The Nerd Who Loved Me

by Vicki Lewis Thompson

  She hadn't wanted to bring up her training in consid­eration of his tender male ego, but he was ticking her off. She'd run to his rescue, and he wasn't even slightly grateful. "I know self-defense, okay? I could have taken care of myself."

  "What kind of self-defense?" He sounded belliger­ent, very un-Harry-like.

  "I don't know what kind, exactly." They reached the main street and turned right. "A course specifically de­signed for women, so we have some options if we ever got attacked. I took the course back in Jersey."

  "Well, that's good, then." But he still sounded mad. "I'm glad you had that course. But you weren't being at­tacked. You went out there looking for trouble, and that's a different—"

  "I went out there looking for you!" She was sick of being lectured. "How about a little gratitude on your part?"

  "I had everything under control."

  "Ha! If that's having everything under control, then I'd hate to see the day when you ..." She lost her train of thought as a car cruised by, going slow. She realized now it was the same car that had passed when she was looking for the glasses. The headlights had helped her find them.

  The car could be going around the block looking for a parking space, except for one thing. The man in the car looked like . . . "Joey," she whispered.

  "Joey?" Harry stopped in his tracks and glanced quickly in all directions. "You see Joey? Where? Where is he?"

  "There!" Lainie pointed to the taillights as they con­tinued on down the road.

  "Which car? Leo! Hold up a sec!"

  Just then an SUV blocked her view. "Agggh! Damn, now you can't see a thing! And the way the road curves . . . that's it. He's out of sight."

  "But you saw him? Leo! Shit, I don't think he heard me. You really saw him?"

  She pictured the person in the car. At the time, she'd been sure it was Joey. Now she wondered if she'd imag­ined it. Her brain was on overload, and maybe she was seeing things. "I thought it was him. Maybe not. Then that Navigator pulled out and blocked him."

  Harry continued to stare down the street, his whole body clenched. "What did the car look like?"

  "Sort of a gold color, two-door sedan." Lainie was so busy being fascinated by Harry's reaction that she forgot to be scared for a little while. He was practically sniffing the air. Give him a loincloth and a club, and he could pass for a guy on the trail of the woolly mammoth.

  "Dammit." Harry's jaw worked. "I'll bet it's him. That describes the rental I saw him driving back at the casino."

  "You saw him back in Vegas? You didn't tell me that!"

  "I didn't want to scare you."

  How incredibly sweet. She began to forgive him for being such an idiot a few minutes ago. "Did he see you?"

  "Sure did. I knew it had to be him, and I didn't want him to know I was connected to you, so I made up some story about being a groundskeeper for the hotel. He seemed to buy it."

  Leo walked back toward them. "So I look around, thinking you were right behind me, and here you are still way back here. What's up?"

  "Lainie thinks she saw Joey. The guy was driving a gold-colored sedan."

  Leo's attitude changed from weary to businesslike. "If it's the rental, it's a Ford Escort."

  Lainie's tammy started to churn as she pictured the back end of the car. "It was an Escort."

  Harry glanced at her. "License plate?"

  The moment ran like a video clip in her head, and she rattled off the plate number.

  "Good memory," Leo said.

  "Photographic," Harry added.

  "Let's see if the plate matches what I have." Leo pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and fished out a slip of paper. He held the paper at arm's length and squinted at what was written on it.

  "Here." Harry grabbed the paper. "Where are your glasses, anyway?"

  "In the car, and it's a good thing, too, or they'd be smashed to smithereens. And those things don't come cheap. So, is it the same car?"

  "Sure is," Harry said. "Looks like Joey's in town."

  The churning in Lainie's tummy became a heavy ache. She tried to tell herself Joey was searching for her so they could talk and work something out, that there was nothing threatening about his being here. But the fact remained that she'd run and he'd found a way to fol­low her. No matter how much she tried to rationalize his behavior, she felt hunted.

  Harry moved closer to Lainie, wanting to shield her, even though Joey's car was out of sight and there was no im­mediate likelihood that she was in danger. "What now?" he asked.

