”
“He’s very intense. As much as I want him, I don’t need that kind of drama in my life.”
“So, why do you look so sad?”
I bit my lip, afraid to say the words out loud, but it was just us sitting here. “I miss him. As much as I don’t agree with the way he lives his life and the things that he does, I wish he was here with me. But he made it very clear that he could never be a full time part of my life.”
“Was he just planning to drop in when it was convenient for him?”
“Something like that.”
“Well then, maybe you’re better off. No matter how much you like someone, if they can’t commit to you, how does that work?”
“I don’t know, and the ridiculous part is that I was starting to not care. The past few weeks have been so lonely without him and I started thinking that maybe I could deal with only seeing him when he could come to me.”
“I know I don’t have any place to judge. I think we all live our lives the way we need to. That being said, I don’t think that would be a very healthy relationship, but if it’s what you want, then go for it. If he comes back and you decide you can live with that arrangement, then tell him. Don’t waste time worrying about what other people think. Only you know what you can live with.”
After they left, I really thought about what I had with Garrick and the truth was, we hadn’t spent enough time together to really know what there was between us. I couldn’t base the rest of my life on the promises of someone that would only be dropping into my life between jobs. And worse than that, would I even know if he wasn’t coming back to me? What if he was killed doing a job? There would be no one to notify me that he was gone. I couldn’t deal with that, and if he ever came back, that’s exactly what I would tell him. I hoped.
Knight_A Reed Security Romance Page 9