Allison opened her mouth to speak, but the doorbell stopped her. “Be right back.” The legs of her chair scrapped against the tile floor. However, he was out of his chair before she stood up.
“Got it.”
“Seriously, it’s just Connor. He’s got babysitting duty again today.”
He didn’t care who it was. She wasn’t opening the door, end of story. “Probably. I’m still getting it.” Rock didn’t stick around to hear her argument on the matter.
“Adding doorman to your resume?” Connor asked when he came inside.
Rock ignored his friend. If it meant keeping Allison safe, he’d add a lot of jobs to his resume. “We’re finishing breakfast. Want some coffee?”
“Why not,” he answered as they headed for the kitchen. “I owe you one, Raimono, for telling your girlfriend to request me. Got me out of watching over Stan Bonds.”
He’d seen Connor on both Monday and Tuesday, but both times Allison had been around too. This was the first time they’d been alone. Rock had expected his buddy to be unhappy with his current assignment, but he didn’t seem bothered. “The big mouth oil guy from Texas?”
“He’s traveling to Venezuela. Hired the firm again to keep his sorry ass safe. They planned to send me, but the Sherbrooke name pulls higher rank. I’m not complaining. I much prefer working with your girlfriend. She’s not what I expected.”
He’d thought the same thing back in March. “I know what you mean.”
Allison was filling a mug with coffee when they walked in. “Help yourself to anything, Connor, if you’re hungry.” She handed Connor the mug as she walked by him. “I need to shower, I’ll be back.”
Rock nodded and glanced down at his watch. What he wouldn’t give for an extra thirty minutes or so right now. As it was, he was cutting it close this morning. “I’ve got to leave in five. See you tonight.” He pulled her close before she got further away. He didn’t care if Connor stood in the room. He wasn’t letting her leave without a kiss first.
“Have a good day.” She dropped a second kiss on his cheek and left.
“Saw the time check,” Connor said before he sipped his coffee. “You’ve got it bad my friend.”
Yeah, he did. So what.
***
Had someone sped up the day or something? One minute her computer read ten and now it said one o’clock. Most of the time she’d be pleased the end of the workweek was only hours away, and if it didn’t mean dinner with her dad and Abby was much closer, she’d be happy this afternoon too. Unfortunately, in a few hours, she had to sit down and tell them everything. Even before this morning, she’d known it was the right thing to do. Some things you couldn’t keep from your family no matter how much you wanted to. A stalker following you around fit into that category. Knowing this fact and telling her dad though were two different things. How did one even start a conversation like that? No matter what her word choice, he’d lose it tonight. She just hoped Rock’s presence and the fact she’d not only hired bodyguards but also gotten the police involved would prevent her dad from having a heart attack in her living room.
“Think about something else.” Thinking about the task ahead didn’t change it or make it go away. It only made her sick to her stomach. Allison focused on her other conversation with Rock this morning, the one they’d had when she’d woken up from her nightmare. I love you too damn much. Those had been his words. When she’d asked him out after the Falmouth Foundation fundraiser, she’d only wanted to get to know him better. She hadn’t had any expectations past a night out.
Odd how life worked sometimes. In a strange way, she guessed she owed Charles a thank you. If he hadn’t shown up at Siena the night she meet everyone for dinner, she wouldn’t have lied and Rock wouldn’t have escorted her to the fundraiser.
Gone for six months. Yuck. Even if neither of them could change the fact, he should’ve said something before today. She realized when the Marines told him to go, he had no other choice. And it wouldn’t have changed her feelings even if she had known sooner, but still she wished he’d mentioned it sooner. It looked like it was going to be one long summer and fall. She’d need to find something to distract her and make the time go by faster. Maybe a trip somewhere. More than once Sara had asked her to Alicante in California. Perhaps sometime after Sara and Christopher’s honeymoon, she’d visit them for a little while. Her grandparents in New York loved visitors too and often asked her to stay with them. She hadn’t visited them in over a year. A week or two up there would kill sometime, and she and Nana could get some shopping in. Nana might be in her eighties, but the woman still loved shopping as much as a teenager. As long as she worked while away, Jake wouldn’t mind if she took some time off.