  "We make some calls," Leo said. "Get some backup. You two go on into the bar and order me a Scotch. I'll get my cell phone and meet you in five minutes."

  "Backup?" Harry was trying to imagine how any of Leo's boys would make it down to Sedona in time to help. "We're not in Vegas, Leo."

  "I have contacts in Phoenix."

  "Oh. Good." Harry had never been particularly keen on the underworld, but at times like this, mobsters could come in handy. He'd shelve his scruples for a guarantee that Lainie wouldn't get hurt. Shoot, he'd been doing that for years with his mother.

  Lainie put her hand on Leo's arm. "Uh, I don't want to interfere in your program, because I don't know ex­actly what your plans are and don't want to know, really, but can I make one teeny-tiny request?"

  "Sure." Leo glanced at her with fondness. "What is it?"

  Harry could tell from Leo's expression that he'd taken a fatherly liking to her. Harry had always won­dered if Leo wished he'd had kids of his own, but once he'd hooked up with Rona, he'd been stuck with Harry and no prospect of anything more.

  Lainie cleared her throat. "The thing is, I don't want Joey rubbed out."

  Amusement flashed in Leo's eyes. "That wasn't my intention."

  "Good. That's good. Because I know he's a pain in the ass, but he's still Dexter's father."

  Leo nodded. "I understand. All I want to do is con­tain him. Now go order me that drink."

  "We will." Lainie took hold of Harry's arm. "Come on. We need to get Leo's drink." She started toward the Cowboy Club.

  "I thought he was buying us a drink," Harry grumbled as he followed her. His evening was not going well. He was grateful to Leo for providing protection for Lainie, truly grateful. But there was no question that with Leo's arrival, Harry had been demoted.

  And as for the sex he'd been hoping to have with Lainie, that might be up in smoke, too. On top of that, Joey was in town. Harry no longer had the illusion of hav­ing Lainie to himself, and that was making him grouchy.

  Knowing his limitations, he should be thrilled that Leo had taken over. But during that brief time when he'd mistaken Leo for a stalker and chased after him, he'd felt terrific. Suddenly he'd been the man, the go-to guy who was making the world a safer place for Lainie Terrell.

  Now Leo had that role, and logically, that was how it should be. Leo knew what he was doing, and Harry was only acting on gut instinct. Obviously his instincts were faulty, causing him to tackle one of the good guys. Joey had driven by in a gold car Harry should have identified, and he'd been too busy arguing with Lainie to notice. She'd noticed.

  Yeah, he needed to step aside and leave this up to the professionals, but he didn't want to. He wanted this to be like in the movies, where he was handed the crisis and he solved it. And then. . . well, in the movies, the guy got the girl. That idea hadn't been part of his origi­nal scheme. And it still wasn't. . . was it?

  He was thinking about that when they stepped inside the Cowboy Club. Some stares came his way, probably because of the blood and the mud on his clothes. In some ways he felt more at home in the Cowboy Club af­ter that scuffle with Leo. A scuffle proved that he was a man's man, worthy of sitting at the bar and ordering something manly.

  As he and Lainie slid onto bar stools, he turned to her. "Do you want anything?"

  "Harry, there's something I need to tell you."

  "Yeah?" He'd always hated that intro. It usually meant news that he'd rather not get.

  "The f
irst time Joey called me in Vegas, he gave me his new cell phone number. I tried to forget it, but you see how things stick in my mind."

  Harry wondered how long he'd stick in her mind af­ter this was over. Selfishly, he wanted to be a guy she never forgot. "You have an incredible memory," he said. She was incredible all over, come to think of it, and he thought about that a lot. "What are you planning to do with this cell phone information?" He had some idea but hoped he was wrong.

  "I've been considering whether I should call Joey. And although I'd love to just discuss this on the phone,

  I know Joey. He'll want to meet me somewhere. He thinks he's very persuasive in person."

  "That doesn't mean you have to meet him."

  "No, but if I don't, then I might be ruining Dexter's future. I think I have to meet him."

  He'd been expecting something like this. Although he didn't like the idea of her being within a hundred miles of the jerk, he couldn't ignore the Dexter angle. No matter which way he cut it, Joey was still Dexter's father. As such, he had legal rights. Plus there was a for­tune hanging in the balance, one that might someday go to Dexter, depending on how this played out.