Yep, she’d find ways to make the months pass. And until Rock left, she’d enjoy their time together as much as possible considering the circumstances. So far the police had no leads. The only fingerprints they’d found in her house had belonged to either her or Rock. When they informed her of their finds, she’d almost cried. She’d been positive they’d find something. Even if they hadn’t been able to match the print to anyone yet, at least it would’ve been some hard physical evidence. Right now, they had none. If she didn’t know better, she’d think she’d imagined it all. Too many things pointed at someone being after her, including the bullet through Rock’s apartment window.
Technically, the police had nothing to tie the shooting with someone breaking into her house, but she knew they were related. Rock agreed, although he’d admitted he didn’t know if the bullet had been intended to hurt her or scare her. Either way, she didn’t care. She just wanted the madman caught and her life normal again. She loved having Rock with her every night. Both Connor and Neil were nice guys, but she hated having a shadow everywhere she went.
Allison’s mood plummeted straight to her Prada pumps. Positive thoughts, think positive thoughts. Only about a month until my niece or nephew is born. If thoughts of a baby weren’t a positive thing, she didn’t know what was. She couldn’t wait to meet Trent and Addie’s son or daughter and then spoil him or her like a good aunt. Sara’s wedding. Even if Rock wouldn’t be around then, she couldn’t wait for the wedding. Although not her only female cousin, she’d always been closest to Sara. Her cousin had dated her fair share of jerks before her relationship with Christopher, Jake’s best friend, and Allison had never seen her happier.
Slowly, her mood inched its way up from her toes. Now if she could just get the sick knot out of her stomach, the day wouldn’t be a total loss.
***
Allison stepped off the elevator a few hours later and walked toward the reception desk. She’d needed a little afternoon pick-me-up and the best place around for a coffee was the Coffee Factory Café next door.
“Miss Sherbrooke, you have a visitor,” Denise said from behind the reception desk. “He arrived not long after you left.”
Before Allison managed a word, Connor stepped closer, the fingers on his right hand flexing. “Did he give you a name?”
More than ever, she appreciated Connor’s presences. She didn’t have any meetings scheduled today, so who waited for her?
“He said his name was Hunter Perkins,” Denise replied, reaching for the phone. “Should I call building security?
Hunter here? While odd, it didn’t require a call into building security. “Don’t worry about it, Denise. I know Hunter.”
“A friend?” Connor asked, his posture telling her he still didn’t like the idea of someone showing up unexpectedly.
“More like an acquaintance. I used to date his older brother, Charles. I’ve known him a while.” She walked toward the office waiting area.
When Hunter spotted her, he stood and stepped forward. The movement only caused Connor to move so he walked a step or two in front of her. “Connor, really, it’s okay. I know him.” She kept her voice low so neither Denise nor Hunter heard her comment. Her constant shadow remained where he stood directly between her and Hunter
Hunter made as if he intended to embrace her when she got closer, but then his arms fell by his sides. “Allison, I hope I’m not disrupting anything. I was in the area and wanted to say hi,” Hunter said with a smile.
“Nah, we just stepped out for coffee. Come on in my office.” She’d seen Hunter numerous times when she’d visited Charles and his family. She’d always found Hunter a little odd, although she couldn’t explain why. That didn’t mean she had to be rude and ask him to leave. Besides, a visit with him provided a nice little distraction from her earlier thoughts.
Connor’s tightlipped expression let her know his thoughts on the situation, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he followed them back toward her office and to his seat outside the door.
“What are you doing in Alexandria?” Allison asked once they both sat.
“Interviewed for a summer internship at Novo and Sullivan. I have another with Griffin, White, and Crosby next week.”