  "I've been putting off the idea of calling him," she said.

  "I don't blame you."

  "But maybe I should."

  "Let's see what Leo thinks about it."

  "What I think about what?" Leo slid onto a stool next to Harry. "So where's my drink?"

  "We haven't ordered it yet," Lainie said. "We were talking, and I guess the bartender's been busy, because he hasn't come down to this end."

  "Ah." Leo leveled a Sicilian glare in the bartender's direction, and like magic, the guy came right to them.

  Harry had admired that glare for years. He'd prac­ticed it in the mirror and tried it out a few times, but it had never worked for him. Maybe you had to be Sicilian or a member of whatever brotherhood Leo belonged to. When Leo got into his godfather mode, he commanded attention like nobody else Harry knew.

  In no time at all, Leo had his Scotch on the rocks and Lainie and Harry each had a glass of mineral water. Harry had thought about ordering Scotch, too, because it seemed to fit the occasion, but he hated the taste. And de­spite the fact that he might not be needed as Laurie's bodyguard anymore, he wanted to stay sharp, just in case.

  Leo took his first swallow and exhaled with pleasure. Then he turned to Lainie. "What were you going to ask my opinion about?"

  "I know Joey's cell-phone number. I could cut to the chase on this deal and call him. Knowing him, he'll want me to meet him somewhere so we can talk. Maybe it's time."

  Leo didn't act surprised by the information. "Probably. I have the number, too. I was going to suggest something like that, but not quite yet."

  "Why not?" Lainie asked. "Wouldn't it be nice to let him know we know he's here?"

  "In some ways." Leo sipped his drink. "But I'd like to wait until the Phoenix guys show up. We need to give them a couple of hours, and I like daylight better than dark for this meeting. More people around, and we can see better."

  "Yeah, I like the daylight plan better, too," Harry said, although no one had asked his opinion. Clearly Lainie was looking to Leo for guidance, now.

  "So you think I should wait and call Joey in the morn­ing," Lainie said.

  "I do." Leo gazed at the two of them. "I'll follow you back to the resort, to make sure he doesn't try anything there. However, it's not too likely, which is why I wanted you to stay there and not venture out. And now that I've put Dudley Shearson on the payroll, he—"

  "Dudley?" Lainie and Harry said together.

  "Yeah." Leo seemed to enjoy their reaction. "After observing him for a while, I decided he'd be a good man to have on our side. The guy isn't selling a whole lot of time-shares, so he was glad to get the pay."

  "There's a reason he's not selling time-shares," Harry said. "The place is a dump."

  Leo nodded. "I got that impression. Are the locks de­cent, at least?"

  "They seem to be," Lainie said.

  "And the place is old, so the doors are solid wood." Harry wanted Leo to know he'd checked that out. The door wouldn't give way like the one in Lainie's apart­ment.

  "Then it should be fine for now," Leo said. "So Dudley knows we're not Fred and Rona?" Harry asked.

  "Not exactly. I didn't spell everything out, and fortu­nately, Dudley's not looking a gift horse in the mouth. But he's a tough old bird, him and his six-shooter, and—"

  "Omigod," Harry said. "Dudley's carrying a gun? He thought about the wild ride in the golf cart and shud­dered.

  "Ah, he won't need it," Leo said.

  Harry gazed at Leo. "Do you carry a gun?"

  "Only when I have to."

  "Okay." Harry drained the rest of his mineral water and set the glass down with a determined think. "You said you'd explain why you were down here following us around. I can understand sending someone, but why come down here yourself?"

  "Because your mother didn't trust anyone else to be discreet."

  Harry started to laugh. "You call sneaking from store to store, scaring us out of our wits, discreet?"

  "I haven't shadowed anybody in a long time, okay? I'm not as quick as I used to be."

  "So why not send someone else?" Harry had been about to say "somebody younger and quicker," but thought better of it.