She’d heard of the well-known law firm located a few blocks over. With one of her questions answered, she posed her other one. “How did you know I worked here?”
“Charles mentioned it when we talked. He said he saw you with Trent and your sister-in-law.”
Duh. Charles, she should have thought of him. Hunter and Charles talked a lot, or at least they had when they’d been together. “They were down for a fundraiser.” With her questions answered, she searched for some conversation starters. School came to mind first. Hunter attended Georgetown University. “How’s the semester going?”
“It’s a breeze. Wish the fall semester had been as easy.”
“Football must take up a lot of your time in the fall.” She didn’t recall what position he played, but she remembered Charles telling her his brother played for the Hoyas.
“Yeah and I tore my ACL last season,” Hunter answered, then went into way more detail than she needed about the play that caused the injury and the rehab afterward.
Twenty minutes later, Connor knocked on the door saving her from any further football plays. “Miss Sherbrooke, you asked me to remind you when it was four.”
“Thanks Connor,” she said, playing along. Honestly, she’d had enough football talk for one day, but Hunter hadn’t given her a chance to interrupt him. “I’ve got this bad habit of losing track of time and I’m meeting my dad and stepmom for dinner tonight.”
“Gotcha. Saw your dad when I visited Providence last month.” He stood but didn’t make a move to the door. “If I get the internship at Novo and Sullivan, I’ll need a place in Alexandria. Any areas you recommend?”
“I’m over on Cameron Street. Everything around there is nice.”
Hunter nodded and smiled. “Thanks. I’ll check it out. Talk to you later.”
She waited until her guest left before she went for the door herself and opened it. “How did you know I needed a break?”
Connor lowered the coffee he still nursed and looked at her. “Just wanted him out of your office. Didn’t like the guy.”
“He’s harmless. But thanks anyway. I thought I’d hear about every play from last season.”
“Not a football fan?”
“How’d you guess?” Although perhaps if it had been someone else giving her the season recap, she wouldn’t have minded so much. Rock could give her a lesson on the proper way to wash dishes in his sexy voice and and she’d enjoy it. “I’m not going to get anything else done today. As soon as I close out my computer programs, we can go.”
“Ready when you are, Miss Sherbrooke.”
***
Rock thanked Detective Graves, the officer who was investigating the shooting at his apartment, and ended the call. While the police had found fingerprints on the casing recovered in the parking lot, it had not matched any on record. The only positive news from the call, if you could call it positive, had been that they’d matched the bullet to a weapon used in a fatal robbery the previous year. However, the homicide remained unsolved and the official from Dumfries didn’t know how the weapon had made its way back into circulation. At the time of the robbery, the gun had been found in the dumpster outside the convenience store and taken into police evidence. Graves claimed all this was further evidence the shooting at his apartment had been a random gang related act and nothing else.
He didn’t buy it. He tried convincing the guy otherwise. Although the detective had remained polite, he’d more or less told Rock he had no clue. He recognized a hopeless case. If the detective didn’t want to hear it, he wouldn’t waste his breath. The cops in Alexandria knew about the shooting. They might have better luck getting Graves and the Dumfries’s police force onboard. Either way, it didn’t change his mission. Until he left next month, he’d do everything possible to keep Allison safe.
After passing through the base exit, he headed for Interstate 95. Typically he took the interstate straight to US-1. Since tonight of all nights he couldn’t be late, he’d checked traffic reports before leaving. According to them, an accident had traffic on US-1 backed up for miles, which meant if he hoped to reach Allison’s with enough time, he’d have to take an alternate route.
Rock’s smartphone beeped while he waited at the traffic light and he glanced at it.
Addie’s water broke. They’re on their way to hospital. I’ll call when I have more news. Your dad and I are on our way over there. The message from his mom said.
He reread the message. He’d hoped she’d go into labor early and have the baby before he left in June. Now maybe he’d get to meet his nephew before he came back in the winter. Both he and Allison were convinced the baby was a boy. His sister and Trent kept denying they knew, but on more than one occasion Addie referred to the baby as him. Allison was so positive in fact she’d ordered dozens of baby boy outfits, which she’d showed him the moment they arrived. He’d been blown away by the tiny size of them. The idea another human could fit into them boggled the mind.
Before he did anything more than hit reply, his phone rang.
“Trent’s taking Addie to the hospital. She’s in labor,” Allison said before he managed any kind of greeting. “Dad just called me.”
“Got a text from my mom. Are we canceling dinner tonight?” He understood if Mark Sherbrooke wanted to head back up to Providence. A guy’s first grandbaby wasn’t born everyday.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re afraid of seeing my dad.”
Afraid? Hell no. A bit reluctant perhaps. “Figured he’d want to be there for your brother.”
“He does, but he also wants to have dinner with us since he’s already in the area. We’re meeting them at the Washington Grille instead. It’s closer to the airport. Right after dinner, they’ll head back to Providence. He’s already told his flight crew about the changes.”
Sounded like they had it all figured out.
“He invited us to fly back with them.”
Stuck on a plane with her dad and stepmom wasn’t how he pictured his Friday night.
“Don’t worry. I declined the offer,” Allison continued on before he said a word. “I didn’t think you’d want to travel with them, so I told Dad you couldn’t leave the area this weekend.”
Already he regretted the words he intended to say. “If you want to fly back with him, we can.” Her stalker was in Virginia not Providence. By the time he figured out she’d left, she be in Rhode Island. Assuming they stayed at her father’s estate, which he guessed had a top-notch security system, he could protect her just as well in Providence as he could here.
“I love you,” Allison said.
She’d told him the same thing early today, but it still sounded surreal.
“I already told him we can’t fly up tonight. How about we plan on going up next weekend?”
As long as she was willing to wait, he’d go next weekend or any other time she wanted. “You got it. See ya soon. Love ya.”
Chapter 17
How? How had he made such a stupid mistake and not locked the deadbolt on the back door? He’d been
so careful each and every time he’d gone inside. And it had always been so easy. Only the very first time had it been tricky.
It was Raimono’s fault he’d made an error. If the jerk hadn’t touched Allison, he would’ve remained calm and not slipped up. Now, not only did she have Raimono living with her and bodyguards in tow, but the police were involved too. If not for Kitty at the station, he wouldn’t know the reason behind the police visit to Allison’s house earlier in the week. Her knowledge had kept him from visiting Allison’s house again. The first thing the police would’ve told her when they came out was to change her alarm code, which meant he’d have no way of turning it off. He didn’t need half the Alexandria police department arriving after him. Assuming he was able to get in at all with his key. He suspected the police would’ve suggested she get her door locks changed too. It didn’t matter now anyway.
Their little precautions only meant his plans required adjusting. He’d made all the changes without any difficulty. Having a friend who could hack into any computer or security system came in handy. Too bad he’d have to die too. Who knew when he’d have need for such talent again? Unfortunately, if he let Roger live, there’d always be one person out there who knew the truth. Right now, Roger agreed to keep his mouth shut and take the money they’d agreed on. What if he changed his mind and demanded more money? Or even worse, went to the cops? No, he couldn’t risk it no matter how valuable Roger may be in the future. When Roger came back to collect his money, he’d not leave.
Yes, tonight everything would occur as planned. This time tomorrow, Rocco Raimono would be dead, his body burned past recognition along with Roger’s. Even better, he and Allison would be at his house in Maine where no one would find them.
Just a few more hours. He watched her walk inside with her bodyguard and then he turned away from the windows. Too bad he’d been forced to change his original plan. He liked this house. It had a lot of character to it. History too, if what the real estate agent told him when he bought the place was true. Maybe when he came back from Maine he’d see if he could find a house similar to this one. He liked the area and planned on staying in Alexandria for the foreseeable future. I wish you could’ve lived, my love. If only you’d waited for me.
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