  "Like I said, your mother wanted me to do it. And I have a big favor to ask. I'd like you to keep this eve­ning's ... events ... from getting back to her. If I've ru­ined the mood for you two by getting caught spying, she's not gonna be happy."

  Harry felt heat climbing up his neck. "Oh." So his mother had sent Leo because Leo would keep his dis­tance and let nature take its course. Which it certainly had.

  Leo took another swig of his Scotch. "So what I'm saying is that even though Dudley and I will be keeping watch tonight, I'm hoping you can forget we're even there."

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Are you feeling as weird about this as I am?" Lainie asked as she and Harry drove back to the resort. Every time she looked in the side mirror, there were the head­lights of their chaperone trailing behind them in his sil­ver Jag.

  "Maybe not quite as weird as you. Leo followed me around some when I was a teenager."

  "Because you were wild and crazy?"

  He glanced over at her. "You don't have to say it like it's impossible. I might have done some wild and crazy things. You never know."

  "Yes, I do." She squeezed his arm. "And there's noth­ing wrong with being steady and reliable. It's very ap­pealing." Wow, was it ever. Then throw in Harry's recent tendency to get physical whenever he thought she was in danger, and presto, you had the Clark Kent/Superman thing going on.

  "Maybe for now, when your life is in turmoil, but in the long run, steady and reliable might get boring."

  She didn't think so, but she wasn't going to argue with him and make it seem she was angling for a rela­tionship. "All I can say is, I'm not bored so far."

  "Me, neither. But you're right about having Leo hang­ing around. It seems very strange. We're supposed to go back to our hideaway knowing that Dudley and Leo are on duty. And we're supposed to forget they're there."

  "Harry, you don't think Leo's had the place bugged, do you?"

  He shook his head. "That's why he's here instead of someone else. He'll respect our privacy. His guys would be told to respect it, too, of course, but in their eagerness to do a good job, they might overstep. I'm not worried that anybody can actually hear... whatever we're do­ing." He cleared his throat. "If that's what you meant."

  She thought it was so cute that the thought of sex with her could still get him flustered. "I wasn't really worried about that, either," she said. Although she was. What if they were in the midst of being friendly and something happened, like Joey tried to break in and Dudley started shooting up the place with his six-shooter, and she and Harry were caught with their pants down? Literally?

  "Okay, I was worried," she said.
"We're not exactly free to do whatever we want. At least I don't think so, under these new circumstances."

  "I guess you're right." He sighed. "Everything's dif­ferent."

  "Yes, it's different. I just wish ..."

  He reached over and took her hand. "Yeah. Me, too." Then he gave her hand a squeeze and released it so he could pull into the parking spot behind their unit. "So here we are. Just us, Leo, and Dudley."

  "Home, sweet home." She turned in her seat and watched the silver Jag glide by. "I wonder where Dud­ley's keeping himself?"

  "I'd rather not think about it." Harry sighed again. "We might as well go in." He opened the car door.

  "Might as well." She got out and they walked together up to the entrance without touching at all, not even hold­ing hands.

  He put the key in the lock.

  "I'll probably skip the red nightgown, tonight." she said. "Considering the circumstances."

  "I understand." He pushed the door open and flipped the light switch, which activated the end-table lamps. "Want me to take the couch?"

  "I suppose that makes sense." She walked into the room while he closed and locked the door. Then she turned to find him watching her.

  She watched him right back. If he could look, so could she. The space between them began to heat up. She swallowed.

  He licked his lips and swore softly.

  Then it was all over. In an instant they went from motionless to frenzied, clinging to each other, kissing every available inch of bare skin and wrenching off pieces of clothing. In the process they maneuvered then-way through the door into the darkened bedroom, and by the time they were naked, they'd reached the mat­tress and tumbled onto it, panting and moaning.

  At least she was almost naked. She hadn't taken the time to unbuckle her red shoes. And Harry was naked until the moment he rolled on a condom. She had no idea when he'd grabbed one, but suddenly there it was, in his hand. In no time he'd put it on and slid right inside. She wrapped her legs around his, holding him precisely where she wanted him, needing the tight connection, needing ... Harry.

  "I could never have stayed on the couch." He kissed her throat, her chin, her mouth.